How To Remove Tea Stains From White Items, Textiles And Paper + Video And Reviews

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

Tea stains - easy to remove

Do you like to drink tea? Surely this is so, because all over the world there are millions of admirers of this drink. And they all agree in the same opinion: tea invigorates, gives health and good mood, but stains from it are a real punishment, often a regular wash is not enough to wash them off. How to remove traces of awkward tea drinking from clothes, textiles and paper surfaces? There are such methods, and today we will consider them.

Content

• 1 How to remove stains from black and green tea

  • 1.1 8 remedies for tea stains

    1.1.1 Photo gallery: remedies that break down tea stains

• 2 How to remove tea stains in a washing machine

  2.1 Table: Machine settings and detergents for cleaning tea stains from different types of fabric

• 3 How to remove tea stains manually

  • 3.1 From white things, tablecloths, tulle
  • 3.2 From colored clothes, from jeans, from a knitted sweater
  • 3.3 From carpet and sofa

  • 3.4 From paper

    3.4.1 Video: removing smudges from a document

• 4 Reviews

How to remove black and green tea stains

If you spill tea on clothes or any surface, try to remove the liquid as quickly as possible. A fresh tea stain is very easy to wash off almost any fiber and fabric, even in cold water. And there is no difference whether the tea was black or green. But if the stain has dried out, you have to try.

Try to remove the spilled tea stain as quickly as possible before it starts to dry

The fact is that the reason for the persistence of such pollution is tannin, a tannin that is found in tea. In black, of course, there is more of it than in green, so its color is more intense. But the resistance to washing will be the same for both stains.

Don't be upset by the sight of a tea stain. Everything is in our hands, and we can easily cope with this nuisance on our own, most likely, dry cleaning will not be needed here. And stain removers are sure to be at your fingertips.

8 remedies for tea stains

1. Fresh lemon juice. Tannin, which is contained in tea and is responsible for the intensity of its color, is perfectly broken down by lemon juice. Apply the juice gently to the stain, wait a few minutes, and wash the item as usual.
2. Heated glycerin. On silk and woolen fabrics, tea stains can be removed with warm glycerin, applied with a sponge or cotton swab. After 15 minutes, rinse the spot where the stain was with warm water, then blot it several times with a napkin.
3. Hydrogen peroxide. Treat delicate items made from thin delicate fabrics with hydrogen peroxide and then wash in cold water.
4. A solution of citric or oxalic acid. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of oxalic acid or 2 teaspoons of citric acid in a glass of cold water. Soak a sponge or cotton swab in the solution, wipe the stain carefully. After that, wash in the usual way.
5. Ammonia and water. A regular solution of 1 teaspoon of ammonia per liter of cold water also works well for tea stains. Moisten the stain with it, under which you first place a piece of white cloth. The stain will remain on this napkin. If there are stains after the ammonia, remove them with 10% citric acid solution. After 15 minutes after processing, rinse the product thoroughly, and then wash in warm water.
6. Salt with glycerin. Mix table salt and glycerin until gruel, apply on the stain, and leave for a few minutes. Tea stains should be discolored. When the stain has come off, wash the item as usual.
7. Glycerin with ammonia. Take 2 tablespoons of glycerin, add ½ teaspoon of ammonia, stir. Soak a cotton swab in the mixture and wipe the stain with it until it is completely removed. When finished, wash the item if it's clothes, or rinse with clean water if you have treated upholstered furniture or carpet.
8. Chlorine. Tea stains on white cotton items can be removed with a rather aggressive agent - bleach, more precisely, chlorine bleach. But this method is only suitable for cotton, and fabrics such as silk, wool and synthetics are easy to ruin this way. You will get a hole where the red tea stain is, because the chlorine eats away at the fibers.

Photo gallery: remedies that break down tea stains

Lemon juice instantly brightens tea stain

Glycerin needs to be warmed up and applied to the stain

Ammonia must first be diluted with water

Chlorine bleach is suitable for removing stains from white cotton items

Use hydrogen peroxide to treat tea stains on fine fabrics

Oxalic and citric acids, dissolved in water, do an excellent job of removing old tea stains

Now let's take a closer look at how to use these methods correctly and safely for your things.

How to remove tea stains in a washing machine

Each type of fabric has its own characteristics to look out for when washing and cleaning stains, including tea stains. The automatic washing machine will help you cope with such a nuisance as tea stains on your clothes, if you do not have time to scrub them by hand. But it is important to know how to properly wash this item in order to remove the stain without ruining it.

