In the rhythm of life in modern society, most people start their day with a cup of strong, invigorating coffee. They drink it everywhere: at home, on the road, in the subway, in the car, in snack bars, at work. In the morning, “Coffee to go” is more common than donuts or hamburgers. But no one is immune from unpleasant situations. Colliding with a passerby, being distracted by people passing by, looking at your phone or dozing off on the train has become commonplace. We will figure out how to preserve your favorite things and remove coffee stains in such cases.
Does coffee wash off clothes?
Spilled coffee stains are a very common occurrence. Such contaminants are very difficult to remove and it is advisable to do it immediately, without waiting for them to dry. Coffee stains should be removed immediately. If you can't wash them right away with detergent, then at least soak them.
You need to soak not in clean water, but in a soda solution (regular baking soda). 1-2 tbsp is enough. into a bowl of warm water. After soaking, start a “thorough wash” with powder or gel. If a coffee stain dries out, it will be much more difficult to remove. The dry stain is soaked overnight in warm water with salt or soda, then rinsed and only then put in the washing machine.
Coffee stains on white
How can you get rid of stains?
The easiest way is not to waste time and get rid of the stain when it is still fresh and has not yet become deeply embedded in the fibers of the fabric. An easy way to remove coffee from clothes is to wash the stain with laundry soap.
The best effect will be obtained if glycerin and ammonia are found. Add a few drops of ammonia to glycerin, mixed half and half with water, and apply the resulting composition to the contaminated area. If you don't have glycerin, add ammonia to the soapy water. To clean fleecy fabrics - wool, acrylic, take a soft brush, soak it in the solution and rub the stain until it disappears completely.
As time passes, it becomes more difficult to remove contaminants. To remove old stains from clothes, you should have the following substances in the house:
- Laundry soap;
- Glycerol;
- Sodium tetraborate (borax);
- Turpentine oil;
- Ammonia;
- Lemon or citric acid;
- Vinegar;
- Salt;
- Baking soda;
- Hydrogen peroxide.
The use of the listed substances and their mixtures will allow you to remove coffee stains from any fabric, even if more than a month has passed since the contamination; we will consider each of them in detail.
Laundry soap
For washing, use laundry soap, not toilet soap, which has less washing effect and many unnecessary additives.
To prepare the product, grate the soap and pour boiling water over it while stirring. The resulting thick solution should cool to room temperature. After cooling, apply a thick layer to the old stain using a brush or foam sponge. After half an hour, rub the dirty part again. Repeat the procedure for complete cleaning.
Glycerol
To clean old stains, you can use glycerin heated in a water bath to a temperature of 30 - 40 degrees. Contamination is wiped off with a cotton swab moistened with warm glycerin. After cleaning the upper layers of the fabric, the product is soaked in glycerin at the stained area and left for half an hour, after which the clothes can be washed.
A paste made from a mixture of glycerin and table salt, which is applied to the stain and left for 10-15 minutes, works well. To prevent the mixture from drying out, cover the area with plastic wrap.
Borax
Borax is a rare chemical in the house, but if you have it, it will help wash away the most stubborn stains. Initially, the stains are covered with a cotton pad moistened with vodka or ethyl alcohol. After a few minutes, wipe the stain with a solution of borax in milk. After the procedure, wash the item as recommended by the product manufacturer.
Ammonia
This universal remedy is prepared in a water bath. Pour 50 g of grated laundry soap into a heated mixture of water (300 ml) and ammonia (50 ml). The resulting “porridge” is stirred until smooth and left in a water bath for 10 minutes.
After cooling, scrub the contaminated area with a brush soaked in the solution or gently wipe with a cotton swab. If necessary, repeat the procedure several times.
Turpentine oil
For cleaning, use a mixture of 50 ml of turpentine oil and 30 g of table salt or a mixture of equal proportions of glycerin with turpentine oil.
The solution is applied to the contaminated area using a brush or sponge and left for half an hour.
For those who do not know what turpentine oil is. This is ordinary purified turpentine, which can be purchased at any pharmacy under the name “gum turpentine” or at a hardware store. The last option is used only as a last resort, since no one knows the degree and quality of cleaning.
Carefully! Turpentine is poisonous. If it gets on mucous membranes, you can get a burn.
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide, which is in your first aid kit, can cope with most stains on clothing, but it should be used with caution. Peroxide is an oxygen-based bleach, so it can cause color discoloration on colored fabrics. The advantage of hydrogen peroxide is the low concentration of the active substance (3%), so it acts mildly compared to conventional bleaches, which were mentioned at the beginning of the article.
If you don’t have these products at home, then vinegar or citric acid can be found in any kitchen. These substances remove stains from white clothes well, but for colored items they must be used with caution.
Lemon acid
Before applying the acid, the contaminated area must be rubbed with an ice cube, since the procedure must be carried out on a cold cloth.
Moisten the stain with lemon juice or citric acid solution and leave for several minutes, then wash with warm water and soap.
Vinegar
Vinegar is used in a mixture with washing powder and baking soda. 50g of powder and 15g of soda are mixed with vinegar until a thick paste is obtained. The foaming mass is applied to the stain and left for 5 minutes.
How and with what to wash coffee from white clothes, dresses, T-shirts, shirts?
Anyone who has spilled coffee on themselves has noticed how corrosive it is. Surprisingly, stains can be removed from white material (it doesn’t matter what kind of clothing it is: a T-shirt or a blouse) using gasoline, which smokers use to refill their lighters.
Of course, finding gasoline for lighters is not easy, so resort to a method such as salt. Simply sprinkle the stain generously with salt and leave it for a while before running through your normal wash cycle.
