Getting Rid Of Coffee And Tea Stain Rings In Mugs

Here are tips for how to remove coffee and tea rings in mugs and cups.


If you love a daily cup of tea or coffee you have probably also experienced a tea or coffee ring in your favorite mug that just wouldn't come out with normal dish washing.

Those rings of coffee or tea stains can build up over time leaving your mugs looking dingy and dirty.

You want, if at all possible, to use natural products to remove this build up from your mug or cup because you use it to drink, so you don't want to be drinking chemical residue at the same time.

Some suggested products you can use include:

• Salt


• Baking soda


• White vinegar


• Lemon juice


• Toothpaste


• Oxygen bleach

My two favorites of the suggested list include salt and baking soda.

The reason is that either salt or baking soda can be made into a slightly abrasive paste by adding a small amount of water, and then rubbing the paste onto the stains either with a rag, or a toothbrush if your hands can't fit inside the mug well.

The gentle abrasive action will help remove those rings without adding any chemical residues that might be harmful if consumed later with your next cup of coffee or tea.

Do you have a coffee or tea stain removal tip to share? If so, submit your coffee stain removal tip here, or your tea stain removal tip here.

You can also share your house cleaning tips here.


Top photo by odolphie, from Flickr CC

Liquid Dishwasher Detergent Works For Me

by Michelle

Michelle says:

Put a drop of liquid dishwasher detergent in the stained cup and let it soak for a few minutes.

Then it will be good as new!

Taylor says:

Thanks Michelle.

There are actually lots of uses for dishwasher detergent besides just adding to your dishwasher.

I've collected quite a few uses here if you're interested in checking it out.

Soak In Bleach Solution To Get Out The Stains

by Faye Erickson
(Woodbury, MN, USA)

Faye says:

I use a bleach and hot water solution.

Put the cups into the sink. Then put a few squirts of bleach into the bottom of the cup, then add hot water to the top of the cup.

Let it sit for a few minutes before dumping the solution down the drain.

If you don't want to do a lot of cups at one time pour the solution from the full cup into an empty stained cup. From one to the other, reusing the solution over and over again.

Taylor says:

Thanks for your recommendation Faye.

There are lots of uses of bleach for cleaning and stain removal. Check out the link for even more ideas for how to use this product in your home.

I Use Baby Bottle Sterilising Solution For The Worst Stains

by Cath

Cath says:

I use baby bottle sterilising solution (like Milton's), since it takes the worst stains off.

I just assume if it's ok for baby bottles it has to be ok for adult things ...

Bottle Sterilizing Solution {Referral Links}

Taylor says:

Thanks for this tip Cath. I have to say I hadn't heard of any product for sterilizing baby bottles and other baby stuff before, beside the machine like sterilizers.

Does anyone else use this product for either their baby bottles or another cleaning use around your home? I'd love to hear about it if you do!

I Just Use Dish Soap For These Rings

Quite a few readers shared tips with me about how they just use dish soap to get rid of these marks.

Here are some of the comments I received:

Sandy says:

I keep sponge on near the sink and squirt of Dawn, ring all gone--whether it be coffee, tea, or whatever.

Angie says:

Regular dishwashing detergent works for me. I may just rub harder and repeat the process for stubborn stains.

The Abrasive Action Of Bottle Brush Normally Works For Me

by MBGS

I usually use a bottle brush.

If necessary I'll add some baking soda and a few drops of Dawn, but the abrasive action of a bottle brush generally does the trick on its own.

Bottle Brush {Referral Links}

Similar Method: Use An Abrasive Scouring Pad

Another reader, Cherie, told me about a similar method that she uses for removing these stains.

Cherie said, "I've been drinking tea/coffee/coco for over 50 years now and the best way to clean the cup is to use a scotch green scrubber after every use. Then your cups never get stained.

If you have company and can't get right to cleaning your mugs and cups the scrubber will take care of it.

As for my china cups those get hand washed immediately after use -even if I have company so they never stain."

Remove Tea Rings With Effervescent Denture Cleanser Tablets

by YeOldBat
(East Northport, NY)

YeOldBat says:

I'm a huge tea drinker and I have dentures.

While cleaning said dentures one morning I noticed the dreaded "tea ring" stain already beginning to form in my mug.

I pulled a used mug from my dishwasher, filled it with scalding hot tap water, and dropped in a Polident tablet.

When the water cooled, I rinsed the inside of the mug with a sponge making sure to get into the bottom corners, and voila! A sparkling clean mug!

My daughter now picks up denture cleaner (she has her own teeth thank goodness!) for her tea and coffee stains.

Quite frankly, bleach will do the same thing, and it's cheaper, but I HATE the smell! :)

Denture Cleanser Tablets {Referral Links}

Taylor says:

Thanks for this tip!

Denture cleansers that dissolve and effervesce in water can actually be used to clean lots of things in our home, and I'd love to hear if others have more denture cleanser uses. Click the link if you've got more ways to use this product, and I'll add them to the site!

A similar effervescing product that sometimes is used for cleaning is Alka Seltzer. Here's an article with uses for Alka Seltzer for cleaning items in your home.

Related Pages You May Enjoy

House Cleaning Tips & Tricks For Busy Moms

Guide For How To Remove Coffee Stains

Tea Stain Removal Guide

How To Remove Coffee & Tea Rings From Mugs & Cups To Home Page

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