I'm an avid tea drinker, so I was thrilled to hear that tea bags can also double as a cleaning solution. I know you're rolling your eyes in exasperation, but it's true! Because tea can effectively remove grease and grime on mirrors, floors and surface areas, it makes a great cleaning solution (as long as you wipe it thoroughly!).

Boil a few old tea bags and use the brew to mop your flooring and wipe down any countertops or unpainted wooden surfaces. Remember --- wipe thoroughly to avoid tie-dyeing your entire kitchen! I wish I were kidding... ;)

Want some even better news? Tea can be used for a variety of household hacks in your home. In fact, our very own DIY Life has a round-up of 15 creative uses for tea bags. My favorite? An all-natural wart remover, thanks to the tannic acid in black tea. Pretty cool, right?

Vinegar is one of those all-time best-in-show sort of kitchen items to have around, because it can perform so many different life-saving duties. In fact, here's one that I recently learned -- perfect to add to my ongoing list of Why Vinegar is Awesome:

If you have an electric tea kettle with a bit of calcium build-up on the heating element, don't fret. Simply boil a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water, then empty. The calcium will flush out along with the vinegar mix, leaving your tea kettle fresh, new and smelling cleaner than ever.

For more incredible vinegar uses, check out these DIY Life articles:
-Place white vinegar in your washer at the beginning of a laundry load; it will both freshen and soften the clothes being washed.
-Half-fill an open travel mug with vinegar and leave it in your car's cup holder for a day to eliminate any vehicle odors.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful. And, as it turns out, we're not faring well indoors, either. With an increasingly contagious flu on the loose, we need take important measure to keep our families healthy. Of course, in my home, flu has already taken over our lives and we're currently nursing four runny noses with eighteen tissue boxes. Because we don't like to pop pills every four hours, I thought it may be nice to research a few household remedies for our autumn aches. Want to join along? I've got eight surefire ways to beat the flu -- one herb at a time.*

1. Take Vitamin C to boost immune system and increase the number of white blood cells. However, be sure to get your Vitamin C straight from the source, rather than vitamins. Because the flu reduces your appetite, you're at risk for burning your stomach lining with a vitamin. (I actually burnt my stomach lining this weekend, and trust me, it's not an enjoyable sensation!).
2. Take Zinc lozenges to boost the immune system as soon as your symptoms develop.
3. Take garlic capsules to decrease the growth of the virus.
4. Make a homemade tea with the following ingredients:

* 1 tsp. bayberry bark
* 1 tsp. grated ginger root
* ½ tsp. cayenne powder
* 1 cup of boiling water

Let sit for 20 minutes, then enjoy.

5. If you experience a cough, throat and chest pain, dry mouth/lips and are thirsty, try Bryonia Alba.
6. Try Gelsemium if you have symptoms of chills, aches and/or fevers.
7. Nux Vomica is often used when a simple cold has develop into influenza.
8. Cat's Claw has been known to shorten the duration of the flu.

In addition, drink plenty of water, orange juice and hot tea. Avoid milk and dairy products, as they speed mucus production. And lastly, get plenty of rest! You'll be back to your healthy self in no time.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Of course, it's always best to consult a doctor if you're feeling any of the above symptoms. Call your physician prior to self-medicating with herbs, as they could interact with your current medication.

Join me each week as I explore the naturally aromatic side of DIY. Helpful recipes for your "scentual" pleasure: from essential oils, herbs, and other botanicals to soap-making, body care products, and other useful blends.

There's nothing like a cool drink to refresh on a hot summer day. Last week, we explored drinks made with fresh mint and essential oils. Now it's time to think beyond the mint.

Did you know that most citrus and herbal essential oils are sold to large food companies as flavoring? Hydrosols, which are the water left behind when plants are steam-distilled into essential oils, are also safe to ingest in small quantities when they're organic and top quality, according to Suzanne Catty, author of Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy.

Make sure your oils and hydrosols are organically grown and of good quality, then read on after the break for drink recipes -- citrus, herbal, and even some floral -- made with essential oils, herbs, and hydrosols.

