If you love your morning coffee or take coffee often, there’s a possibility of having a spill or two on your clothes. Unfortunately, coffee stains are often brown thus impossible to miss.
Don’t worry, though. There are a couple of ways you can get rid of coffee stains from your clothes. In this article, we go through the various ways you can get coffee stains out of your clothes.
Things You Should Note
- Act Fast
Ignoring the coffee stains on your clothes can leave a lingering effect that may be harder to deal with. For this reason, it’s best to act immediately after you notice the stain. Fortunately, there are some easy methods you can use to get these stains out.
- Flush with Water
One of the first steps to take immediately after coffee spills over your cloth is flushing with water. To do this, flush the cloth through the back of the stain to prevent the coffee from penetrating. If this step doesn’t remove the stain immediately, you can proceed with other methods.
- Don’t Machine Dry Until Coffee Stains Are Gone
It’s best not to machine dry your clothes until you’re sure the coffee stain is no longer there. This is because machine drying will set the coffee stains into the fabric, making it difficult or impossible to remove.
10 Ways to Get Rid Of Coffee Stains From Your Clothes
Coffee stain is brown and is impossible to miss. Also, add to the fact that coffee is tannin and, therefore, difficult to remove. But with the proper methods and tips, you can easily coffee out of your clothes. Here are some ways you can remove coffee stains:
1: Laundry Detergent
You can pre-treat coffee stains on your clothes using liquid or powdered laundry detergent.
Step 1: Apply the detergent over the stain and let it sit for 5 minutes. If you are using powdered detergent, mix with water to form a paste.
Step 2: Use a rag to rub the detergent to loosen up the stain.
Step 3: Run your cloth through the regular washing cycle.
2: Vinegar
Vinegar is a great cleaning agent you can use to remove stains like coffee. For this method, it’s best to mix white vinegar with dishwashing liquid.
Step 1: Mix white vinegar with some dishwashing liquid/detergent and add some water.
Step 2: Apply this mixture over the affected area and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Rinse the garment in cold water and run it through your normal washing cycle.
3: Toothpaste
Toothpaste acts like an exfoliator and can break down coffee stains, making it easy to clean.
Step 1: Squeeze out some toothpaste to cover the stained area. Ensure you only use white toothpaste to prevent stains.
Step 2: Use a soft-bristled brush or rag to rub in the toothpaste. You may reapply toothpaste to the stained area as needed.
Step 3: Run the cloth in cold water and wash as usual.
4: Baking Soda
Baking soda can help absorb and suck out coffee stains from your clothes. To do this:
Step 1: Make a paste by adding baking soda with equal water.
Step 2: Use a toothbrush or sponge to scrub the paste into the stain. Repeat the process as necessary.
Step 3: Rinse out the stained area and wash in a machine.
5: Bleach
If you are dealing with old stains, you can consider using bleach to get them out. Ensure you check the care label of your fabric to confirm if bleach is safe to use. It’s not recommended to use bleach on fabrics like silk, wool, and leather.
Step 1: Mix your oxygen or chlorine bleach in a gallon of water.
Step 2: Add your cloth and leave it to soak for up to 5 minutes.
Step 3: Rinse and wash your clothes as normal.
6: Egg Yolk
Egg yolk may be a weird choice to remove coffee stains, but it works! To use this method:
Step 1: Whisk up some egg yolk in a bowl and rub it into the stain with a rag or sponge.
Step 2: Rinse the stained area and repeat step 1 until the stain disappears.
Step 3: Wash your clothes as normal. You can also add some vinegar to the washing cycle to remove traces of the eggy smell.
7: Club Soda
A great option to treat minor coffee stains is using club soda. Note that this method is only suitable for minor coffee stains, so it may not work on large stains.
Step 1: Pour some club soda over the stained area and use a paper towel to blot the area until the stain starts lifting.
Step 2: Repeat the process as needed.
Step 3: Toss the garment in a machine and wash as normal
8: Shaving Cream
Shaving cream contains some ingredients that help break down coffee stains on your clothes. Go ahead with this method following these steps:
Step 1: Apply the shaving cream over the stained area and leave for about 2 minutes.
Step 2: Rub the shaving cream into the stained area using a brush or rag.
Step 3: Rinse out the stained area with cold water and wash if no traces of stain is left.
9: Baby Powder
Who knew baby powder could work as a stain remover? Well, it does and can remove the coffee stains stuck on your shirt! To proceed with this method;
Step 1: Sprinkle some baby powder over the stained area and leave for a few minutes.
Step 2: Brush off the baby powder and add dishwashing liquid if the stain persists.
Step 3: Launder your cloth once the stain isn’t visible.
Note: Baby powder works by absorbing the stain, so it can work on fresh coffee stains only.
10: Enzyme Presoak:
If you are dealing with a stubborn coffee stain, you may want to use an enzyme presoak product to get it out.
Step 1: Soak a ball of cotton wool in rubbing alcohol and dab the coffee stain
Step 2: Mix warm water with a spoonful of enzyme presoak and add your garment.
Step 3: Allow to soak for up to 30 minutes and check the stained area to see if there is still a stain.
Step 4: Wash your clothes with detergent once you no longer see stains.
How to Remove Coffee Stains From White Fabrics
Dealing with stains on white garments is always harder than on colored fabric. Here are some steps to follow to get coffee stains off your whites:
Step 1: Mix about ¼ cup of chlorine bleach with warm water or as prescribed by your cloth care label.
Step 2: Soak your white in the water for about 10 minutes
Step 3: Rinse your cloth and wash as normal.
How to Remove Dried Coffee Stains
It’s not impossible to remove dried coffee stains from clothes; you just need extra effort. Here are some tips to remove dried coffee stains from your clothes:
Step 1: Soak the clothes in a cleaning solution of detergent or dishwashing liquid for up to 30 minutes. Remove the cloth from the water and wring it out.
Step 2: Add a stain-removing solvent of your choice over the visible stain. It could be store-bought stain remover or household items like vinegar, rubbing alcohol, or baking soda.
Step 3: Use a soft-bristled toothbrush or rag to blot the stain.
Step 4: Rinse out the area and machine wash your clothes.