Some cleaning wizards have come up with a clever hack that will remove tea and coffee stains from your cups without the need to use bleach.
Using hot, soapy water may remove germs, but stubborn stains will make the cup look dirty regardless.
However, a new “super cheap” way to remove these marks has gone viral, with many attesting to how great it is.
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The hack was shared to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook page, on which Caira Wilson wrote: “Stubborn tea stains in mugs, help please?
“Not just ‘a little bit of elbow grease’ because I’ve tried that plenty, it makes no difference. Any easier ways? Spill the secrets.”
Tannic acid, or tannins, is what gives tea and coffee their colour. It is also used in hair dyes and fake tans as well.
While it is harmless to humans, it can leave mugs with a nasty stain that remains even after they have been washed or put through the dishwasher.
Luckily, Mrs Hinch fans who are passionate about cleaning shared their best methods on the post. Tash Green wrote: “Use a denture tablet.”
Sonia Alden said: “I use denture tablets and boiling water. Let it sit for a bit and then wash as normal. Much safer than bleach and does the job perfectly.
“I prefer to buy the minty tablets as then I can smell if the tablet has lingered a bit and I need to wash the cup a bit more.”
Sophie Jackson added: “Denture tablets are amazing, don’t use bleach as it will damage the glaze and stain will get worse.”
Joanna Westwood commented: “Denture tablets dissolved in hot water. Old trick I learned from my Nan several years ago, cleans teaspoons too.”
When placed in a mug with hot water, the tablet will begin to fizz and work to remove the brown stains on the cup. It is advised to leave it soak for at least 10 minutes, and repeat if necessary.
Denture tablets can be purchased from most supermarkets as well as shops such as Boots and Superdrug. Boots sell 30 cleansing tablets for just £1, meaning to clean one mug, it would cost just 3p.
Alice Milton wrote: “I wouldn’t suggest anything other than cheap denture tablets, it’s the only thing that works. Also, no scrubbing needed.”
Other Mrs Hinch fans recommended using “cheap” salt to help scrub away the annoying stains from mugs and cups.
Ann Edmonds said: “Make a paste with salt and water. Then scrub it on the marks and it should disappear.”
The salt mixture can be rubbed into the stains with a damp microfibre cloth to help penetrate them and make sure they lift. Adding white vinegar can help to create an abrasive but gentle cleaner too.
Bicarbonate of soda was also suggested by several users, which can be mixed with water to create a paste before putting it on the stains.
However, there are several ways to prevent stains from occurring in the first place, including washing the mug straight after use.
If you’re looking for a specialist product, Astonish have a product called Clean and Revive which helps to bring back mugs and crockery back to life.
It can be purchased for as little as £2, with just one tablespoon needed to clean stained cups and saucers.
Some Mrs Hinch fans also recommended using The Pink Stuff paste which is known as “the miracle cleaning paste”.
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