How To Remove Coffee And Tea Stains From Carpet: 5 Best DIY Methods

Looking for a guide on ‘how to remove coffee and tea stains from carpet?’ Then follow this article to learn about removing coffee stains from carpet or, ‘how to get tea stains out of carpet?’

Whether you’ve got white or colored carpet, removing these stains can be tricky. However, it’s not impossible, and there are a few methods for removing coffee and tea stains that you can try at home. From using a homemade cleaning solution to hydrogen peroxide and salt, we’ve put together a guide with tips and tricks to tackle those pesky stains.

Accidental spill of coffee, tea and other drinks on the carpets happens and leaves stains. But the acidic character of tea and coffee makes it difficult to remove such stains. With a little effort and some elbow grease, you can have your carpet looking as good as new in no time.

1. Understanding Coffee And Tea Stains:

For instance, people may think it’s the caffeine which makes the coffee and tea stains tough to clean. But caffeine is not responsible for such stains. It’s the tannin (a type of polyphenol) present in coffee and tea that makes the stains really tough to remove. Polyphenols bind to anything if they come in contact, especially fibers and stains because polyphenols are the hardest tasks to remove from fabrics.

2. How To Remove Coffee And Tea Stains From Carpet:

2.1. Coffee and Tea Stains Removal With Hydrogen Peroxide:

Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent cleaning agent for carpets because of its different chemical properties including strong oxidizing capabilities.       

The recommended peroxide percentage for household cleanings is 3% and 6% H₂O₂. It is cheaper compared to other commercial carpet cleaning products.

2.1.1. Supplies Needed For The Method:

• Cold water
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Liquid dish soap
• Paper towels
• Soft bristle brush or scrubber
• Rubber gloves
• Vacuum machine

2.1.2. Vacuuming The Entire Carpet

Before applying the hydrogen peroxide solution you have to vacuum the entire carpet. Vacuuming will remove the loose dirt, debris and pet hair from the carpet fibers.

2.1.3. Preparing The Hydrogen Peroxide Solution

Now make a 2:1:1 solution with hydrogen peroxide, clear liquid dish soap and water (meaning- add 2 tablespoons of H₂O₂ with 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap and 1 table spoon of water).

2.1.4. Applying The Hydrogen Peroxide Solution

Carefully apply the solution on the tea and coffee stains to be cleaned from the carpet. In case of fresh tea and coffee stains, first blot the extractable liquid as much as you can by using paper towels or a piece of dry white cloth. For old stains, apply it directly on the spots.

Do not overuse the cleaning solution.

2.1.5. Brushing or Scrubbing

Now gently rub or scrub the spots with a soft scrubber and wait for 10 to 15 minutes. This will effectively loosen up the coffee and tea stains for easy removal.

2.1.6. Rinsing With Cold Water

After this, use cold water to rinse the treated spots. Do not over saturate the carpets. Now blot the rinsed spots with paper towels.

2.1.7. Drying The Carpet

Finally, dry up the washed spots automatically or you can use a heat drier for quick drying. 

Repeat the whole process if necessary for better results.

2.2 Removing Coffee Stains From Carpet With Borax:

Borax is a well known multipurpose household cleaning agent found in every departmental store. It is effective for carpet cleaning especially when it is time to remove old coffee and tea stains. Follow our simple steps of cleaning coffee and tea stains from carpets with borax.

2.2.1. Supplies needed for the method:

• Borax powder
• Paper towels
• White vinegar
• A spoon
• Piece of clean cloth
• Soft brush
• A small bowl/pot
• Vacuum machine
• Rubber gloves

2.2.2. Blotting up the fresh spills

First, blot up the fresh coffee and tea spills with paper towels and extract as much liquid as possible. Then soak with cold water.

Tips: If there was milk, cream and sugar in the coffee that has dried up on the carpet fibers then you have to rinse the spot again and blot the stain one more time before applying the borax.

2.2.3. Soaking up the stains with cold water

In case of old coffee stains, soak up the spot with sufficient cold water through a spraying bottle. Using a spraying bottle will help you to prevent over saturation while soaking.

2.2.4. Applying borax

• Powder form for fresh coffee & tea stains

Sprinkle the borax powder directly on the fresh coffee and tea stains. Then use a damp cloth soaked in cold water to cover the spot. Then wait for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, take off the damp cloth from the carpet and blot the spot again with paper towels. Do this until the paper towels absorb no more residues or spilled liquid from the carpet. 

• Paste form for old coffee & tea stains

Prepare a paste with vinegar and borax (1:3). Now apply this paste on the old coffee and tea stains. Now gently rub the spot with a soft brush. Then wait for 15 minutes or, until the spot dries up completely.

2.2.5. Clean up the residues

When the treated spots dry up completely then use a vacuum machine to clean up the dried residues from the carpet carefully.

Repeat this whole process if necessary for better results. And you’re done with cleaning coffee and tea stains using borax.

2.3. Removing Tea Stains From Carpet With White Vinegar:

Vinegar not only cleans coffee and tea stains from your carpets but also deodorizes them naturally. It is the best multipurpose DIY cleaning agent for carpets at a cheap rate. You can easily clean fresh or old coffee and tea stains from carpets with vinegar. All you need is to follow our step by step guidelines.

2.3.1. Supplies needed for the method:

• White vinegar
• Water
• Paper towels
• Rubber gloves
• Spray bottle
• Cold water
• Sponge scrubber

2.3.2. Blotting and soaking the spots:

First, blot up the fresh coffee and tea spills with paper towels and extract as much liquid as possible. Then soak the spots with cold water.

Directly soak up the old coffee and tea stains with sufficient cold water through a spraying bottle. Using a spraying bottle will help you to prevent over saturation while soaking.