You may not know it, but there could be a tea garden growing in your very own yard. Many weeds make excellent herbal tea, and they are medicinal to boot.

In my yard, I have a variety of chocolate mint that is my favorite tea, but I also have rosemary and sage that come up every year. Oh, and the plethora of dandelions, but I suppose I shouldn't admit that.

Country Living has some fresh plant blending ideas that you can use to make your own herbal teas. They include weeds, herbs and even edible flowers. They also include an extensive list of edible -- and drinkable -- plants, some of which may surprise you. I've never thought of steeping young birch leaves or pine needles, but according to Country Living, they'd make some great tea.

So, whether for medicinal or culinary purposes, fresh plants can make delicious tea. Now, who is baking the cookies to go with this delicious fresh tea?

(via Lifehacker)

All the trendy spas offer health detox and body cleansing packages. If you're somebody who indulges in these little luxuries, good for you. I'm sure you're happy, healthy, thin, and energetic. You may not be one of the lucky ones, jet-setting off to a private island for your renewal, but that doesn't mean you can't get the same benefits at home (minus the pretentious attitude and sky-high price tag).

Home detox 101: 4 easy tips for detoxing at home lets us in on 4 simple secrets for purging those damaging elements and renewing our bodies the DIY way. I was shocked to learn that starting your day with lemon water, then keeping a bottle of water boiled with ginger and black pepper can alleviate fatigue and cure chronic headaches. It will also cleanse your liver.

This is just the beginning, the benefit of skin and tongue scraping will regulate digestion and cleanse toxins. Stressing the importance of a brisk walk, they recommend taking a 20 minute walk to improve circulation, cleanse the colon and give your lungs a healthy dose of fresh air. The article closes with suggestions on detoxifying food and drinks.

If you want to spoil yourself even further, check out Debra's Scentual Life series.

Are you willing to take a guess at what might be the most beneficial beverage available today? Beer might be a good guess, but you'd be wrong. It could be a sports drink if you just finished three sets of tennis. Perhaps it's just good old water, we all need that just to survive. In my case, there's a good chance that it's coffee because I almost live on the stuff. Do you think it's bourbon, milk, or turpentine?

According to a blog post at Yahoo! Food, there's a growing consensus that green tea is the drink of choice for health conscious folks. I've known for quite some time that green tea offers health benefits but I didn't know the full magnitude of the benefits green tea lays claim to. Here is a glimpse at how you might employ green tea to improve your healthy living program:

• Block the onset of cancer with green tea's beneficial antioxidants known as polyphenols.
• Soothe irritated skin with green tea's natural antiseptic qualities.
• Help maintain healthy blood pressure
• Preserve your brain function
• Maintain your arteries and fight cholesterol
• Rev up your metabolism

Green tea has been receiving positive reviews for decades. From what I have read, the stuff deserves all the praise that it gets. Unlike many of the concoctions that you can buy today which contain massive doses of sweeteners and caffeine to give them a jolt and make them palatable, green tea has a nice subtle flavor all it's own which is delicious either hot or cold. Given all the benefits that green tea is claimed to offer, it just might be a beverage you'd like to try.

We know that drinking tea has great health benefits. Now your tea bags can be used for alternative healing and other creative problem solving uses. I knew that tea could freshen tired eyes or ease a sunburn, but I had no idea that it could stop bleeding and pain after losing a tooth or even serve as an effective furniture polish. You'll find more interesting tips in these 15 wonderful uses for tea.

A reader comments that a green tea bag can clean stubborn stains off a white board. Here are a few other uses I was able to dig up. What inventive ways have you used tea bags. Share your tips in the comments.

Iced beverages are summer standards, but in my household, not everyone likes their drinks at the same level of sweetness. We don't sweeten iced tea or coffee while it's freshly brewed: everyone sweetens their own glass. Then the sugar doesn't dissolve into the cold beverage, and the last few sips are gritty and twice as sweet as the rest of the drink.

How to solve this problem? Do what the coffee shops do: make simple syrup!