• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
go to homepage

Search by
Category
  • Cleaning Blog
  • Automotive
  • Bathroom Appliances and Fixtures
  • Carpets and Rugs
  • Cats
  • Closets and Organization
  • Dogs
  • Electronics
  • Fabrics
  • Floor & Carpet
  • Floors
  • Food
  • Furniture
  • General Housecleaning
  • House
  • Household Appliances and Fixtures
  • Jewelry
  • Kitchen Appliances and Fixtures
  • Kitchen and Bathroom Surfaces
  • Kitchenware
  • Metals
  • Outdoors
  • Other Pets, Animals and Pests
  • People
  • Stain Removal
  • Stuff
  • Surfaces
  • Things You Own
  • Tools and Techniques
  • Walls and Ceilings
  • Windows
  • Everything Else
  • Ask us your cleaning question

go to homepage

How To Clean Stuff.net

Search by
Category
  • Cleaning Blog
  • Automotive
  • Bathroom Appliances and Fixtures
  • Carpets and Rugs
  • Cats
  • Closets and Organization
  • Dogs
  • Electronics
  • Fabrics
  • Floor & Carpet
  • Floors
  • Food
  • Furniture
  • General Housecleaning
  • House
  • Household Appliances and Fixtures
  • Jewelry
  • Kitchen Appliances and Fixtures
  • Kitchen and Bathroom Surfaces
  • Kitchenware
  • Metals
  • Outdoors
  • Other Pets, Animals and Pests
  • People
  • Stain Removal
  • Stuff
  • Surfaces
  • Things You Own
  • Tools and Techniques
  • Walls and Ceilings
  • Windows
  • Everything Else
  • Ask us your cleaning question

Home / Cleaning Guides / Clothing & Fabrics / Fabrics / How to Remove Tea Stains from Clothing

How to Remove Tea Stains from Clothing

Betty asked, “Anybody know how to remove a tea stain?”

Table of Contents:
  1. Removing Fresh Tea Stains
  2. Removing an Old Tea Stain
  3. Additional Tips and Advice
  4. Sources

Hot tea, iced tea, sweet tea, herbal tea. It seems there are as many different teas as there are stars in the sky. Tea is a popular beverage around the world and stains are not uncommon. Just as there are a huge variety of teas to choose from, there are a number of ways to treat the stains left behind by our favorite one.

Removing Fresh Tea Stains

You Will Need:

  • Clean white cloth
  • Club soda
  • Borax
  • White vinegar
  • Salt
  • Denture cleansing tablets
  • Liquid enzyme detergent
  • Baking soda
  • Lemon juice

Steps to Remove a Fresh Tea Stain:

  1. If you catch the spill right away, soak up all you can with the cloth and then dab with cool water until no more of the stain is being transferred to the cloth.¹
  2. Pour club soda over the stain, rinse and wash as recommended.²
  3. Stretch the fabric over a sink and shake out enough borax to cover the stain. Boil water and carefully pour it along the edges of the stain, moving into the middle. You can repeat if you need to. Then, let the fabric rest in the water/borax mixture for thirty minutes. Wash as recommended.²
  4. For 15 minutes, immerse the stain in white vinegar, then wash as recommended.²
  5. Wet a cloth and shake salt onto the cloth, sponge the stain until it is removed. Allow the stain to stay moist until you have a chance to wash as normal.²
  6. Place two denture cleansing tablets in ½ cup of warm water; blot the stain with the mixture. Allow the mixture to soak on the fabric for an hour. Wash as recommended.²
  7. Apply liquid enzyme detergent on the stain, allow it to sit for a few minutes, then rinse and wash as normal.³
  8. Immerse the item in a ½ cup of vinegar and then use a ½ cup of club soda to rinse.⁴ Wash as recommended.
  9. Mix baking soda and a bit of water to make a thick spread and apply to the stain. Let it stand for 15 minutes. Rinse, then do it again if necessary. Wash as recommended.⁵
  10. Apply lemon juice to the stain and place in direct sunlight. Keep the stain wet with the lemon juice for up to two days if needed. When the stain is gone, rinse and wash as recommended.⁶

