Monday is a good day to clean...

With Tea

Clean wood furniture and floors

Freshly brewed tea is great for cleaning wood furniture and floors. Just boil a couple of tea bags in a quart of water and let it cool. Dip a soft cloth in the tea, wring out the excess, and use it to wipe away dirt and grime. Buff dry with a clean, soft cloth.

Shine your mirrors

Brew a pot of strong tea, let it cool, and then use it to clean your mirrors. Dampen a soft cloth in the tea and wipe it all over the surface of the mirrors. Then buff with a soft, dry cloth for a sparkly, streak-free shine.

And for health and beauty...

Reduce razor burn

To sooth razor burn and relieve painful nicks and cuts, apply a wet tea bag to the affected area.

Make soothing mouthwash

To ease a toothache or other mouth pain, rinse your mouth with a cup of hot peppermint tea mixed with a pinch or two of salt. Peppermint is an antiseptic and contains menthol, which alleviates pain on contact with skin surfaces. To make peppermint tea, boil 1 tablespoon of fresh peppermint leaves in 1 cup of water and steep for several minutes.

And in the garden...

Give roses a boost

Sprinkle new or used tea leaves (loose or in tea bags) around your rosebushes and cover with mulch to give them a midsummer boost. When you water the plants, the nutrients from the tea will be released into the soil, spurring growth. Roses love the tannic acid that occurs naturally in tea.

Prepare planter for potting

For healthier potted plants, place a few used tea bags on top of the drainage layer at the bottom of the planter before potting. The tea bags will retain water and leach nutrients to the soil.