Machine wash to easily remove tea stains from any color and fabric

Table: machine settings and detergents for cleaning tea stains from different types of fabric

Fabric type	Mode / temperature / spin speed	Laundry detergent options
Cotton or white linen	Quick wash + rinse / 40 ° C / 1000 revolutions	Bleach with chlorine, oxalic acid (2 tbsp. l.).
Colored cotton or linen	Quick wash + rinse / 40 ° C / 1000 revolutions	Borax (1–2 tsp), citric acid (2 tbsp. l.), vinegar (3 tbsp. l.)
Synthetics	Pre-wash + quick wash + rinse / 40 ° C / 900 rpm	Borax (1–2 tsp), citric acid (2 tbsp. l.), vinegar (3 tbsp. l.)
Wool	Quick wash + rinse / 40 ° C / 900 revolutions	Borax (1-2 tsp) + soap shavings (50 g), citric acid (1 tbsp. l.), vinegar (2 tbsp. l.).
Colored fabrics of any type (not delicate)	Pre-wash + quick wash + rinse / 40 ° C / 1000 rpm	Borax (1–2 tsp), citric acid (2 tbsp. l.), vinegar (3 tbsp. l.)
Delicate fabrics	Quick wash + rinse / 40 ° C / 700 revolutions	Citric acid (1 tsp), vinegar (2 tsp).

How to remove tea stains manually

It just so happens that tea tends to get on everything around, not only on clothes, but also on furniture, curtains, tablecloths, wallpaper, books and notebooks on the table. The reason for this is our inattention, which means that we have to deal with removing stains.

Even from a light carpet, removing a tea stain is not so difficult if you do it right away.

Take note of two rules:

1. Apply cleaning solutions from the edges of the stain to the center to prevent the liquid from spreading.
2. First use a solution of a lower concentration, increasing it only if necessary.

From white things, tablecloths, tulle

These dirt can be removed without washing. If it so happens that tea gets on a white cotton or linen tablecloth, bedclothes, towel or tulle, try to wipe it off with a sponge dipped in ammonia. Before that, you need to make a backing of a soft cloth or absorbent paper under the soiled area. When the stain is cleaned, moisten the area with a 10% citric acid solution, let it sit for 10-15 minutes and rinse with plain water.

Try rubbing lemon juice on the stain. It breaks down tannin very well, especially on white fabrics. If lemon is not at hand, hydrogen peroxide will replace it.

Didn't the previous remedies help? Then it was time for oxalic acid. Dilute ½ teaspoon of this substance in a glass of water and scrub the stain.

Hyposulfite can be used instead of oxalic acid - 1 teaspoon per glass of water. It is only necessary to rinse the thing after treatment with this agent not in pure water, but in a solution of ammonia (2 tsp per 1 liter of water).

Oxalic acid will help remove stains from white fabrics, but not suitable for colored fabrics

Heated glycerin applied to a tea stain will do the job well, too. Leave it on for 15 minutes, then rinse it out in warm water. If the stain is already ingrained and dry, strengthen the product by adding ammonia (1/2 tsp. Ammonia and 2 tsp. Glycerin). After removing the stain, wash the product with powder or soap.

Any chlorine bleach will do just fine with tea stains on unpretentious fabrics. Dilute it in water according to the instructions and soak clothes, bedding, a towel, tablecloth in the solution. The required time for soaking is also indicated in the instructions. After that, things just need to be washed and rinsed. Chlorine bleach is not suitable for tulle and delicate fabrics.

From colored clothes, from jeans, from a knitted sweater

A 10% borax solution will help remove stains from colored items from any fabric: denim, woolen, linen, cotton and silk. Even a tight or loose knit sweater can be as good as new. Apply the solution to a cotton swab and scrub the stain until it is completely dissolved. Then soak a piece of cloth in soapy water and wipe the spot where the stain was. It remains only to rinse the item in warm water.

Sodium tetraborate will clean stains from colored clothing, denim and woolen fabrics

From the carpet and couch

If you spill tea on these interior items, first of all you need to try to remove as much liquid as possible, and then remove traces of the drink.

1. Blot the surface with an absorbent cotton or microfiber cloth or paper towels. Just do not rub the stain, otherwise it will penetrate even deeper into the fibers.

   

   Blot spilled tea with a napkin first.

2. Dilute 1 tablespoon of dish soap in two glasses of cold water. Apply quite a bit of this solution to a soft sponge, wipe the dirty area with it. It is important to keep the stain from growing, so a minimum amount of moisture is needed on the sponge. For convenience, the solution can be applied with a spray bottle.

   

   Apply the detergent solution to the sponge and wipe the stain

3. Gently rinse the stain with clean water, blot excess moisture again with a paper towel or absorbent cloth.
4. Now apply an aqueous solution of vinegar (1: 1) to the stained area of the carpet or sofa, after 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly with cold water, blot and dry.

From paper

Do you like to drink tea while working with documents or reading your favorite book? Then the problem of tea spilled on paper is probably familiar to you. If the paper is thick enough, you can try to remove the stains like this:

1. Blot any spilled liquid with a paper towel.
2. Dampen the stained sheet of paper with a 1: 1 solution of hydrogen peroxide and water.
3. Then blot with a sponge soaked in distilled water with the addition of slaked lime (1 tsp per glass) and dry with a paper towel.
4. If the stains persist, apply a solution of chlorine bleach (1 part bleach to 2 parts water), then iron through wax paper.

Video: remove smudges from the document

Reviews

As you can see, nothing is impossible, and stubborn tea stains, even old ones, are easy to remove from your favorite things. Tell us in the comments what methods and means do you use in such cases, and how effective do you think they are? Good luck and comfort to your home!