Removing an Old Tea Stain

You Will Need:

  • Glycerin
  • Enzyme digestant
  • Chlorine bleach
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Detergent
  • Enzyme detergent

Steps to Remove the Old Tea Stain:

  1. Rub glycerin in between your thumbs and work it into both sides of the stain. Allow it to sit for 10 hours. Stretch the fabric over a sink and shake out enough borax to cover the stain.⁶ Boil water and carefully pour it along the edges of the stain, moving into the middle. You can repeat if you need to. Then, let the fabric rest in the water/borax mixture for thirty minutes. Wash as recommended.²
  2. Immerse the item in enzyme digestant, such as Biz, for at least 30 minutes and up to one hour, wash in warm water and dry flat or hang to dry.¹
  3. Cover the stain with enzyme detergent and then immerse it in cold water for no more than 30 minutes. Launder as normal. If the stain persists, smear it with the enzyme detergent again and then immerse in warm water for up to 15 minutes. Rinse well and launder as normal.³
  4. Mix borax and water 3 to 1 and rub the paste into the stain. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Brush or shake off the paste. Continue until you have cleaned as much of the stain as you can. Wash again with the enzyme detergent.³
  5. If it is safe to use chlorine bleach, you can try that, or if it not safe to use bleach, try hydrogen peroxide.¹ Test the peroxide on a hidden area first to check for any damage, as it can have a bleaching effect.

Additional Tips and Advice

  • An odd trick that might work is to rub waterless hand cleaner into the stain and then rinse with cold water.⁷
  • Avoid the use of soap as that can set the stain.⁵
  • Avoid ammonia and heat drying as these can set the stain.¹

Sources

  1. Don Aslett’s Stainbuster’s Bible
  2. Joey Green’s Cleaning Magic
  3. Field Guide to Stains by Virginia M. Freidman, Melissa Wagner and Nancy Armstrong
  4. Natural Green Home Cleaning For Beginners by R. Kishore
  5. Stain Removal by Stephanie Zia
  6. Stain and Spot Remover Handbook by Jean Cooper
  7. Haley’s Cleaning Hints by Graham and Rosemary Haley

 

Cleaning Guides, Fabrics, Stain Removal

Was This Guide Helpful?

+7
-2
Rating: 78%. From 9 votes.
Please wait...

Related Posts

  • How to Remove Tobacco Stains from Clothing
  • How to Remove Dye Stains from Clothing
  • How to Remove Urine Stains from Clothing
  • How to Remove Chocolate Stains from Clothing
  • How to Remove Deodorant Stains from Clothing
  • How to Remove Tea Stains from Carpet

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, conse ctetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit sed diam.


Thank you for subscribing!

Reader Interactions

About the Author

Avatar photo

Melanie

Hi! I am a seasoned writer-researcher who prides myself on quality and accuracy. I always vet my sources and test the cleaning methods I prescribe! I hope my cleaning guides can help you out! :)

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Helpful comments include feedback on the recipe or changes you made.

show comments +

Comments

  1. Sabeen says

    July 20, 2017 at 2:49 am

    Fresh tea stains if washed immediately can be removed even with plain tap water. None of the above method worked for me for old tea stains. ???? Going to try tea and coffee stain remover.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Featured Guides

How to Clean a Hairbrush

How to Clean a Microwave Oven With ZERO Chemicals

How to Clean Every Dental Retainer

How to Clean your Macbook’s Screen

Join our mailing list.
Be the first to know about new arrivals, sales, and special events.
Thank you for subscribing!

Footer

Browse by Category

  • Automotive
  • Clothing & Fabrics
  • Floors & Carpets
  • Housecleaning
  • Kitchen & Bath
  • Outdoors
  • People & Pets
  • Household Stuff

Contact

  • Ask Us Your Cleaning Questions
  • Contact Form

Follow us on Social Media

Site Information

  • Cookie Policy
  • Guest Post Policy
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • XML Sitemap

Copyright © 2023 · HowToCleanStuff.net · All Rights Reserved · Website by Anchored Design