Professional cleaner uses 1 thing from laundry cupboard to banish tea mug stains

Tea and coffee contain tannin, which gives it its colour. Over time these can accumulate on teacups, mugs and teapots, particularly if they aren’t cleaned straight away

As a nation of tea enthusiasts, many of us have come across the common issue of tea-stained mugs. The International Tea Committee reports that over 100 million cups of tea are consumed in the UK daily.

Given that the average person in the UK enjoys two to three cups of tea each day, it’s hardly shocking that our mugs may occasionally become discoloured. Tea and coffee contain tannin, which imparts their colour. These can build up on teacups, mugs, and teapots over time, especially if they aren’t cleaned immediately.

Luckily, there are ways to eliminate these stains and restore your mugs to their original condition. TikTok cleaning guru Ann Russell recently shared her best advice for this on her @annrussell03 account.

The professional cleaner responded to a video request for help removing stains from a mug bought 32 years ago, which was heavily stained.

In response, Ann stated: “Tea stains can be surprisingly hard to get rid of.”

However, there are several methods you can try.

Instead of purchasing specific products marketed to remove tea stains, Ann suggests you simply visit your laundry cupboard. She advised: “First thing, laundry detergent, or if you’ve got it, Vanish or sodium percarbonate. Because it’s the oxygen bleach part of laundry detergent you want. Spoonful of that, in a bowl, hot water, just leave them to soak overnight.

“In the morning, rinse it off and then either use a little bit of Cif on a scrubby sponge, that works really, really well actually. Or a paste scourer, like the Pink Stuff or Astonish or any of those on those sponges. That should bring it up really, really nicely.”

If this method proves ineffective, which can happen with particularly persistent or heavy build-up, Ann recommends rinsing it thoroughly before allowing it to soak again with extra laundry detergent, continuing the procedure until you achieve the desired outcome.

In the comments section, users began revealing their own methods for tackling tea stains. One person wrote: “I use salt and a teeny bit of washing up liquid,” while another added: “I’ve always used biological laundry powder. Fill a bowl/cup with water and add the powder. Leave to soak and then wash/scrub after a few hours or overnight. Always come out spotless – obviously then wash well afterwards with usual washing up liquid.”

A third commenter suggested: “Milton is the one! It’s the only way I can get the bone china sparkling.”

If that doesn’t do the trick, another user advised: “I just use brillo pads ………works wonders.”