Cleaning Tea Stains From Your Carpet

Spilled tea can often leave an ugly brownish stain, and more so if you are dealing with black tea (Eg. English Breakfast tea, Earl Gray etc) rather than white or green tea stains. Some people may not think much of them. After all, teas are pale liquids that do not seem to leave much stain.

People may not be able to tell the damage until the stain settles in and the brownish color becomes obvious. If you or a family member have spilled tea, try to clean it up immediately. The longer you wait, the more the stain dries into the carpet and the harder it is to remove the stain.

The following carpet stain removal method is best used immediately after a spill but it can be used with dry tea stains as well. You may have to wet and blot the area a bit long to bring the stain out. As with any carpet cleaning endeavor, test the method out in a hidden carpet area to assess that it will not harm your carpet.

Dab the spill with a clean cloth or paper towel to try to absorb as much of the spilled tea from your carpet. To clear up the spilled liquid, do this process as often as needed. A clean sponge can be used as an alternative for a clean cloth.

Next, you must add a few drops of water onto the stain on your carpet to dilute the stain. This can also help make the stain appear lighter. Then, blot the area with a paper towel repeatedly.

This step should be used if the previous step does not completely remove the hot tea stain – use a cleaning solution. Get any usual cleaning solution such as a dishwashing liquid that can be conveniently found at home. Pour some of it onto the stain. The cleaning solution will break down the stain on the carpet so that blotting can easily be done.

Carefully blot the damp area of the carpet where the stain occurred. Blotting the stain will lift the stain out of the rug. Continue doing this process until the stain is gone.

Lastly, use a cup of water to rinse the area of the carpet that you have just cleaned. This will prevent any residue from getting left behind and accumulating over time. To complete the process, use some clean rags to dry everything.

For really tough set-in tea stains, you may have to mix a paste of baking soda and water to cover the stained area and let it set for a few hours. This often brings out the stain out. The video above demonstrates this method. The presenter also mixed in vinegar. Vinegar may not be necessary for the tea stain removal to work. Some people may not like it as vinegar has a strong odor to it.

Woman/Man vs Machine

The manual way of removing tea stains can often be tedious. An alternative is to use a carpet cleaner or a carpet spot cleaner.

Carpet spot cleaners are ideal for cleaning up everyday spots and stains, such as tea or coffee stains, food stains and gross pet stains. Rather than taking the time scrub and blot the carpet threads, and then repeating the process if the stain does not come out, these machines automate the process and feature good suction power to make cleaning fast and effective. It can save hours of frustration.

Related articles:

How to Remove Coffee Stains from Your Carpet

How to Remove Red Wine Stains From Your Carpet

Baking Soda Absorbs Carpet Stains And Reduces Odors