If you drink tea regularly, you probably know how much of a bother it is sometimes to remove the crusty stains that remain after several cups. The stains become even more visible when you let the stain dry. Not using the right cleaning agents when washing the cups can also cause layers of particles to accumulate on the mug, making it harder to remove the stains later on. Knowing how to remove tea stains properly will prevent buildup on all your favorite mugs. Learn how to remove tea stain the right way, and all your teacups will easily retain their original appearance.
How Do You Get Rid of Tea Stains in Cups?
How to remove tea stains from cups? Stained mugs and cups are a fact of life if you are a tea drinker or coffee drinker. Often, the truly stained ones are placed back into the cabinet, awaiting their destiny. We pull out the new and unstained ones and pretend that the stained ones don’t exist. Lighter stains can be removed with soap, water, and some scrubbing. However, the dried out ones are harder to clean, and the stains can persist after a round or two in the dishwasher. Why does this happen? When tea stains have dried in, they begin to resist regular washing. Around this time, you’ll have to change your strategy.
If your stains can no longer be removed with water and dish soap, it’s time to pull out the all-around cleaner for the kitchen – baking soda. Baking soda is an alkaline substance, making it effective in removing various stains, including heavy and protein-rich food stains. Beverage stains are no match for baking soda, either. Create a paste from baking soda and apply it to the stains before scrubbing down with a sponge or cleaning cloth. Baking soda is an ideal cleaning agent because it has mildly abrasive properties, is non-toxic, and is readily available in most US kitchens.
When removing tea stains with baking soda, make sure that you leave the baking soda on the mug’s affected parts for a few minutes before wiping. After the first rub-down, check if you need to apply more baking soda. Repeat the process until you see the stains coming off completely.
What Is the Easiest Way to Remove Stains?
How to remove a tea stain from a cup easily? Let’s say that you have several mugs and teacups that have heavy staining. What should you do with them? In the previous section, we outlined how you can remove heavy stains with baking soda. If this approach doesn’t work, we recommend adding lemon to the equation. Slice a lemon and use half of the lemon. Squeeze fresh lemon juice across the mug. Saturate the areas that need the most clean-up. After spreading the lemon juice, sprinkle baking soda in the same areas to initiate a chemical reaction. You will begin to see some fizzing as the alkaline baking soda reacts with the lemon juice’s pure acid. Leave the reaction for a few minutes and scrub down your teacups and mugs. Check if the stains are gone. Should you see some remnants, repeat the process until all of the stains are gone.
Do Vanish Remove Tea Stains?
How to remove tea stains with Vanish? According to the company website, Vanish can be used to remove tea stains on cups. Vanish will be especially helpful even when the stains have become crusty and dry. However, keep in mind that all kinds of stain, once dried, are harder to remove. Apply Vanish using a damp paper towel and rub until the tea stains are removed. If there is some leftover, reapply the cleaner using another damp towel until the surface is squeaky clean. Feel free to was again and rinse several times before returning to the cup rack.
Are Tea Stains Harmful?
Tea stains can be harmful, the same way that soda stains and coffee stains on mugs can become a health concern. Tea stains are essentially buildups of tea and other matter from the preparation and consumption of tea. As such, this solid matter, no matter how lightweight or thin it may be, can harbor bacteria and viruses. So tea stains aren’t ‘funny’ remnants of drinking tea regularly. These are actual beverage stains. If we take the time to remove food stains from cookware and plates, why not take the same time in removing beverage stains from mugs and teacups?
A grubby mug is also no way to be considerate to other family members or colleagues who use the same pantry as you. Having a regular tea habit is fine, but other people shouldn’t be affected. However, if there is always gunk in the mugs because you drink a lot of tea, people aren’t going to be pleased, for sure.
Below are some ways to prevent stains from forming on your mugs and teacups:
- Avoid over-steeping your tea. Steep the tea and then remove the teabag from the cup. If you leave the teabag in for too long, the tea becomes overly potent and bitter. Over-steep also creates the right conditions for staining as many tannings are released into the hot water. These tannings will easily stick to your mug’s surface.
- When you prepare tea, finish all of it or drain the mug if you don’t like the tea anymore. Don’t leave tea in your mug for hours on end in the kitchen sink. This, too, will create ideal conditions for staining. Hot tea should be enjoyed immediately, for the best results, too.
- When you are done drinking your tea, rinse the mug at least. You don’t have to scrub your mug ASAP. Just rinse the mug to wash away the tea. That way, you can wash the mug (properly) later on without staining issues.