The most common and fastest way to remove coffee stains from white clothes is to buy a stain remover. Such products are sold in every household chemical store. Depending on what product you purchased, the washing method will also vary. Most often, the stain remover is applied to dry material (on the stain), and then it is added instead of powder (or together with powder) to the washing machine.
IMPORTANT: White cotton clothes can be cleaned using bleach or bleach solutions. Simply dissolve the product in water and rinse your clothes in it.
If you spill coffee on white clothes, try to immediately wash off some of the stain with running water or at least a damp cloth. Then (immediately) take hydrogen peroxide and moisten a cotton sponge generously, trying to blot the entire stained area on the clothing with it.
Sure Ways to Remove Coffee Stains
How to Remove Old Coffee Stains
To get rid of coffee stains that were left several weeks or months ago, you can use:
- A mixture of water with glycerin or borax. Soak the stained area with the solution for at least 30 minutes.
- Old stains are removed from white natural fabrics using hydrogen peroxide.
- Ammonia is good for removing marks on synthetics. Moisten the affected area with ammonia and leave for 20 minutes.
- Using warm glycerin you can remove old coffee stains from wool, plush or carpeting.
How and with what to wash coffee from colored clothes, dresses, T-shirts, shirts?
You can remove coffee stains from clothes of different colors using another “folk” remedy that can be bought at the pharmacy - borax solution. Just soak a napkin or sponge in it, and then apply it to the stain, blotting. After this, the clothes can be washed as usual by hand or machine.
Dried or dark brown stains can be removed using glycerin. It is diluted one to one with ammonia and applied to the contamination. In this state, the clothes should lie for several hours. After that, turn on a standard machine wash.
Coffee stains on colored clothes
Leather Products
If you spill coffee on your favorite bag or jacket, then get ready to wipe it with gasoline or turpentine. The main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise you will dry out the product and it will begin to crack. After cleaning, soak the fabric with castor oil or shoe polish. If you have special care products, then use them! You need to moisturize your skin as much as possible after such work.
To remove coffee stains from suede, all you need is a simple soap solution and a soft sponge. After applying the solution, give it time to sit on the fabric and then carefully clean off the stain. If someone advises you to clean your suede with a greasy gel, send the person to hell! This will only make things worse.
How and what to remove coffee from jeans?
Even the most stubborn and old coffee stains can be removed from denim. To do this you will need acid (citric or oxalic). Only 1 tsp is needed, which is applied to a damp spot and left for up to 1.5-2 hours. You can keep it for less time if the stain is not very deep. If the stain is dry, wet it with water and then sprinkle with acid. After soaking, run the normal machine wash cycle or rinse by hand.
Jeans with coffee stains: how to wash them
Tips for removing stains
The main rule when cleaning coffee-stained items is to try to wash the fabric immediately. First, rub the stain, sprinkle it with regular salt, and then wash it off. If you spill coffee on your clothes in the morning, when you don’t have time, you can soak the item in salt water and wash it in the evening.
Do you wash by hand?
Oh yes! No
Old dried traces of coffee can only be removed the second or third time after thorough soaking and brushing. This procedure can be carried out using both stain removers and simple improvised means.
Spilled coffee
How and with what to remove coffee stains from sofa fabric?
If the stain is fresh, you can try to remove it this way:
- You should take a dry towel or rag and blot any remaining coffee so that the material absorbs the excess.
- After this, apply dishwashing detergent to the material and begin washing.
- Soak a cloth in warm water and wring it out thoroughly (it should not be too wet), and begin removing any remaining coffee and detergent from the sofa.
- Rinse until no coffee remains, then start rubbing with a dry cloth.
For natural fabrics
Linen and cotton are highly absorbent, so you need to wash these items as soon as possible. If you decide to walk with the stain all day, it is not a fact that you will then be able to wash coffee off cotton. But at the same time, cleaning this fabric is quite simple: soap the stained area and wash it. Repeat this procedure until you get the result. If you have a plain white item, you can try boiling it - this will help remove any remaining dirt from the fabric. But if you have a colored item, then forget about hot water, as the items will simply fade.
Vinegar
A mixture of equal parts vinegar, water and washing powder applied to a stain can help wash even very heavily soiled items. Apply the solution to the stain, wait 5-10 minutes and rinse the product thoroughly. It is also convenient to use a solution of vinegar and water (1:1) to treat a stained sofa or carpet of any color.
Advice
If the product (for example, a sofa or carpet) cannot be placed under running water, try to remove as much coffee from the pile or upholstery as possible with napkins. This will greatly facilitate further manipulation of the stain.
So don’t rush to throw away a damaged item: even dried coffee can be washed off from any product if you know truly proven products!
First steps: what not to do
As soon as an unexpected situation occurs, the question arises whether the coffee will be washed off or whether the damaged item will have to be thrown away. We can reassure you: in most cases, coffee stains can be removed without a trace if you follow the cleaning rules. To avoid worsening the condition of your clothing, you should not take the following actions immediately after the incident:
- try to remove coffee stains with boiling water or hot water (temperature above +60 ℃);
- use wet wipes, trying to rub the contaminated area with them. This will only increase the area of the stain and rub the dye tightly into the fibers of the fabric;
- use bleaches on colored materials;
- try to remove the stain with caustic chemicals from delicate silk and other delicate fabrics.
When washing coffee, do not use aggressive cleaning agents for delicate fabrics, so as not to spoil the item.
Also, do not put off stain removal for too long. The sooner you take action, the greater the chance that not a trace of contamination will remain.
