How To Clean Tea Stains Out Of Cups
Tea is wonderful: it warms our hearts, wakes us up in the morning, and it's filled with antioxidants! But tea is also the culprit behind all those stains on our favourite mugs. T ea stains on mugs are unfortunately an unavoidable side effect of enjoying this delicious habit. Lucky for you, there are several easy ways to clean tea stains.
You can use common household items like sponges to more unusual but surprisingly effective methods like denture cleaner. Here are the best (and easiest) ways to clean out those pesky stains and some tips to possibly prevent them altogether!
P.S. These methods will also work for coffee stains!
Psst! This post contains affiliate links. It sends a bit extra my way if your buy anything through my links, at no extra cost to you!
Jump To A Tea Stain Cleaning Method
- Why Do Tea Stains Happen?
- Tips For Cleaning Tea Stains
- How To Clean Tea Stains?
- A Sponge
- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
- Lemon
- Baking Soda
- Secret Option: Lemon AND Baking Soda
- Most Surprising: Denture Cleaner
- Alternative Method: Vinegar
- Preventing Tea Stains Altogether!
- What's The Overall Best Method For Cleaning Tea Stains?
Why Does Tea Stain Our Mugs?
Tea stains our mugs for the same reason it stains our teeth. It all comes down to having a high tannin content. You might have heard of tannins in connection to wine. Red wine is known for having a high tannin content, but so does tea.
Tannin (A.K.A. tannic acid) is a naturally occurring compound that gives tea (and red wine) it's unique dark color and flavor profile. The amount of tannin in tea differs, affecting the color, bitterness and acidity of different types of teas. So, you'll find a lot more tannins in black tea than green tea.
But! Tea stains can also be due to the quality of your water. Water can contain different compounds and minerals that will leave a dark stain behind, like iron, manganese and even more tannins! Read more about thequality of your water.
Tips Before You Start Cleaning
The material of your mug will influence which cleaning method you should use. First, I noticed that certain methods work better on certain materials than on others. Second, some methods may also react differently with certain materials.
With this in mind, if you care about your mug it's important to test out a cleaning solution on a small part of your mug first. It's like when you buy a new cream, or makeup; first try it on a small part of your face or hand before applying it everywhere to see if you have a reaction.
Methods For Cleaning Tea Stained Mugs
Use The Hard Side Of The Sponge
Using the coarse (green) side of a sponge is somehow both the easiest, and the hardest way I found to clean out my mug. It's quite simple: use dish soap and hot water and scrub your mug until it's clean.
It's an easy way to clean out your tea stained mug because it isn't adding an extra step. You have to clean your mug anyway, now I'm just making sure to use the hard side of the sponge. This is definitely the easiest method to add to your daily routine .
But cleaning tea stains with the hard side of the sponge also has some negatives. First, it's one of the hardest ways to clean your mug because it's quite labor intensive, because the tea stains won't simply wipe off with one stroke. It's more of a man power method of scrubbing your hardest, but the results are spectacular.
The second negative is based on your mug. If it's tall, or has some nooks in it, these areas are going to be almost impossible to clean.
The third, and final negative is that the hard side of the sponge is not exactly a soft material. It will scratch certain surfaces. For example, I wouldn't use this method to clean my stainless steel travel mugs (not that I can reach the bottom with it anyway!).
BUT! I found this method resulted in one of the cleanest mugs after removing tea stains.
Buy Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Sponge For Your Tea Stains
Overall Score: 3.5/5
Tea Stain Removal: 5/5
Ease of Use : 3/5
Reach: 2/5
Material: 1/5
Can The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Clean Tea Stains?
This blew my mind! I had never thought to use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for tea stains before. But it kind of makes sense when you think about it, as it's commonly used for other tough stains, for example in my sink, shoes…etc. Literally anything you can think of!
This isn't as common of a household item as a sponge, but they are easy to get your hands on. TheMr. Clean Magic Eraser for tea stains was very similar to using the green side of the sponge. I added a bit of water to it, and then scrubbed my mug until it was sparkling clean!
It wasn't able to reach those hard to reach areas in my mug either, but I did find it easier to control. The sponge is quite a bit more slippery (you're using soap and a lot more water) so the Magic Eraser is easier to hold, and manipulate.
It was also perhaps a bit less strenuous a job than using the sponge. Plus, the Magic Eraser isn't as harsh of a material, so if you're worried about scratching your mug, you're better off using the Magic Eraser .
