Who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee? But at the same time who also doesn’t love the subsequent coffee stains that can, more often than we like, come as a result of a good cup of coffee? Come on. be honest! We’ve all spilled a fabulous cup every now and then, no one’s perfect (in fact I spilled some on my shirt while writing this). It’s a fact of life it seems. Where there is coffee there will be coffee stains.
So today we are going to take a look at some great methods and strategies to get coffee stains out of a whole slew of different items. From carpets to mugs to even your teeth, we have some hacks to remove coffee stains.
Feel free to give one or more of these techniques a spin, especially if you have been a bit clumsy with that morning cup of joe recently. Just as a starting rule of thumb, if you have just spilled coffee recently, time is of the essence!
Be careful, cautious and take your time if there is any broken glass (like with iced coffee) or if the coffee is too hot and can burn you. Otherwise, get to cleaning as soon as you can!
How to Remove Coffee Stains from Carpets
Oh boy, remember being a kid and spilling something on the carpet. That feeling of shock, panic, fear, dread, and not knowing how to act next. That reaction from your parents when, or for the lucky people, if, they found out. If only we had the solution to clean coffee stains from carpets…
What you will need
- One tablespoon of dish soap
- One tablespoon of white vinegar
- Two cups of warm water
- Two cloths, one for cleaning the other for drying
What to do
- First, try to soak up as much coffee as you can with one of your cloths.
- Next, mix your dish soap, white vinegar, and warm water together.
- Use one of your cloths to sponge up and dab the stain with the soap and vinegar mix. Keep blotting until the stain vanishes.
- Now, use your dry cloth to dry up the carpet and blot up the last of the mess.
How to Remove Coffee Stains from Cups and Mugs
Nothing says “good morning” like grabbing that alabaster-white coffee cup or mug, looking in and seeing, eww, the recalcitrant remnants of yesterday’s coffee. It doesn’t matter how hard you scrub, that stain is gonna stick around for a while. That is unless you do some special maneuvers. Or, in the case of this refreshingly simple recipe, some baking soda.
What you will need
- Dish soap
- Baking soda
- Sponge
What to do
- First, sprinkle a bit of your baking soda, and dish soap if you’d like.
- Next, add just a little bit of water. This way you can form an abrasive paste.
- Scrub your mug as usual with your sponge for a minute or two.
- Rinse, and enjoy your newly unstained mug!
How to Remove Coffee Stains from Wood
From wood? What am I, a lumberjack? Or Abe Lincoln in a log cabin? Well, for those with wooden tables, floors or furniture this one will certainly be a boon of information! Here’s another one where time is an important factor. Try to clean up swiftly so the coffee doesn’t soak into some of the more porous wood varieties out there!
What you will need
- Liquid dish soap or mild detergent
- Two cloths
- Wood polish or wax
What to do
- First, prepare a solution with water and your mild detergent.
- Dip one of your cloths into the water and detergent and wipe the surface.
- Dip your other cloth in clean water and wipe and rinse the detergent solution.
- Remember to wax or polish the wood surface. Don’t delay on this step, either!
How to Remove Coffee Stains from Linen
It happens. That one. Perfect. White. Dress. Shirt. Ruined in a flash. And on the day of your interview/big date/first day of school/first day of work/etc. But there are ways to ameliorate those coffee stains. This one is quite the procedure, but your perfect white garment can be saved.
What you will need
- White vinegar
- Laundry stain remover
- Powdered laundry detergent
What to do
- First, wash the garment on the front and backside with cold running water. In some pieces you get lucky and this can do the trick, otherwise…
- If cold water didn’t do the trick, try liquid laundry detergent and cold water. Liquid dish soap also works.
- Rub the water and detergent into the stain and rub the solution in and let sit for one to two minutes before rinsing.
- Now, if that still hasn’t done the trick, mix powdered laundry detergent with white vinegar and water to make a paste. Test the paste on your garment just to make sure it won’t make a worse stain!
- Scrub that coffee stain down with an old toothbrush if you have it and wash the whole garment normally.
- Some of us may be lucky enough to have a handy stain remover spray or gel. Apply that to your stained clothing and wash it like you would if it wasn’t stained.
