How to Clean Coffee Cup Stains

Rinsing the coffee cup after you've finished drinking your morning beverage will help prevent dark stains from accumulating on the inside of the cup. Abandoning a half-finished mug of coffee and allowing it to set for hours leaves behind unattractive stains that are virtually impossible to remove by just putting the cup through a normal dishwasher cycle. You don't have to resign yourself to a collection of cups ringed with brown stains; it's easy to brighten coffee cups and remove those rings.

Things You'll Need

• Dishcloth
• Baking soda
• Bleach

Instructions

1. Hold a clean, soft dishcloth under warm running water until it is thoroughly soaked.

2. Squeeze out all the excess water, so that the dishcloth is damp and not soaking.

3. Liberally sprinkle baking soda on the damp cloth.

4. Scrub the coffee stains with the baking soda-covered cloth, until all the stains are removed.

5. Rinse the coffee cup with warm water to remove the baking soda residue.

6. Mix 1 tablespoon chlorine bleach with 1 quart of warm water, if the coffee stain persists.

7. Pour the solution into the cup, so that the stain line is covered with the bleach solution. Allow it to set for about an hour.

8. Pour out the bleach solution and rinse the cup with warm, clean water.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use water softener instead of baking soda.

• Abrasive scrub sponges are often used to clean away coffee stains, but they can scratch the surfaces of some dishware.

References

• "Haley's Cleaning Hints"; Graham and Rosemary Haley; 2004