How to Clean Tea Stains
These days, “spilling the tea” usually refers to dishing out gossip—but when you’ve literally spilled tea on your clothing, carpet, or upholstery, you may have bigger concerns. Depending on the type of tea you’ve spilled, you may have a hard time getting those stains out. This is especially true with black tea, which is almost as difficult to remove as black coffee (more on how to remove coffee stains here)!
The good news is that with the right technique and ingredients, you can get rid of most tea stains in no time. The key is to act quickly; as soon as you notice a tea stain on an item of clothing or other fabric, the best thing you can do is to blot any excess liquid away with a clean towel. From there, you’ll have the best chances of completely removing the stain.
Removing Tea Stains From Dishes
Of course, tea stains aren’t always caused by a sudden spill or other accident! Over time, it’s very common for mugs and other dishware to develop discoloration or staining from tea. This is most common in light-colored ceramic mugs, especially when you drink dark tea out of them on a regular basis. Because ceramic is slightly porous, tea can seep in and cause discoloration to your dishware over time.
If your dishes are looking a little worse for wear, you may be able to remove tea staining and avoid having to spend your hard-earned money on new dishes!
The best part about this method of removing tea stains from your dishes? The ingredients are all-natural—and you may have them lying around your kitchen already. Start by slicing a lemon into large peels and sprinkling a generous amount of salt onto the outside of one of the peels. Then, rub the peel in circular motions around the stained part of the dish. The idea here is that the acid in the lemon, combined with the abrasive quality of the salt, will help to loosen and remove the stain.
If you’re dealing with an especially stubborn tea stain on your dishware, you can also try applying a baking soda paste (made of equal parts baking soda and water). After rubbing the paste in circular motions across the stained area of the dish, allow the paste to work its magic for a few minutes before rinsing it off and washing the dish as you normally would to reveal a stain-free dish!
Removing Tea Stains From Clothing
If you’ve spilled tea on your clothing, always start by blotting away any excess tea with a clean cloth. From there, you’ll want to check the garment tag on your clothing to see what kind of care instructions it has. If the tag indicates that it’s dry-clean only, you shouldn’t try to remove the stain yourself; instead, take the garment to a trusted dry-cleaning professional as soon as possible.
If you’re working with a fabric that doesn’t need to be dry-cleaned, you can probably remove the stain yourself with a little time and elbow grease. The best way to do this for most fabrics is to soak the garment in a mixture of three parts white vinegar to one part water in a sink or basin for about 30 minutes. After you’ve removed the fabric from the vinegar mixture, check to see how much of the stain is left and rub table salt in circular motions around the remainder of the stain to help lift more of it out.
Finally, wash the stained garment as you normally would in your washing machine. If the fabric is white, you can use bleach to help restore its brightness and eliminate any leftover stain. Otherwise, consider using color-safe bleach.
Removing Tea Stains From Carpet and Furniture
Getting rid of tea stains is perhaps most challenging when you’re dealing with carpet, upholstery, and other fabrics that cannot be easily washed. Fortunately, most tea stains can be completely removed from carpet and furniture when you act quickly by blotting any excess liquid right away.
From there, create your own cleaning solution by mixing one part white vinegar with two parts water. You can either apply this mixture directly to the stain using a sponge or using a spray bottle. Either way, you should leave the cleaning mixture on the stain for at least 10 minutes before rinsing and blotting dry. Repeat this process a few times, if necessary, to remove the entire stain.
If this doesn’t do the trick, you may want to try a store-bought carpet cleaner. Just be sure to read the label and test the carpet cleaner on an inconspicuous area of the material before you get started.
Avoiding Tea Spills in the Future
These days, there are all kinds of clever and innovative mug designs that can help to prevent spills while also keeping your tea at your ideal temperature. Consider, for example, investing in an insulated stainless steel travel mug to keep your tea in after it’s brewed. These mugs are great not just for enjoying your tea at-home, but for taking on-the-go as well. Many insulated mugs can keep your tea hot (or cold, depending on how you prefer yours) for up to 24 hours and will reduce the likelihood of spills. What’s not to love about that idea?
And of course, when you use a dedicated travel mug for your daily tea, you can protect your nice ceramic mugs and other dishware from those unsightly tea stains. It’s a win-win all around.
Get Help With Your Daily Cleaning Tasks
After spending an afternoon removing tea stains, the last thing you probably feel like doing is cleaning the rest of your home. Free up your valuable time by hiring a professional cleaning service to tackle everything from dusting and sweeping to vacuuming and emptying trash bins. Your free time is already limited enough as it is, so hiring a cleaning company to handle these kinds of tasks for you can help you regain some of that time back to spend with loved ones, take on a new hobby, or simply sit back and relax!
Who says you need to choose between having free time and having a clean living space? With a professional maid service near you from our team at Maid Sailors, you can have both. We offer customized cleaning services for hard-working people in NYC and the surrounding areas, including deep-cleanings and move-in/move-out cleanings. Your satisfaction is our top priority, which is why we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Explore our service offerings, book your appointment online, or give Maid Sailors a call at (212) 299-5170 to find out more today!