Teacup stains, while they do not do any harm, certainly look hideous. As a live-in carer you may arrive at a placement where it seems that the mugs and cups have not been cleaned for years!
As we know, many of our clients enjoy their cup of tea, in fact, they may enjoy several throughout the day, meaning that teacups simply become darker and darker with tea stains.
The reason why tea stains cups is due to the high levels of tannic acid which are not water soluble. Neither are they easy to wash out of cups and mugs.
Dish soap should be the first thing you try as most washing up liquid has been formulated to lift stains. Squirt a small amount of neat liquid into the cup, add warm water to cover the stain and leave for a few minutes.
You may need to leave for a bit longer if the stains are old and set in. This will allow the soap to penetrate. Once this has happened you will be able to scrub the cup with a sponge.
Add a little water to 1 teaspoon baking soda and stir to make a paste. Use a damp sponge to gently rub the past into the stain. Because it is mildly abrasive, it should lift the stain off. Once it has done this, you should rinse the cup well to remove any trace of the paste.
For very stained cups and mugs you may want to try vinegar. Fill to the halfway mark with distilled white vinegar. Top up to the top with very hot water (not boiling, just hot).
Leave for at least 10 minutes so that the solution starts to work. Then scrub the stains with dish soap and a sponge. Make sure you rinse well so that there is no taste of vinegar.
Stained teacups and mugs are not harmful, but they look unsightly, so it is well worth treating all of them to one of the above methods to remove stains and leave them pearly white again.
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