How to remove tea stains

About half of the world's population prefers to drink tea in the morning over coffee. These drinks are different, but the problems from them are almost the same - stubborn yellow and brown spots. On clothes, carpet, mattress or upholstery of a sofa: on any fabric, tea traces are very strong. Removing a tea stain is not easy. The choice of means and method should be based on the type of fabric and not pose a danger to the thing as a whole.

Is tea being washed from clothes

Every tea drinker knows the problem of unsightly brown marks on the inside of a cup. If the dyes of the drink are able to penetrate into the upper layer of ceramics and glass, then what to say about fabrics: tea leaves very "corrosive" and difficult to remove stains on clothes.

The fault is tannins - tannins, a large amount of which is found in tea leaves. Tannins quickly color the fibers of fabric or paper, but it will not be easy to remove brown pigment from a stained thing - the molecules hide deep into the structure of the material.

Having spilled your favorite drink on a blouse, jeans, tablecloth or sofa, many people immediately part with the thing. Take your time - you can fight tea stains. Fresh marks are much easier to wash off. The simplest case is just "planted" tea spots on a white plain thing. But you can also try to remove old tea stains. There are some really effective ways to deal with stains, even on colored and synthetic clothing.

Features of removing stains from tea

If tea has just been spilled on your clothes, you should immediately soak the item in warm water. Until the stain is dry, you can simply remove it with ordinary detergents (laundry soap, washing powder, stain remover).

When there is no opportunity to remove and wash clothes (while at work, away), you can try the express method: medical alcohol. A cotton pad is moistened with a small amount of alcohol and gently blot the tea stain. Alcohol molecules are mixed with tannin particles and, volatilizing, take most of the dye from the fabric fibers.

How to wash black tea

As already mentioned, tea and tea are different. Therefore, you will have to remove stains from green and black drinks in different ways. So, you can try to wash black tea from clothes with any stain remover. When choosing a product, it is imperative to take into account the composition of the fabric: it is advisable to wash colored and synthetic things in an oxygen stain remover (there is no chlorine in its composition).

The stains left by black tea long ago are almost impossible to remove. They may brighten, but they will not completely disappear. The situation is especially aggravated by ironing: if you iron a thing with residual stains with a hot iron, tea particles are "preserved" in the fibers of the fabric. In such situations, only wisely selected folk remedies can really help.

How to remove green tea stain

Household stain removers have little to no effect on old green tea stains. You can remove such a tea stain from clothes only with a reliable folk remedy:

1. Take a tablespoon of glycerin and table salt (coarse grinding).
2. Mix the ingredients so that a homogeneous gruel is obtained.
3. Apply the product to the tea stain and leave for 30-40 minutes.
4. If the material allows, you can gently rub the dirty area with a brush.
5. Wash off glycerin with salt and wash as usual.

This folk remedy is used with caution, since it can discolor not only the stain, but also the pattern on the fabric. Do not put too thick a layer of gruel on the tea trail - a couple of millimeters is enough!

How to remove tea stains using folk methods

Many popular methods for removing stubborn stains work just as well as professional dry cleaning. However, you need to understand that an ordinary housewife is not a certified chemist. It is difficult to predict how this or that component will affect the structure of the fabric, the color of the clothes, and its subsequent appearance.

In fact, there are a lot of folk ways to remove tea traces from clothes. The most effective ones are described below.

How to wash tea with hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is an antiseptic. This substance has a slight discoloration effect on the fabric, which must be taken into account. It is better to remove tea stains with the help of peroxide from light monochromatic fabrics. Ideal for washing white clothes.

The method is very simple:

1. A cotton swab or white napkin should be moistened with a peroxide solution.
2. Apply the product to the tea-stained area of ​​clothing.
3. Leave to act for 10-15 minutes (no more!).
4. Remove the napkin and wash it by hand or in a typewriter.

How to remove tea stains with boiling water

Very hot water perfectly breaks down not only tannins, but also sugar, with which tea is often drunk. However, boiling water works only on fresh spots; clean water cannot cope with an old trace.

It must be understood that not all fabrics can be watered with boiling water. For example, wool, silk, artificial materials must not be exposed to high temperatures. If cotton or linen clothes are stained in tea, you can quickly remove the thing from yourself and pour boiling water over the stain. Water must be poured until the trail is discolored as much as possible. After that, the clothes are simply washed with laundry soap or powder.