In the end, the results were very similar at removing tea stains as the sponge. So it's based on your preference and what you have in the house.
I used the most durable Magic Eraser so no pieces fell off while using it. I've had my Mr. Clean Magic Erase start to disintegrate on me if I scrub too hard.
It's also a good idea to test out the Magic Eraser on your mug first, it's known to dull stainless steel.
Buy Mr. Clean Extra Strong Magic Eraser
Overall Score: 4/5
Tea Stain Removal: 5/5
Ease of Use : 4/5
Reach: 2/5
Harsh Material: 3/5
Using Lemon To Clean Tea Stains
Lemon is always my favourite cleaning solution because I love the smell! I tend to add a slice of lemon to my tea whenever I feel a cold coming on and I noticed that my mug came out looking cleaner when I finished drinking. So it came as no surprise that this is one of the best ways to clean tea stains.
In order to properly clean my mug, I added a slice of lemon to hot water and let it sit for about 30 minutes, after which I poured out the water, wet a piece of paper towel and wiped the inside of the mug. The results were outstanding. With very minimal effort, the stains wiped right off!
The other benefit of this method is that a paper towel is a lot easier to get into those harder to reach areas (compared to a sponge and Magic Eraser). The downside is that it's potentially a separate cleaning step. But, if you like lemon in your tea, or lemon with hot water, enjoy that and then wipe it clean afterward. So you aren't wasting time or a lemon!
You can also rub and squeeze the lemon directly on the inside of the mug without adding water. And if you don't have a fresh lemon, y ou can use lemon juice instead!
Using a Lemon To Clean Tea Stains
Overall Score: 5/5
Tea Stain Removal: 5/5
Ease of Use: 4/5
Reach: 4/5
Material: 5/5
Trying Baking Soda To Remove Tea Stains
Baking soda is often known as the ultimate cleaning agent, so why can't we use it on our mugs for tea stains? I thought Baking Soda was going to be the winner of this comparison by far, but I was underwhelmed with it on its own (more on that in a bit).
I tried using baking soda in two ways. First, I tried adding 1 tsp of baking soda to hot water and letting it sit for about 30 minutes. After that, I wiped it clean with a damp cloth/ paper towel. The outcome was mediocre at best. I mean, the mug came back cleaner than it was before, but I guess compared to using a sponge or lemon, it wasn't really close.
The better way to use baking soda to clean tea stains is to wet the inside of your mug (rinse it out and spill out all the water). Then coat the inside and bottom with a thin layer of baking soda. I let it sit for a few minutes and then wiped it clean with a damp cloth. This method worked a lot better.
Buy Baking Soda For Tea Stains On Mugs
Overall Score: 3/5
Tea Stain Removal: 3/5
Ease of Use : 4/5
Best Crossover: Lemon AND Baking Soda
The best method, by far, is mixing lemon with baking soda. Lemon is honestly still good as a cleansing solution on its own, but I wouldn't even bother with baking soda alone. The results using lemon and baking soda is astonishing!
Mixing lemon with baking soda is such a strong cleaning solution because a chemical reaction happens when you mix them. Lemon (citric acid), when mixed with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) changes the chemical composition creating sodium citrate . When you mix it it'll fizz and become foamy but what this really means is that the pH level is becoming more neutral (read about pH levels and cleaning).
To clean my mug using lemon and baking soda, I sliced my lemon into quarters. I squeezed the juice inside my mug and rubbed the wedge inside. Next, I coated a thin layer of baking soda inside my mug (exactly like using baking soda and water). I let it sit there for a few minutes before wiping it clean with a damp cloth.
Mixing Baking Soda & Lemon
Overall Score: 4.5/5
Tea Stain Removal: 5/5
Ease of Use : 4/5
Best For Cleaning Tea Stained Stainless Steel Accessories (i.e. Steepers & Travel Mugs)
The best part about the baking soda and lemon combination is that it's a killer cleansing solution for stainless steel . Stainless steel is a hard material to clean because it can scratch quite easily. You don't want to use the green side of a sponge and apparently Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will dull it.
A lot of tea accessories are made with stainless steel, think travel mugs and steepers. Not only does it clean all my tea accessories, but they come out shinier than ever!
I wipe lemon all over my accessory, or squeeze it inside the travel mug. Next I do the same thing with the baking soda as I did for my mugs, just coat everything with a thin layer, then let it sit for a few minutes before wiping it clean.
