This way, you won’t have to throw out your favorite mugs!
If you like to drink tea then you know this all too well. Whenever you have enjoyed your favorite hot beverage, a small brown stain can remain in the bottom of your mug. If you can not get this stain out anymore, you’ll eventually be forced to throw the mug out. But what if we provide you with a way to get rid of those brown tea stains?
Tea stains
The teas you drink contain a substance called tannins. Tannins are chemical compounds that can be found in plants that flower and usually, tannins taste a little bitter. The reason why they don’t taste great is because in nature they are meant to defend the plant from animals. The bitter taste makes it less likely that animals will eat the plant, but we humans actually enjoy the bitter aftertaste that comes with a cup of tea.
The brown tea stain in your mug is caused by these tannins. But it will usually only occur with darker teas. This is because black tea contains more tannins. Herbal teas and mint teas barely have any tannins in them, which is why those teas usually won’t leave a stain in your mug.
How to clean it
If your mugs have tea stains in them, you have some options. The first of them is cleaning vinegar. Just put some hot water in your mug and add a little bit of cleaning vinegar. Mix together and let it sit overnight. When you wash your dishes the next day, your tea stain will completely disappear. Just make sure that you clean your mug thoroughly. If you don’t clean the mug properly, it could taste like vinegar the next time you make yourself a cup of tea. And that will definitely not be relaxing! If you don’t have any cleaning vinegar, you could execute these steps with lemon juice instead. Let it sit and clean in the morning. It’s as simple as that!
Another solution is to use baking soda. Just rub a little bit of baking soda on the stains on your mug, wait a few minutes and then add water. If you let that mixture of baking soda and water sit inside of your mug for a few hours, your stain will wash right off when you empty the mug later.
With these tips you can enjoy tea in your favorite mug every day without worrying about stains!
Also read: This is why drinking ginger tea is a great start to your day
Source: RADAR, MBGFood, Brittanica | Image: Unsplash, Andriyko Podilnyk