How to remove tea stains with glycerin

Glycerin can fight not only the traces of green tea, the substance works well on the stains left by the classic drink. White clothes can be washed with a mixture of glycerin and ammonia. The components are taken in equal proportions, the resulting mass is applied to the tea stain with a cotton swab. After 10-15 minutes, the item is washed.

Do not choose this method for colored clothes.But glycerin with ammonia can be used on both natural and synthetic white fabrics.

Pure glycerin is good at removing stains from black or green tea from delicate fabrics. On a woolen sweater, synthetic or silk blouse, the brown mark can be easily removed with a cotton swab dipped in slightly warmed glycerin. The substance is left for 20-25 minutes for exposure, after which the thing is washed in a machine with ordinary powder.

How to wash tea from clothes with lemon juice

Lemon juice is an acid that can not only remove tea stains from fabrics, but also deprive a thing of its original color. You can try washing white clothes with pure lemon juice. First, a small amount of juice is squeezed out of the sour fruit, then the liquid is carefully applied to the stain. After 10-15 minutes, the item is rinsed in warm water. Light-colored materials can be removed from tea traces by diluting lemon juice with a little water.

How to remove black tea stains with ammonia

Ammonia (or ammonia) effectively removes brown tea stains from white clothes or upholstered furniture. It is not recommended to use caustic solution on colored materials! Ammonia has a pronounced whitening effect.

To remove an old tea stain, just wipe it with a napkin dipped in ammonia. After processing, clothes must be washed, since ammonia fumes are extremely corrosive.

How to clean tea stain with bleach

Any household chemicals containing chlorine perfectly removes any kind of pollution. But you can remove tea stains in this way, again, only with white... It is good to wash table napkins and tablecloths in bleach: the substance will split the traces of all food products left after the feast.

Linen and cottons can be washed in a bleach solution. Housewives achieve an even greater whitening effect by digesting natural materials. It is better not to use chlorine for synthetics, wool, silk.

How to wash black tea with vinegar

Vinegar works the same way for tea stains as lemon juice. Acetic acid discolors brown tannin particles, but at the same time, it removes stained clothes and paint from the fibers. It is advisable to use table vinegar only on white things.

You just need to soak a napkin in vinegar and apply for a while to a contaminated area of ​​clothing. After that, the thing must be washed.

How to remove tea stains from clothes with oxalic acid

If you have oxalic acid powder in your home, it can also be used to remove tea stains. A little water must be added to the dry substance so that the consistency of the product resembles toothpaste. Gently apply the resulting mixture to the tea-stained area of ​​the thing and leave for half an hour. Subsequently, the solution is carefully removed from the material with a dry brush or cloth, and the thing is washed in a machine.

How to remove tea stains from clothes with lactic acid

Lactic acid removes traces of tea much more gently, so the product is suitable for delicate fabrics and synthetics. Before use, the active substance is diluted with water (part of the acid, part of cold water). To remove the brown mark, you need to treat the area of ​​clothing with a cotton swab dipped in a solution.

If none of the proposed folk methods helped to get rid of traces of tea, you can combine several recipes. For example, a very powerful remedy for the toughest stains is prepared like this:

• two parts lemon juice;
• one part oxalic acid;
• 10-15 drops of ammonia.

The resulting solution is used to treat the tea stain with a cotton swab. After 3-5 minutes, the clothes are washed in plenty of water.

How to remove old tea stains with household cleaning products

Sometimes you can also wash stubborn tea stains with a store-bought product. If twenty years ago there was practically no special "chemistry" for removing stains, today the range of products is quite wide.

Having spilled tea, you can try to wash it with such means as:

1. Amway is an imported stain remover designed to remove a wide variety of dirt from almost all surfaces and materials.
2. Vanish is a quality and inexpensive product for removing stubborn stains. There is a gel on sale for both colored and white clothes. You can also find a special product for cleaning carpets, furniture upholstery.
3. Antipyatnin soap will be able to remove a fresh trace left by tea or coffee.
4. Bleach containing chlorine can be used to wash natural white fabrics. Oxygen products work great on delicate items.

If none of the proposed household chemicals helped, do not despair - when the clothes are dry, you can try to remove the tea using one of the folk methods.

Features of removing tea stains from different surfaces

Tea stains are not easily removed from all surfaces and fabrics. The success of the "event" largely depends on the type of material, its structure, fiber density, and washable.

How to wash tea from colored clothes

Not every product can safely remove traces of tea from colored fabric. The hostess will have to choose a gentle washing option that will be effective against stains, while preserving the color of things.

