Tea cups can be a nuisance to clean, and it often feels like no matter how many times you put them in the dishwasher or wash them by hand, those stubborn stains just won’t budge.
The culprit behind these brown stains is the tannins found in tea and coffee. Tannins are plant compounds that give these hot beverages their distinctive, slightly bitter taste.
For the most part, tannin stains are more of an eyesore than a real problem, but they can be a real pain to clean. However, Daily Express reporter Angela Patrone has discovered a game-changing solution that works in just five minutes.
“The product in question is citric acid,” Angela wrote. “The acidic nature worked well to dissolve the stains in my cup that had built up for about 11 months.”
Not only is citric acid a powerful cleaning agent, but it also has natural antibacterial properties that will sanitise your mug while lifting away those pesky stains.
Angela explains how she used citric acid to clean her coffee mugs: “With this citric acid method, there was no scrubbing needed at all and was pretty quick – the longest part was waiting five minutes for the cleaning solution to work its magic.”
To try this method, all you need is a tablespoon of citric acid and some boiling water. Simply add the citric acid to the stained mug, followed by enough boiling water to cover the stains, and let the solution work its magic.
“As I had stains that had taken over higher up inside the cup as well as the base, I filled the entire mug with the boiling water.”
“I checked in on the cup after three minutes but noticed the stains were still there. However, after a further two minutes, the stains had vanished.”
“I then rinsed out the mug with hot water from the tap and washed it as usual with some washing-up liquid. The cup was completely clean without a single brown stain left behind.”
She added: “While this method is effective, it’s not my number-one go-to household remedy.”
“For those after a quicker solution, they need to give denture tablets a whirl as they work in three minutes and sometimes less.”