There is an increasing interest in tea polyphenols, as natural plant compounds, in food products and also in pharmaceutical products due to their multiple health care functions. In this paper, a microwave-assisted extraction method was employed for the extraction of tea polyphenols. The effects of microwave power, heating time, and ethanol concentration on extraction of tea polyphenols were investigated by single factor experiments and an orthogonal experiment [L9(3)3]. Results showed that the optimum extraction conditions were that the microwave power was 560W, the heating time was 30s, and the ethanol concentration was 40% (v/v). The antimicrobial properties of tea polyphenols were also discussed. Tea polyphenols had bacteriostatic activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. This study may be valuable for the extraction and application of tea polyphenols.