If you are looking to clean out your travel mugs, you should invest in a long sponge to reach the bottom, it makes it a lot easier!
Bottle Brush Cleaner For Travel Mugs
Most Surprising Result: Denture Cleaner (Polydent)
Using denture cleaners to remove tea stains was the most shocking cleaning solution for tea stains. I found this method online and of course had to try it for myself because I didn't think it would work. Honestly , it did it's job and worked like a charm!
If you don't already havedenture cleaner, I wouldn't go out of your way to buy it if this is your only use for it. I have a mouthguard so I have a retainer cleaner so I used that.
It was recommended to cut the tablet into quarters and use one quarter. Then I followed the instructions on the box. I added hot water to the tablet and let it sit for 15 minutes. After that the tea stains came right off with a damp cloth.
Again, if you don't have denture cleaner I wouldn't go out of your way to buy some. But, if you have some tablets and you don't have lemons this is a perfectly good method to use!
Polydent Denture Cleaner
Don't Even Bother Trying Vinegar For Tea Stains
I don't typically use vinegar as a cleaning solution just because of the horrible smell but it is often a favourite. I tried using vinegar to clean my mug in a few different ways, but wasn't satisfied with any of them.
First, I added 1 tsp of vinegar to hot water and let it sit for about 30 minutes. After that I poured it out and took a damp piece of paper towel (you can also use a damp cloth) and wiped it off. Unlike the lemon which wiped right off, this did not. You can try adding more vinegar but I just can't stand the smell!
Next, I went straight to the source and soaked my paper towel in vinegar to wipe directly on the tea stains. This became more about strength for scrubbing rather than an easy wipe off.
This was the only method for removing tea stains that was different based on the material of the mug. It did a better job on some of them, but all around I wasn't really happy with any of the results.
Using Vinegar For Tea Stains
Overall Score: 2/5
Tea Stain Removal: 2/5
Ease of Use: 2/5
Reach: 4/5
Tips To Prevent Tea Stains
Now we know why tea stains happen, and the best way to clean them, but are they actually avoidable altogether? Many argue that tea stains are in fact avoidable if you wash your mug immediately after use… well, I don't know about you but I'm not into the habit of finishing my cup of tea and running to clean it out. Not to mention, I usually like to enjoy a second (and even third) cup of tea before bothering.
But, aside from running to clean your mug right away, there are two ways to potentially avoid tea stains.
First, you can change the type of mug that you're using. Use either a dark coloured orglass mug and you'll never see another tea stain again. I mean, in the dark mug you physically will not be able to see it!
Another way is to add a dash of milk to your cup of tea. Astudy showed that milk contains casein that attaches to the tannin molecules that prevents them from sticking to your mug. Keep in mind that only cow milk will work, soy, almond, and other alternative milks do not have this mineral.
Tips To Prevent Tea Stains On Your Teeth
Adding a dash of milk to your tea not only protects your mug but also your teeth! But, if you're like me and aren't a huge fan of milk, another solution is to drink your tea with a straw. This may sound odd at first but in South America it's actually typical to drink tea with a straw. Yerba Mate is traditionally enjoyed with a bombilla (a straw!). Find out more about Yerba Mate!
This straw is ideal for tea because you don't even need to use a steeper for loose tea. It has a filter at the bottom to stop tea leaves from going in.
Black Mug
Glass Mugs
Bombilla - Straw
Whitening Toothpaste
So What's The Best Method For Removing Tea Stains
Several of these cleaning methods have very similar results. It's all about what's convenient for you, what materials you already have at home and what it easy to add to your daily routine. Keep in mind that the more you stay on top of the stains, the easier it is for you to clean every time.
Using a sponge, the Magic Eraser, a lemon, and denture cleaner were all very good at removing tea stains. But a sponge and Magic Eraser took a bit more effort and were hard to clean hard to reach areas of your mug.
A sponge and lemon were the easiest to add to your daily routine, and not waste resources. If you're using a lemon, simply enjoy a nice hot cup of water with lemon and then wipe it clean after!
By far the best for stainless steel tea accessories and travel mugs was to use lemon and baking soda.
Continue Reading Tea Tips
- Tea Basics: What's The Difference Between Teas?
- The Truth Behind Reboiling Water: Is It Safe?
- English Vs. Irish Vs. Scottish Breakfast Tea
- What Is Matcha?
- How To Drink Grandpa Style?
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How To Clean Tea Stains Out Of Cups
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