How to Get Coffee Stains Out With Vinegar

By Matt Oden | Comments | Food and Drink Stains → Coffee

Get coffee stains out with vinegar - a natural and green cleaning solution. Coffee often ends up in more places than just our cups - or the memory of it lingers in our cups long after the drink is gone! As much as we love our coffee, we can all agree that it can be a challenge to remove from fabrics, countertops or from the pots or mugs we use to make it or drink it from. Fortunately vinegar, which is a common kitchen essential in many households, is great at removing coffee stains.

Get Coffee Stains Out With Vinegar

Using Vinegar to Remove Coffee Stains From Washable Fabrics

What You'll Need Before You Start:

  • Vinegar
  • Laundry Detergent

Wiping coffee up with a dishtowel or spilling it on your favorite blouse can result in a stain that refuses to budge. Having vinegar handy can help you stop a stain before it has time to set it for good.

It's best to treat a stain as soon as you see it, but for coffee stains, this is more than just a suggestion. Once coffee dries on fabric, it can be difficult or impossible to remove, so treat the stain with vinegar as soon as you can in order to save your shirt, pants, or tablecloth.

  1. Blot away as much of the coffee as possible.
  2. Saturate the fabric with vinegar.
  3. Rinse the item in cold water.
  4. Saturate with vinegar again if any stain remains.
  5. Launder the item according to the fabric's instruction label.
  6. Hang to dry; if any stain remains, treat again with vinegar, then launder again.

Lattes, cappucinos and other coffee drinks that include milk or cream can create an especially hard-to-remove stain on fabrics. It's a good idea to soak washable items stained with a combination of coffee and dairy products in vinegar and water for a few hours or overnight in order to remove the stain and the rancid scent that may linger in the fabric. As a rule of thumb, use one cup of vinegar per gallon of water.

Using Vinegar to Remove Coffee Stains From Glass Dishes and Plastic Dishes

What You'll Need Before You Start:

  • Vinegar
  • Baking Soda
  • Dishwashing Detergent/Automatich Dishwasher Detergent

If you're frustrated by a coffee pot that is clouded with brown stains, despite your washing efforts, or a favorite plastic travel mug that comes out of the dishwasher just as brown inside as it went in, never fear -- vinegar, along with baking soda, can get your carafe or mug sparkling clean again.

Combining vinegar with baking soda is one of the best ways to remove set-in stains like coffee or tea from carafes, mugs, glasses or plastic dishware. The combination of vinegar and baking soda creates a foaming action that can often lift away these stains with no scrubbing at all. This combination is especially good at removing coffee stains and odors from plastic dishware.

  1. Sit the mug, carafe, or other item in the sink.
  2. Fill the item half-full of vinegar.
  3. Add a few tablespoons of baking soda (more for a larger item).
  4. Allow the vinegar and baking soda to foam.
  5. Let the mixture set for several hours, or overnight.
  6. Pour the mixture down the drain.
  7. Wipe the mug or carafe out with a towel.
  8. Hand wash or wash in the dishwasher according to the item's instructions.

Using Vinegar to Remove Coffee Stains From Countertops

What You'll Need Before You Start:

  • Vinegar
  • Paper Towels or Cleaning Rags

You return home from work one evening only to discover that you'd spilled coffee on your countertop during your morning rush. Now you have a dark brown stain marring your countertop. Quick - reach for the vinegar!

Vinegar is great for gently removing coffee stains from solid-surface, laminate, ceramic or porcelain tile countertops. Best of all, using vinegar to clean stains from these countertops requires little to no scrubbing.

  1. Wipe up any liquid from the stained area.
  2. Soak a paper towel or cleaning rag in vinegar.
  3. Lay the wet paper towel or rag over the stain.
  4. Weight the paper towel or rag by placing a heavy dish or cup over the towel or rag.
  5. Allow the towel or rag to sit for several hours.
  6. Remove the towel or rag. Wipe away any remaining coffee stain.

No matter how you get your coffee and caffeine fix, be it an iced latte or a hot black brew, you may have to deal with stains on your washable fabrics, dishware, and countertops. Vinegar is an inexpensive and effective way to get your fabrics, dishes, and kitchen surfaces sparking clean again.

 

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