2.3.3. Preparing A Vinegar & Water Solution:

Prepare a 1:1 white vinegar and water solution meaning add 1L vinegar with 1L water.  Now pour the solution in a spraying bottle and shake it before applying.

2.3.4. Soaking and Rinsing With Vinegar Solution:

Then carefully spray the vinegar solution on the coffee stains and gently rub them with a sponge. Don’t rush with rubbing the carpet, otherwise it may result in both color and fabric damage. Wait for 15 minutes after soaking and rubbing.  Now blot up the moisture with paper towels.  

Then again spray some vinegar solution on the tea stains to rinse them well. Wait for 3 to 5 minutes before blotting.

2.3.5. Blotting & Drying The Wet Spots  

After 5 minutes, blot up the coffee and tea stains with paper towels properly. Finally, dry up the wet spots automatically or you can use a heat drier.

If needed, repeat the whole process for better results.

2.4. Coffee And Tea Stains Removal With Baking Soda And Vinegar:

Baking soda is one of the best household carpet cleaners found at cheap cost. It can permanently remove coffee and tea stains from carpets. But this cleaning process requires water and vinegar solution on first step. Then for best result you have to make a baking soda and vinegar paste to complete the cleaning process.

2.4.1. Supplies Needed For This Method:

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Water
• Spray bottle
• Paper towels
• Vacuum machine
• Soft brush
• A small bowl/pot

2.4.2. Soaking with dilute vinegar solution

Make a dilute (1:1) vinegar and water solution and pour it in a spray bottle. Now soak up all the coffee and tea stains with it. Don’t over saturate the spots.

2.4.3. Preparing baking soda paste with vinegar

Prepare a baking soda paste with vinegar maintaining the ratio (3:1). Meaning you have to mix 3 cups of baking soda with 1 cup of vinegar. 

2.4.4. Apply the baking soda paste

Apply the baking soda paste using a brush on the stains. Then gently rub the wet baking soda on the carpet with a brush or simply with your hands so that it covers the whole affected area deeply. Then wait until the paste dries up completely.

2.4.5. Clean up the residues

When the treated spots dry up completely it is time to clean up the residues. Use a vacuum machine to clean up the dried residues from the carpet carefully. Repeat this whole process if necessary for better results. And you’re done with cleaning coffee and tea stains using baking soda.

2.5. Cleaning Coffee And Tea Stains With Salt And Club Soda:

Salt works as a drying agent or absorbent (like baking soda) which absorbs the liquid from the stains or a soaked carpet.  It is good to use salt on fresh stains or after dampening the stains with water.

Using salt can be an effective way of removing coffee and tea stains from carpets. Follow our guidelines.

2.5.1. Supplies Needed For This Method:

• Regular salt 
• Club soda
• Water
• Cold water
• Paper towels
• Spraying bottle
• Heat drier 

2.5.2. Blotting up the fresh spills

First, blot up the fresh coffee and tea spills with paper towels and extract as much liquid as possible.

2.5.3. Applying the salt

Now cover the stains with enough table salt. Salt works as an absorbent and will absorb the liquids from the coffee and tea spills.

2.5.4. Applying club soda on the salted spots

Now spray some club soda over the salt and saturate the spots with it. Don’t overuse club soda; otherwise it may damage the color.

2.5.5. Rinsing with cold water

Now spray some cold water to rinse the spots. Then blot up the moisture with paper towels.

2.5.6. Drying the spots

Finally, dry up the spots with blowing air or you can use a heat drier. Repeat the whole process if necessary. 

Related Questions:

What makes coffee stains so tough to remove?

People may think that the caffeine present in coffee and tea makes their stains tough to clean. But caffeine is not responsible for such stains. It’s the tannin (a type of polyphenol) present in coffee and tea that makes the stains really tough to remove. Practically tannins are the hardest tasks to remove from fabrics.

How Do You Get Old Tea And Coffee Stains Out Of Carpet?

To remove old tea and coffee stains from carpet, combine one tablespoon of liquid dish soap, one tablespoon of white vinegar, and two cups of warm water. Apply the solution with a clean cloth, blot from the edges of the stain, and move inward.

Repeat the process until the stain is gone.

How Do You Get Dried Coffee Stains Out Of Carpet?

To remove dried coffee stains from carpet, mix one tablespoon of liquid dish soap, one tablespoon of white vinegar and two cups of warm water in a bowl. Stir the solution and apply it on the stain with a clean cloth.

Blot from the edges of the stain and move inward to avoid spreading.

How Do You Remove Old Tea And Coffee Stains?

To remove old tea and coffee stains, create a solution of one tablespoon of liquid dish soap, one tablespoon of white vinegar, and two cups of warm water. Apply the cleaner using a clean cloth, blotting from the edges of the stain and moving inward.

Does White Vinegar Remove Coffee Stains From Carpet?

Yes, white vinegar can effectively remove coffee stains from the carpet. You can make a solution using one tablespoon of liquid dish soap, one tablespoon of white vinegar, and two cups of warm water. Apply the cleaner on the stain with a clean cloth and blot from the edges inward.

How Do I Remove A Coffee Stain From My Carpet?

To remove a coffee stain from your carpet, blot the excess liquid, apply a cleaning solution, and extract the solution. Repeat the process until the stain disappears.

Conclusion:

Removing coffee and tea stains from carpets can be a daunting task, but with the right cleaning solution and techniques, it can be done efficiently. By following the steps mentioned in this post, you can easily remove coffee and tea stains from your carpets without damaging them.

It’s always essential to have a good cleaning solution and some elbow grease to tackle such stains effectively. So, make use of the homemade solution mentioned in this post and bid adieu to those stubborn coffee and tea stains on your carpets.