For colored clothing, you can offer options such as:

• laundry soap;
• oxygen stain remover;
• warm glycerin;
• lactic acid.

It is advisable to test funds on colored clothes in the sequence in which they are listed. Washing a tea stain on jeans, for example, will be much more difficult than on a cotton shirt. It may take several washes with special products.

How to remove tea from white clothes

Any dirt is very noticeable on white clothes, especially bright ones such as tea stains. This, of course, is a minus of light things. But the plus of white is a huge range of stain removal products. Almost any of the above methods are suitable for washing snow-white materials. When choosing a product, you just need to take into account the composition of the fabric.

How to remove tea stains from tablecloths

Good tablecloths are made from natural materials such as cotton or linen. It is these fabrics that are most easily removed from any dirt, because the range of acceptable cleaning methods is very wide.

Only colorful tablecloths of bright colors will have to be washed from tea very carefully so as not to spoil the thing. But from plain white fabrics, you can display traces in any of the ways suggested above.

How to get tea stain off the couch

Upholstered furniture also often "suffers" as a result of family teas. If the sofa or chair is white, you can remove the stain from the upholstery with hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, ammonia, or lemon juice.

Colored sofas are cleaned of tea in one of the following ways:

1. A tablespoon of glycerin is dissolved in a liter of warm water. In the resulting solution, moisten a clean kitchen sponge and blot the stain left by the tea with it. After the trace disappears, the sofa is wiped with a clean, damp cloth.
2. The brightness of the upholstery will not be affected if you remove dirt from the sofa with borax. To clean furniture, take a pharmacy 10% borax solution.Apply the substance to the dirty area with a dry cloth and rub it lightly into the upholstery. Now you need to mix citric acid and salt in equal proportions, add a few drops of water and achieve a uniform consistency. Apply the product to an area of ​​the sofa and rub with a soft brush - this will help remove traces of the borax itself. Finish the work by wiping the upholstery with a cloth dampened in warm water.

How to remove tea stain on carpet

Just like furniture, it is undesirable to wet carpets completely. To remove traces of tea, you will have to experiment with different gentle options. As soon as the drink spills onto the carpet, it is recommended to use dry special products or hygroscopic powders such as salt, starch, soda. That is, anything that is capable of absorbing moisture.

When the stain on the floor is old, special carpet cleaning products will come to the rescue. Usually, such chemistry is spread over the surface in an even layer and left to act for a while. In especially severe cases, you can try to remove stains from tea in the same ways that are recommended for upholstered furniture.

How to remove tea stain from paper

Probably the worst thing is spilling tea on an important contract or getting your documents dirty. Fortunately, brown marks “come off” from paper even more easily than from fabric. To return the documents to their original appearance, you need to do the following:

• prepare a solution of 1 tsp. hydrogen peroxide and 2 tsp. cold water;
• apply the product to the stained area of ​​the paper;
• if it was not possible to remove the tea completely, treat the trace with a solution of calcium hydroxide and purified water (in a 1: 1 ratio);
• blot the document with a clean dry cloth;
• leave on a horizontal surface until completely dry.

Useful Tips

In order not to spoil your favorite thing completely, you must follow the simple rules for removing tea stains:

1. In the case of tea, blotting on a fresh stain does not work. The longer the dirt remains wet, the more time the hostess has to find a suitable detergent. As soon as the trail from the tea dries up, the "operation" to remove it will become much more complicated. Therefore, you can, on the contrary, wet the stain with clean water until you get home, for example.
2. Before removing the stain, you need to prepare the thing. For this, clothes are laid out on a flat surface. Several layers of dry white cloth or a couple of paper napkins without a pattern are placed under the stained area.
3. You should always test an unfamiliar remedy on an inconspicuous small piece of clothing, carpet or upholstered furniture. Because the reaction of different materials to chemicals can be unpredictable.
4. Rub any mixture into the stain, moving your hand from its edges to the center. Otherwise, it is easy to stretch the boundaries of the tea trace, to increase its size.
5. First try to remove the tea with a less concentrated solution, only then increase the amount of the "working" product or start another method.

Conclusion

You will have to work hard to remove the tea stain. But you should not despair: today there are a lot of means for removing the most stubborn dirt from various types of fabrics, furniture or carpets. It is important to remember that any "chemistry" can be dangerous, both for the soiled thing and for human health. Applying any of the proposed methods, you must strictly follow the recommendations.