There’s nothing worse than having to face a pile of washing up after cooking a delicious meal, but sometimes it’s a necessary evil.

As handy as it is having a dishwasher, pots and pans may need a thorough scrubbing first before being put in the machine to remove stubborn grease and burnt food residue. Grease in particular can be particularly troublesome as it can get burnt-on during cooking, leaving your pans with a brown and black layer of grime that is difficult to remove. Hot soapy water is a good way to tackle this, but you’ll often need to scrub away at your pans to get the residue off.

But if you want an easier way to remove grease and burnt-on food without having to use so much elbow grease, the answer is probably already available in your kitchen.

According to cleaning experts, tea bags are especially effective at lifting grease and food stains from pans - and they don’t cost much to buy if you don’t have any.

Tea (particularly black tea) is an effective cleaning product because it contains tannins, a natural cleaning agent which can break down and dissolve grease, making it much easier to get your pans looking squeaky clean.

It’s recommended that pots and pans are soaked in warm water and left to stew for a few hours with some used tea bags. The tannins in the tea will break down the grease and loosen any burnt leftover food, making it much easier to clean off with very little scrubbing.

Food Republic explains: “Tannins can break down grease and get rid of stuck-on foods and stubborn grime. This is also why some types of used tea bags make for better grease removers than others — the more tannins, the more effective it will be. For instance, black tea has the highest concentration of tannins, which makes it a more suitable kitchen cleaner.

“Tea also has antibacterial properties, meaning it can be used as a disinfectant as well. While things like vinegar can be another excellent natural, non-toxic cleaner to get rid of grease, tea has an edge over the former.

“It has just enough acid to break down grease but is milder than vinegar, with the latter known to damage kitchen knives and utensils made from aluminium or copper.”