If you’re a fan of a cup of tea, you may have noticed that your mugs can get stained over time – but one cleaning fan has shared a “game-changing” hack to get rid of them in seconds
With a staggering 10 million cups of tea consumed daily in the UK, it’s no surprise that many Brits are hiding stained cups in their cupboards.
It’s a common frustration when your favourite cup appears spotless on the outside, but the inside is marred with unattractive brown marks. These stubborn stains stem from tannin, which not only gives tea its hue but is also used in various dyes – resulting in discolouration that doesn’t always budge in the dishwasher.
One cleaning fan was so ticked off by her mucky tea cups that she reached out to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook community for advice on banishing the blemishes. The disgruntled user enquired: “Please can anyone tell me how I can get this stain out of my mug? It always gets washed in the dishwasher so I don’t understand why it has gone like that in the first place, thank you.”
In a twist of luck, another member proffered an ingenious life-hack – the “best trick” they’d ever discovered – which could eradicate those pesky stains in moments. Their revelation: “I always soak my cups and teaspoons once every six months or so in bleach, works a treat and brings them up like new. Best trick I was ever taught, I got sick of buying new teaspoons and then my good old mum mentioned bleach and it’s game-changing.”
Another endorsed the method, remarking: “I soak my mugs once a week with water and bleach. No need to buy anything specific, just a little bleach and water and soak it for five minutes,” while another chimed in: “Use a spot of bleach with hot water before leaving to sit a while. Make sure to rinse thoroughly.”
Bleach can be snagged on the cheap, at a mere 70p for a 750ml bottle at Asda, or nab the same deal at Sainsbury’s. However, if you’re giving bleach a go, donning rubber gloves is a must to safeguard your hands. The scent can be overpowering, so ensure the area is well-ventilated by popping open some windows.