How to Get Rid of Tea/Coffee stains?

Peter's coffee cup

By Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

Canada

February 26, 2016 8:26am CST

One of the biggest problems faced on a daily basis are the tea of coffee stains that after time appear on your, cups, mugs, or even saucers (if you choose to drink your poison that way). I remember as a child doing the washing up we would regularly find a caffeine ring around the cup, some simply would not come out. Today I have a dish washer as do many people in the western world, but still the cups come out (occasionally) with these coffee stains Do you ever get rid of those dastardly stains? Do you have a simple solution? Or do you have to reach for the CLR every once in a while?

14 people like this

12 responses

@LadyDuck (457413)

• Switzerland

26 Feb 16

I use baking soda, it usually solves the problem.

3 people like this

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

That has been said a few times. Here in US/Canada there is a company called Arm & Hammer that has a book of 101 uses of their baking soda and that is included in it.

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Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

27 Feb 16

@LadyDuck Who would thing it would have such wide applicability?

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@LadyDuck (457413)

• Switzerland

27 Feb 16

@pgiblett We have another brand here, it is very old and I have also a book about the 500 uses of baking soda. I use it a lot in my kitchen.

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@whiteream (8567)

• United States

5 Mar 16

I don't have any trick to removing them. I just keep cleaning until they come off.

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Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

5 Mar 16

So you haven't tried baking soda

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Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

6 Mar 16

@whiteream I would think peroxide would get rid of anything.

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@whiteream (8567)

• United States

6 Mar 16

@pgiblett baking soda with peroxide works.

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@scheng1 (24650)

• Singapore

26 Feb 16

Try to use washing soda. It should work. If not immediately, then you can try to soak the cup in it overnight.

2 people like this

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

Is that the same as baking soda, or is it for clothes washing?

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@scheng1 (24650)

• Singapore

8 Mar 16

@pgiblett Washing soda is stronger than baking soda.

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Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

8 Mar 16

@scheng1 OK. I have never heard of it before.

@amadeo (111948)

• United States

26 Feb 16

No I throw them out.If I cannot get rid of them.(kidding)I do not have any solution.Are those the blue willow plates there

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Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

@amadeo We used to have a full set, but time has taken care of that.

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

They are both blue willow, but the cup and saucer come from different sets, I just grabbed the saucer for the picture.

@amadeo (111948)

• United States

26 Feb 16

@pgiblett thanks.Do you have the collection on this?Blue Willow?

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@gudheart (12659)

•

8 Mar 16

I have not really had this issue very often thankfully. I find that most washing up powders usually do the trick ;D

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Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

8 Mar 16

I find they do get it off 95% of cups, bet we have one cup where the stain simply stays.

1 person likes this

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

8 Mar 16

@gudheart Most of the time it is faded and can be scrubbed out with a scouring pad, bur sometimes I guess I forget and it gets worse.

@gudheart (12659)

•

8 Mar 16

@pgiblett That sounds frustrating. Is it a faded stain or quite noticeable?

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Richard L. Meister Jr.

@RichardMeister (5328)

• Otis Orchards, Washington

26 Feb 16

Baking soda works for me. I just take a paper towel, put some baking soda in the cup and use the paper towel to scrub with.

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Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

28 Feb 16

@RichardMeister

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

I think I saw that on in the book 101 uses for Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.

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Richard L. Meister Jr.

@RichardMeister (5328)

• Otis Orchards, Washington

27 Feb 16

@pgiblett I've known about baking soda cleaning powers for many years. I use it on my pots and pans. It's cheaper than Comet or Ajax and does just as good of job.

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@MGjhaud (23109)

• Philippines

27 Feb 16

i just use baking soda. it works.. sometimes you have to mix it with detergent or lemon.

1 person likes this

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

27 Feb 16

I have used freshly squeezed lemon juice on it's own sometimes.

1 person likes this

@marlina (154166)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

Sometimes, I use an S.O.S. pad and then rewash the cup with dish liquid very well and rinse.

1 person likes this

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

What is an SOS pad?

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

@Raelove We have Brillo which much of the time is good enough.

@jaboUK (64362)

• United Kingdom

26 Feb 16

I don't know what CLR is, but I just use washing -up liquid and scrub with steel wool. If they are really bad I use bleach, but make sure to wash them thoroughly afterwards.

1 person likes this

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

CLR is available in the USA and Canada to work on those hard to clean stains. I know bleach works, but nowadays bleach is slowly being replaced by a non-corrosive version which is useless to man and beast.

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Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

@Raelove That wasn't the cup with the stain, I tried to picture the stain but it didn't come out well.

@Marilynda1225 (79587)

• United States

26 Feb 16

When I have a tea stain I usually rub some baking soda around and it removes the stain without much fuss

1 person likes this

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

26 Feb 16

Yes Baking soda is known to work, as we dish-wash all the time I have found a little Brillo gets rid of most.

@JudyEv (325348)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Feb 16

I use carb soda or a bit of Ajax or other cleanser. Don't you just love having a dish-washer though? I do.

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Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

27 Feb 16

I do love having a dish-washer, we have had one for more than 25 years, they have improved over time, but don't quite get the tea/coffee stains out. normally scouring pad does the job, but sometimes not.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (325348)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Feb 16

@pgiblett I love the way glassware and cutlery comes up sparkling too.

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@Lucky15 (37346)

• Philippines

26 Feb 16

I scrub them. Like crazy

1 person likes this

Peter B. Giblett

@pgiblett (6524)

• Canada

27 Feb 16

I have done that before.