How to Remove Coffee Stains from Upholstery
Everyone loves relaxing in their favorite chair or on the couch with a fresh, hot or iced cup of coffee. What a relaxing way to spend a Sunday morning, or anytime really. But a lot less so when you have to clean up a huge stain. So let’s see some techniques to try!
What you will need
- One tablespoon of liquid dish soap
- Two cups of cool water
- Two cloths
What to do
- First, mix your dish soap with your water.
- Use a clean cloth to sponge and wipe the stain. keep wiping it until the stain vanishes.
- Now dip your other cloth into some cold water to finish dabbing and blotting the stain. That outta do the trick!
- An optional step is to include some dry-cleaning solvent on the stain.
How to Remove Coffee Stains from Jeans
Perhaps I’m dating myself here, but, I do remember when ripped, torn and even coffee-stained jeans were a popular fad. That’s right, jeans with oil or paint or even coffee slicks and stains were considered very cool, at least by the fashion industry. Now if you are going for a more vagabond kind of look with jeans sporting coffee stains and rips and tears, then be our guest. However, some folks actually don’t want coffee stains on their jeans, who knew? Well, that’s okay, for all the squares out there, we have a handy guide to clean the stain from your jeans.
What you will need
- Baking soda
- White distilled vinegar
- Stain remover
- Water
- Two cloths
What to do
- First, mix one teaspoon of white distilled vinegar with 4 cups of cold water.
- Next, use one of your cloths to apply, dab and sponge the stain.
- Then, use your other cloth dipped in clean, cold water and gently dab and blot the remaining stain.
- Make sure to wash or launder your jeans as per usual.
How to Remove Coffee Stains from Teeth
Here it is. The moment many of us have been waiting for. Even for the godly among us who have somehow lived their life able to circumvent all the odds and never fall victim to any of the dozen or so above problems will, no doubt, have this one to reckon with; Coffee stains on our teeth.
It’s a reality for many of us and can make our teeth look, well, stained all the time. There is actually a whole catalog of different techniques, methods, styles, tips, and tricks on how to get those horrendous stains from our teeth. Some of them include eating crunchy fruits and veggies, gargling with water right after drinking coffee, and brushing twice a day. But some out there may be seeking a more robust solution, and so here we go!
What you will need
- Teaspoon of baking soda
- Two teaspoons of water
- Toothbrush
What to do
- First, mix your baking soda with water to make a paste. A “toothpaste” if you will…
- Second, apply this “paste for your teeth” or “toothpaste” to your toothbrush. All jokes aside, this baking soda solution is a bit different than standard toothpaste.
- Next, brush moderately on all the dark or stained portions of your teeth, don’t be too forceful as this can scrape off your tooth enamel.
- Finally, rinse your mouth and toothbrush off, and enjoy your pearly whites.
Stains, Stains go Away
And DON’T come back another day. With these handy tips, tricks and guides hopefully you too can clear up some unsightly coffee stains. If only coffee didn’t leave us such horrible stains! I suppose that’s coffee’s message to us saying, “DON’T SPILL ME I AM PRECIOUS!”. As for the teeth staining, however, we aren’t;t sure what the message for that one could be, perhaps always brush your teeth? Whatever it is, feel free to try out some of these keen recipes at home. And be careful with your coffee otherwise you may have a stain or two on your hands or your teeth!
Sources:
- Aguirre, Sarah. “Simple Remedies for Coffee Stains New and Old.” The Spruce, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2020, www.thespruce.com/remove-coffee-stains-from-clothing-1901014.
- Dental, Downtown. “Greenville, SC Dentist: Four Ways to Get Rid of Coffee Stains on Teeth.” Downtown Dental, LLC!, 23 Aug. 2017, downtowndentalsc.com/greenville-sc-teeth-whitening/.
- Guide, Editors of Consumer. “How to Remove Coffee Stains.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 24 Mar. 2006, home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-remove-coffee-stains13.htm.
- McDonough, Lauren Smith. “The Best Way to Get Coffee Stains Out of Everything.” Good Housekeeping, Good Housekeeping, 23 Oct. 2019, www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a16166/stains-coffee-may07/.
- Rodrigo. “How to Remove Coffee Stains From Almost Anything.” Little Coffee Place, Little Coffee Place, 31 July 2018, www.littlecoffeeplace.com/how-to-remove-coffee-stains.
