‘Magic’ 35p method removes tea stains from mugs with no scrubbing

Save your stained mugs with this “magic” .

If you like a cup of tea, you probably know the feeling of taking your mugs out of the dishwasher to find that they’re still on the inside. Tea is notorious for leaving dark rings around our cups because of a compound called tannins that acts like a natural dye.

Tannins contribute to the taste of tea, but when the liquid is left to dry inside our mugs, the compound causes heavy staining. Hard water can also exacerbate staining by combining with tannins to form deposits on the cup, while hotter tea brewed for longer periods also increases the stain risk because more tannins are released.

There’s not much you can do to avoid tea stains in your mugs, and if you don’t like how unsightly the dark rings look, then you’ve probably spent some time trying to scrub them away with washing up liquid and a sponge.

But if that’s not working and you feel like you’re at a loss, worry not. There’s actually a very simple tip you can use to get rid of the stains – and you won’t even need to do any scrubbing.

In a post on , a person asked for help after finding that several of their mugs were stained after drinking matcha tea. They said: “I love drinking matcha, but it’s stained half of my mugs, and it’s now on my new Le Cruset mugs that I just got for Christmas, and I can never get this off. How can I clean it?”

There were several suggestions in the comments, but one of the most cost-effective tips was to use white vinegar. Many of us will have this in our kitchens already, but it can be picked up for as little as 35p from some supermarkets.

What’s more, they claimed leaving white vinegar in the mugs will lift the stains so well that you won’t need to scrub them afterwards. They said: “White vinegar [and leave them to] soak for a few minutes. They should just wipe clean after that. It works on every coffee/tea/mug stain I’ve ever had.”

Another popular method was to use denture cleaning tablets. You can pick these up for just £1 from pharmacies like Boots and Superdrug, and with 30 tablets in a pack, you can clean your mugs for just 3p each.

One person recommended: “I use denture cleaning tablets to get coffee and tea stains out of mugs.”

Others also suggested baking soda, which, when mixed with water, can create a paste that can be applied to the stains, left to sit for a while, and then scrubbed away – hopefully taking the stains with it.

How to clean tea-stained mugs

1. Baking soda: Mix baking soda with water to create a thick paste. Spread this paste on the stained areas of your mug and gently scrub with a damp sponge, cloth, or your fingers. Rinse the mug thoroughly with water and repeat if necessary.
2. White vinegar and salt: Mix white vinegar and a teaspoon of salt to create a natural scrubbing cleaner. Use this mixture to scrub the tea-stained areas with a sponge or cloth. Leave for a few minutes before rinsing with warm water.
3. Lemon juice: Cut a lemon in half and rub directly on the stained area, or pour lemon juice directly into the mug. Allow the juice to sit on the stains for 10-15 minutes before scrubbing with a sponge or cloth and rinsing well.
4. Toothpaste: Using a non-gel white toothpaste, rub the product gently into the stains with a cloth or sponge and rinse thoroughly with warm water.