How To Remove Coffee Stains

How could you resist the luscious coffee aroma even if it meant trouble for your brand new white t-shirt? With coffee culture trending these days, drinking coffee, whether out of habit or as part of the modern lifestyle, has become the favourite past time of many people. Nowadays, coffee consumption has morphed into a social activity with the ubiquitous presence of cafes, coffee houses and espresso stands everywhere.

However, the thick brownish-black liquid is very persistent when it comes to staining fabrics. If not removed properly, the mixture of spoiled coffee and dairy products would give off an unpleasant odour and the stain would become permanent.

Although you may be running against time, if you are fast enough, there is still hope for removing coffee stains from fabrics. Follow these simple tips and you will be able to save your favourite clothes from that brown ugly blotch.

Pre-Wash

Once a coffee spill incident occurs, immediately blot the spill with a paper towel in order to absorb the excess liquid. Use an up-and-down dabbing motion to soak up the liquid instead of rubbing it from side to side, in order to avoid creating a bigger blotch.

After the excess liquid has been removed, rinse the back of the affected area of the fabric with running cold water. This is because rinsing the top surface will cause the stain to spread and become bigger. Rinse the stain for 1 – 2 minutes until the brownish colour has lightened.

If the incident happened at a public place and you cannot carry out the procedures above, you can treat the stain temporarily with baking soda.

Sprinkle baking sofa on a wet napkin and blot the stain, dabbing repeatedly on it. Baking soda prevents the stain from setting into the fabric.

Preparing The Solution

To prepare an effective solution for removing coffee stains, mix equal parts of powdered laundry detergent and white vinegar with half the amount of cold water in a small bowl. The results should be a cream-consistency-like paste.

Then, spread the paste over the affected area, both front and back of the fabric, and leave it for 5 minutes.

Keep in mind that vinegar may damage delicate fabrics. To be on the safe side, you may wish to try the mixture on an inconspicuous area of the clothing and test if it decolorizes the fabric.

Scrubbing The Stain

Use a nailbrush or a toothbrush to gently scrub the affected area in circular motion. Then, rinse the fabric under cold water thoroughly. You may repeat these steps for cotton fabric since vinegar will not damage cotton.

After that, rub liquid laundry detergent onto the fabric and let the washing machine take care of the rest.

Examine the stain after washing to see if there is still any remnant stubborn stain. If there is, repeat the scrubbing and washing process all over again instead of drying the fabric. Exposing the fabric to heat will only let the stain set.

Now, you can enjoy your coffee without worrying about ruining your clothes!