One of the greatest joys of cold weather is drinking a steaming cup of tea in the coziness of your home. The problem with hot tea (and coffee, too) is that it tends to stain. Everyone has a few mugs with age-old tea stains, and when you drink tea often you’re bound to have a spill or two. So with cold weather approaching, we thought everyone could do with some easy and handy hacks for removing teas stains from different surfaces.
1. Baking soda
You might already be aware of the many virtues of baking soda. It can deep-clean a funny-smelling dishwasher, make tomatoes taste sweeter, and yes, also get rid of those pestering tea-stains. All you need to do is dip a moist cloth in baking soda to form a stiff paste, and then gently rub the stains off the cups and saucers. Rinse clean and dry, and voila, your china is as good as new.
2. Beer
If the tea (or coffee) stain happens to be on the rug it may seem impossible to remove. However, there is a very simple hack to solve this problem: beer! Pour a bit of beer onto the stain and rub it lightly into the material; the stain should disappear. You may have to repeat the process a few times to remove all traces of the stain.
3. Liquid hand soap
This hack is useful when the tea stain is found on furniture. Mix one tablespoon each of liquid hand soap and white vinegar with two cups of warm water and apply the solution on the tea stain with a clean cloth (after blotting up as much as you can of the original stain). Apply the detergent and vinegar mix a little at a time whilst scrubbing gently, until the tea stain disappears.
4. Salt
Salt is another way to get your mugs and pots in pristine condition. To get rid of unattractive tea rings, you can sprinkle some salt onto a sponge, and rub in little circles around the ring. If the stain persists mix white vinegar with salt in equal proportions and rub with the sponge.
5. Vinegar
Vinegar, like baking soda, has already turned into a magic word when it comes to cleaning hacks. Not only is it effective at removing tea and coffee stains for cotton blend clothing, but it will also come in handy with stains from juices and even vomit. Pat the stained sport with a cloth or towel moistened with undiluted white vinegar just before placing it in the wash. For large stains, you may want to soak the garment overnight in a solution of 3 parts vinegar to 1 part cold water before washing.
Share this article with someone who would find it useful
