Coffee stains are the absolute worst – not only because they are a stain that can be difficult to remove but also because they generally happen in the morning when you’re not completely awake or are in a hurry. We have tips and recipes that show you how to get coffee stains out of just about anything.
Spilling coffee will produce a shock reaction in three steps. First, the coffee is hot! You not only just wasted a cup of coffee but may also have gotten burned.
Second, if you’re a morning coffee drinker and spill that precious cup of morning Joe while heading to work, you’ve just lost your morning fuel. Third, after the first two reactions, you realize that you now have to contend with a horrible dark stain.
- Getting Coffee Stains Out
- Getting Coffee Stains Out of the Carpet
- How to Get Rid of Coffee Stains in a Coffee Maker
- Removing Burnt Coffee from a Coffee Maker Hot Plate
- How to Remove Coffee Stains Off a Kitchen Counter
- How to Remove Coffee Stains Off of Furniture
- How to Get Fresh Coffee Stains Off of Clothing
- How to Clean Old Coffee Stains Off Clothing
- How to Clean Coffee Spills in the Car
- How to Remove Coffee Stains from Teeth
Getting Coffee Stains Out
No one intends to spill coffee and create an ugly stain, but sometimes it just happens. Dropped your cup of coffee on the carpet? We’ve got a recipe for that. Thermos cap popped off your coffee mug while driving and spilled down the front of your shirt and pants? We can help you remove that stain.
Have coffee stain build-up on the coffee maker hot plate? We’ll show you how to clean that up, too. Getting coffee stains out of clothes, furniture, and other everyday areas doesn’t have to be a headache if you have the right know-how and stain remover solution.
As the saying goes, no use crying over spilled coffee. That’s not quite how it goes, but you know what we mean. In the following sections, we’ll show you how to get rid of coffee stains using simple ingredients and a little elbow grease. Some of the components may even surprise you!
Many of these solutions also work on other types of stains, too, like grease spots or fruit spills. You can get blueberry stains out of clothes in much the same way you remove coffee stains. As always, it’s best if you can get right to the spill or stain before it sets in. Removal goes much more quickly.
Getting Coffee Stains Out of the Carpet
The following solution is one of the easiest ways of removing both old and fresh coffee stains from the rug. One of the many uses of white vinegar is to remove stubborn stains. It contains acetic acid, which is a strong enough acid to be an efficient cleaner, yet not so strong that it is harmful.
Because of its acidity, vinegar can break down many of the toughest stains. You can remove deodorant stains from shirts or take care of slightly acidic coffee stains, too. Vinegar is ideal to dissolve away coffee and other stains because it is a stronger acid. As a bonus, a gallon jug costs less than $5.00 so it’s easy to keep on hand.
If the stain is the result of a fresh coffee spill, use some paper towels to blot away excess coffee from the carpeting. Continue using a fresh paper towel while blotting until most of the coffee has been absorbed.
If the coffee stain is old and dried, wet the stained area lightly with warm water. Blot the stain with a dry cloth, working from the edges inward to prevent the stain from spreading outward. Continue wetting and blotting the stain until there is no more coffee residue showing up on the cloth.
Mix the dish soap, vinegar, and water into a container and mix well. Using a clean cloth, apply the cleaning solution to the stain. Clean the stain by working from the outside in to prevent spreading coffee onto other areas of the carpeting. Use a fresh cleaning solution as needed until the stain is gone.
Use a clean cloth and rinse the area with cold water to remove any leftover residue. Blot up the liquid using a clean, dry towel. Avoid walking on that area of the rug until it has completely air-dried.
This simple and inexpensive recipe is also one way to remove oil from clothes. Food grease or motor oil stains are no match for the power of vinegar and dish soap. Repeat applications may be required for heavily soiled items.
How to Get Rid of Coffee Stains in a Coffee Maker
Coffee makers can become quite dirty from hard water, coffee stains, and leftover coffee ground residue. A coffee maker that isn’t cleaned regularly may not operate as quickly and smoothly as it should. The following process will show you how to clean both the inside and outside of your coffee maker.
Begin by cleaning the coffee maker itself. Depending on how hard the water is, the coffee maker should be cleaned once every six months. Check your owner’s manual before cleaning to be sure that it doesn’t have special cleaning instructions.
Pour equal parts white vinegar and cold water into the coffee carafe. Have enough water and vinegar to fill the pot. Pour the liquid into the reservoir and turn on the brew button.
Turn off the brewing halfway through the cycle. Allow the unit to rest for about an hour and then finish the brewing cycle. Dump the brown vinegar solution out of the carafe and wash it with soapy water.
Fill the carafe with clean, cool water, and run it through the coffee maker brew cycle to flush out any leftover vinegar. Repeat the brewing process using clean water three times.
Once completed, use soap and water to wipe down the outside of the coffee maker, removing any old coffee grounds and stains. Alternatively, you can use straight vinegar spray to clean the outside of the coffee maker. Spray some vinegar onto a damp cloth and wipe down the surface of the coffee maker.
Check your owner’s manual for dishwasher safeness. You may be able to put accessories such as the coffee carafe and reusable coffee filter onto the top rack of the dishwasher.
Removing Burnt Coffee from a Coffee Maker Hot Plate
The coffee plate is the metal area where the coffee pot sits during and after the brewing process. The plate heats up, and its job is to keep the coffee hot while the unit is on. If you’ve ever removed the coffee carafe from the coffee maker before the brewing has completed in attempts to steal the first cup of coffee, then you probably have a coffee plate with burnt-on coffee stains.
This can cause damage to the plate over time, preventing it from working correctly. The following steps show you how to remove burnt coffee from the coffee plate.
