Love a cuppa? You're certainly not alone! According to the International Tea Committee, we Brits consume 100 million cups of tea every single day. But while sitting down with a brew is a relaxing activity, spillages do happen and you may find yourself with a tea stain on your top or sofa.
Tea contains pesky chemical compounds known as tannins, making tea stains tough to shift. Luckily, our experts at the GHI have been figuring out ways to remove stains for over a century now, and we've used their expertise to deliver you the secret to getting out tea stains.
Teaspoons and mugs
Cups and spoons can become stained brown over time if they're regularly used for tea.
Bicarbonate of soda is a cleaning must-have — it's cheap, eco-friendly and versatile — and it's your best ally in removing tea stains.
To use this handy
store cupboard staple as a stain remover, just mix two teaspoons with a few drops of water to make a loose paste. Next, use a soft cloth (a square cut out of an old, clean T-shirt is ideal) to rub the mixture onto stained
teaspoons, cups or saucers.
If you don't have any bicarb around, soak the corner of a cloth in distilled white vinegar, dip it in table salt and rub it over the stain.
We're all guilty of ditching our teaspoons and mugs on the kitchen side when we get busy, but giving them a rinse will help to prevent stains from forming, even if you don't have time to wash them properly.
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Worktops
Prevent long-term staining by mopping up spills as soon as they happen. The bicarbonate of soda paste above should clean tea stains from laminate or wooden worktops. Half a lemon dipped in table salt is also effective.
Granite and marble worktops tend to be more resistant to staining, but they require gentler cleaning. Use a washing up liquid solution or try a specialist surface cleaner such as HG Natural Stone Kitchen Top Cleaner.
Carpet and upholstery
Soak up as much of the spilled tea as possible with a paper towel or soft cloth, before using Bissell SpotClean Carpet Stain Remover (£12.99 for 1L). Spray it into the stain, leave it to soak for five minutes, then dab — not scrub — with a clean, white cloth that's been soaked in cold water and wrung out. Don’t be tempted to treat the stain with salt, as this may set it permanently.
GHI TIP:Test
stain removers on an inconspicuous patch of carpet or upholstery fabric first to check its colour fastness.
Clothing
If the fabric is stained with milky tea, rinse it in cool water before washing: milk is protein-based, so using hot water could set the stain.
Treat stained silk clothing with Dr Beckmann Stain Devils Tea, Red Wine, Fruit & Juice, then follow the washing instructions on the care label.
Soak wool in a cool solution of detergent suitable for delicates. If you don't have any, use your non-biological detergent, before hand washing the garment in lukewarm water.
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