How to prevent tea stains in cups

Take away Tea Stains from Cups

Tea and low drinkers have a common drawback, although we not often discuss it. Tucked away in our cupboards, out of sight from our fairly tea and low bars, it’s our soiled little secret, actually—stained tea and low mugs. Should you’re prepared sort out this drawback as soon as and for all, I’ll present you the only solution to take away tea stains from all of your cups.

How one can Get Rid of Tea Stains from Cups & Mugs

Should you’re like me, you scrub and scrub at these pesky tea and low stains and so they simply gained’t budge. Cleaning soap, scorching water and elbow grease appear to do nothing. The dishwasher is ineffective. Due to this, I went on a mission to determine the easiest way to scrub these ugly stains from my tea and low mug assortment.

And guess what? Not solely did I uncover the best solution to say goodbye to those ugly ringed stains inside my cups, however the most cost-effective. It seems, I already had the whole lot I wanted to get the job carried out. I wager you do too.

Whenever you see how simple it’s to do away with tea stains from cups, you’ll marvel why you didn’t clear them sooner.

The miracle cleaner: baking soda

The reply (or maybe I ought to say, resolution) to this stain-removing dilemma is 2 phrases: baking soda. Should you bake goodies like breads, cookies and muffins, you actually have a field in your pantry. Chances are you’ll actually have a field in your fridge for absorbing meals odors. Maybe you even realized as soon as upon a time to maintain a field close by your range in case of fireplace.

So what’s it about baking soda that enables it to make baked items fluffy, freshen odors, extinguish fires, and wash away espresso stains?

I’m not a chemist, however let me clarify. Baking soda, also called sodium bicarbonate, is mildly alkaline. The pH scale measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is and ranges from acidic (0) to alkaline (14). Impartial is close to the middle at 8. Baking soda has a pH of 9 which implies it’s alkaline. Lemons have a pH of 2-3 so they’re acidic. Water is impartial at 7.

Baking soda as a leavening agent

You’re in all probability most aware of baking soda as a leavening agent for baking breads and pastries. When baking soda is combined with an acidic ingredient like milk, brown sugar or lemon juice, a chemical response happens and carbon dioxide is launched. These carbon dioxide bubbles develop when uncovered to warmth and makes your cookie dough and cake batter rise, and change into gentle and porous.

Baking soda eliminates odors and places out small fires

Along with leavening, baking soda neutralizes sturdy odors, each acidic and primary. And because it releases carbon dioxide when heated, in addition to water, it’s efficient at placing out small grease fires. In essence, the carbon dioxide smothers the hearth since carbon dioxide is heavier than the oxygen a fireplace wants for combustion.

Baking soda as a cleansing product

Relating to cleansing merchandise and stain elimination, you need to know that cleansing brokers which are alkaline (primary) on the pH scale (baking soda) are good at eradicating fatty and greasy spots. Alternatively, acids (lemons) break down tough stains like rust or mineral deposits. Now that you simply perceive a few of the chemical properties of baking soda, let’s get again to the issue at hand, eradicating tea stains from cups.

Whereas there are a number of methods to scrub stains from our consuming cups, I believe baking soda is the most effective technique since baking soda is:

• Low-cost
• Available
• Non-toxic
• Mildly abrasive

These are the 2 methods I take advantage of baking soda to take away tea and low stains from cups.

Baking soda and water technique

With this technique you’re making a scrub. Baking soda is ideal for the job since it’s a delicate abrasive and mustn’t scratch your drinkware. It’s abrasive sufficient to do away with the stains, however not so abrasive that it ruins the floor of your mug. Nonetheless, for those who’re involved about scratches, check a small part first.

What you’ll want:

• Water
• Baking soda
• Damp paper towel or sponge

Pour a small quantity of water in your stained cup starting on the rim (the place stains stands out as the worst for those who over steep like me) and swish it round. The objective is to get your complete within the cup moist. Dump out any extra water.

Subsequent, sprinkle in a tablespoon or so of baking soda so it sticks to the water and types a paste. I wish to let it sit for a couple of minutes.

Lastly, take a barely damp paper towel or sponge and wipe out the baking soda and with it, the tea stains. You’ll discover that the paper towel turns brown from the espresso or tea. Be aware: ensure the towel or sponge is NOT soaking moist for the reason that baking soda must be abrasive,

To complete issues off, use the identical paper towel to rub off any drip stains on the surface of the cup. Rinse the cup out with clear water and also you’re carried out. Like magic, your cups will go from dingy and stained to wanting new.

Baking soda and lemon technique

With this technique you’re additionally making a scrub. Nonetheless, not like water which is a impartial agent, lemons are acidic. Acids are useful at breaking down tough stains.

What you’ll want:

• Juice from a recent lemon
• Baking soda
• Damp paper towel or sponge

Minimize a big wedge of lemon (about one fourth of a lemon). Beginning on the rim of the cup, squeeze the lemon throughout, coating your complete inside and backside of the mug. Swirl the juice round so the within of the cup is coated. Just like the baking soda/water technique, sprinkle a spoonful of baking soda throughout the cup so it sticks to the lemon juice.

When the lemon (acid) is available in contact with the baking soda (primary), a chemical response happens. You’ll even see and listen to fizzing and effervescent. Let the cup sit for a minute, after which take a barely damp paper towel and wipe away all of your tea and low stains.

Should you don’t have a lemon useful, you can even use distilled white vinegar. Like lemon, vinegar is an acid at 2.4 on the pH scale. I desire to make use of lemon because it has a pleasing scent.

How one can clear tea stains from stainless-steel journey mugs

My daughter is a barista at Starbucks. I profit from that in a pair methods. First, she shares numerous espresso and tea-making suggestions with me. And she or he’s given me numerous nice Starbucks presents, together with tons of their stainless-steel journey mugs. Over time, nonetheless, the stainless-steel mugs get actually stained inside and lose their authentic shiny luster.

Like common mugs and cups, I’ve tried cleaning soap and scorching water to wash the stains away however nothing works.

Since stainless-steel scratches simply, I desire to make use of the baking soda and lemon technique for cleansing these journey mugs. (See above.) Whereas the acidic lemon breaks down the stains, the mildly abrasive baking soda makes wiping them off a cinch. As a matter of truth, I don’t even have to wash the stains. A fast wipe and rinse and the stainless-steel mugs sparkle once more like new.

In case your arms are too massive to succeed in all the way in which to the underside of a journey mug, use a long-handled sponge to succeed in. Or for those who’re utilizing a humid paper towel, push it round with the deal with from a protracted utensil like a wood spoon.

It’s wonderful how easy it’s to do away with tea stains from cups, together with stainless-steel journey mugs!

How one can forestall tea stains in cups

When you can not utterly cease espresso and tea stains from occurring, there are smart steps you possibly can take to maintain from making them worse. The primary reason for stains is espresso or tea contained in the cup for a very long time. Listed here are just a few suggestions:

• Don’t over steep your tea. As a tea drinker I’m so responsible of this. I can not let you know what number of instances I stroll away whereas my black tea is steeping and don’t get again to it in time. Not solely does the tea change into bitter, nevertheless it creates a darkish stain throughout the cup.
• End your whole tea or espresso or dump it out of the cup. I can not let you know what number of instances I believe I’ve completed all my tea solely to see there’s nonetheless some left within the cup.
• Rinse your cup as quickly as your completed. Give your espresso mug a fast rinse whenever you’re carried out consuming from it for those who’re not going to clean it immediately. Should you use a dishwasher, rinse the cup first.