Begin by turning off and unplugging the coffee maker. Combine some warm water and a few drops of dishwashing detergent into a dish. Dip the cloth into the liquid and wipe the hot plate until the burnt-on coffee is gone.
If there is any leftover coffee residue, apply some vinegar to a sponge and gently scrub the stain remains. Wet some paper toweling with cold water and wipe all of the remaining vinegar and coffee residue from the plate. Dry the area with a fresh paper towel.
How to Remove Coffee Stains Off a Kitchen Counter
The following steps can be used for just about any surface in the kitchen where coffee is prepared and served. After you’ve cleaned the coffee maker, coffee plate, and coffee carafe, finish up by removing coffee stains from the kitchen counter. You can also use this method for cleaning those coffee stains off of your favorite mug.
Kitchen Counter Coffee Stain Remover
The way to remove coffee stains from the countertop, as well as your favorite coffee cup, is simple. You only need one strange ingredient that you probably have on hand, and it may surprise you what the item is. Grab an egg from the refrigerator and crack it open over a small dish, being sure not to break the egg yolk.
Use a spoon to carefully separate the yolk from the egg white. Keep the yolk and discard the egg white. Beat the yolk and apply it to the stained areas using a terry cloth. Allow the yolk to sit for a minute and then give the area a proper rinsing.
How to Remove Coffee Stains Off of Furniture
Spilled coffee on the living room couch or chair can leave you with a horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach. You’re probably left wondering how you will ever get that stain out. Before you give up and buy a couch cover, you can make an upholstery stain remover for cleaning up those coffee stains.
The first step is vital. Use paper toweling to blot up as much of the spilled coffee as possible. Replace the soiled towels with dry ones as you continue absorbing the coffee.
Once the coffee has soaked into the paper towels, apply a few drops of the detergent onto a damp sponge, and work at the stain. Continue rubbing the stain in a circular motion, being sure that you do not spread the stain outwards.
If any of the stains remain, rinse the sponge, add more soap, and work at the stain until gone. Wipe the area clean using a fresh sponge and clean water.
How to Get Fresh Coffee Stains Off of Clothing
If you’ve spilled coffee onto your favorite t-shirt, dress, pants, or another article of clothing, we have some steps that you can take to remove that coffee stain. While the following cleaning method can be used on just about any garment, we recommend that you check the care label first for any special cleaning requirements.
The way to get coffee out of clothes starts by sprinkling table salt liberally onto the stain to prevent spreading and as an absorbent. Let the salt sit for a minute or two and then use some paper towel to rub away the coffee-colored salt. If the salt doesn’t do the trick, you can move on to the next method.
Flush away some of the stain with cold water by running water through the back of the stain for about 15 minutes. Follow this with a pre-treatment of laundry detergent.
Apply a small amount of soap onto the stain and rub the area with your fingertips or a toothbrush. Allow this to rest for approximately five minutes.
Put the clothing into the washing machine and wash as usual with your regular laundry detergent. Before drying your garment, make sure the stain has been completely eliminated. Some stains may require a second treatment.
How to Clean Old Coffee Stains Off Clothing
If you didn’t realize that your favorite shirt had a coffee stain on the front of it until later in the day, you are forced to clean a stain that has already begun to set in. This solution is ideal for removing old, dried coffee stains from garments.
You may want to test this in an inconspicuous area first. Moisten a cotton ball with a few drops of isopropyl alcohol without saturating the fabric. Allow the area to dry. Use a dab of laundry detergent to rub the stain until the coffee is gone.
Rinse the shirt with warm water and allow it to air dry. If you are concerned with putting rubbing alcohol on your shirt or do not have any, you can substitute lemon juice for the alcohol.
How to Clean Coffee Spills in the Car
Coffee stains in the car are almost inevitable. Maybe you spilled coffee out of your cup in the cupholder after hitting the brakes a little too hard. Perhaps you spilled coffee from your thermos while getting into or out of your car. Either way, there’s bound to be coffee spillage on the floor or seats at one time or another.
Your first impulse may be to continue with your day and worry about the stain later. Old coffee stains are more difficult to remove than fresh ones, though, so the first thing you should do is to blot up and clean that coffee spill immediately. Use a dry towel or cloth to absorb as much of the liquid as you can.
Mix the water, vinegar, and a few squirts of dish soap in a small bowl. Use a clean cloth to soak up some of the cleaning solution and wipe the stained area of the seat or carpet using a circular motion.
If there is any spilled coffee on the cup holder, door, or other areas of the car, you can use the same solution for cleaning that area, as well. Once the stain is gone, use water and a clean cloth to wipe away any residue. Finish up by blotting the area dry using a clean, dry cloth.
How to Remove Coffee Stains from Teeth
If you are a coffee enthusiast, then there is a good possibility you may have some staining on your teeth. While you may already be practicing good oral hygiene, you may not be performing it as thoroughly as you should to prevent the build-up of coffee stains.
Cleaning Coffee Stains Off of Teeth
The best way to prevent staining on your teeth from coffee is to brush your teeth twice a day using the right toothbrush and toothpaste that contains baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. The baking soda behaves as a mild abrasive to help remove stains while the hydrogen peroxide acts as a natural whitener.
You can further prevent staining if you make it a habit to brush your teeth after your morning cup of Joe rather than before. If you drink coffee throughout the day, you should also make it a habit of rinsing your teeth with clean water after each cup.
Whether you need to clean spilled coffee off your favorite shirt, remove coffee stains from the car seat, clean coffee off the coffee maker, wipe away old coffee stains from the countertop, or soak up coffee from the couch, it can be done using the right cleaning method. You can even keep those pearly whites from being stained from coffee by using the right steps.
We hope you enjoyed our ultimate guide on how to get coffee stains out of just about anything, and we hope that you’ll share these coffee stain removers with your friends and family on Facebook and Pinterest.