Do you want to know how to get rid of coffee stains on clothes? Removing stains from clothes needs to be done with care. Not only should you use the right method and substance to remove stains, but you need to consider the care instructions of each type of fabric too. Certain fabrics are so delicate that they can’t be treated with harsh chemicals like bleach.
Focusing specifically on how to get rid of coffee stains, this article looks at some of the methods that people around the world use. Many of these are home remedies that may not have been proven, and some may even contain dangerous or toxic ingredients.
That includes methods like using vinegar, egg yolk, toothpaste, shaving cream, baking soda and beer. One of the best methods to use is an eco stain remover bar to pre-treat your coffee stains and then to wash your clothes with an eco detergent like Kind Laundry.
And, if you care about your health and the health of the planet, it’s best to opt for products that are environmentally friendly and don’t contain any nasties.
Are Coffee Stains Permanent?
Have you been trying to figure out how to get coffee stains out from your favorite dress, shirt or blouse? The good news is that coffee stains are not typically permanent. They can come out of most types of fabrics by getting the brown-colored tannins to dissolve so you can wash them away.
However, time is of the essence when it comes to removing coffee stains from clothes. You’ll need to act quickly because old stains that have dried and set in can be much trickier to remove. Below we look at some techniques and household remedies to remove coffee stains from clothes.
How to Take Coffee Stains Out of Clothes With Cold Water
The trick about how to get coffee stains out from fabric is to do it quickly before the stains set in.
Washing the stain in cold water is an effective method to remove coffee stains. Ideally, run the stained area under a faucet for a few minutes and rub the stain gently. Avoid using hot or warm water, as that can actually make the stain set into your clothes.
If you want to machine wash your clothes with cold water rather than hand wash the affected area, you can do that too. All you need is a quick cold water cycle, and you can add a detergent sheet. It’s safe to add other clothes to the wash, because the coffee will wash away.
If you’re somewhere where you can’t remove your clothing to wash it, simply dab the stained area with an absorptive paper towel to get as much of the liquid out as possible and then use a wet, clean cloth to try and wash away the stain.
How to Get Coffee Stains Out of Clothes With White Vinegar
If you’re wanting to find solutions on how to get rid of coffee stains on clothes, using vinegar is often proposed as an effective natural remedy.
Using white vinegar for stains on clothes is a popular method. Some people recommend mixing a solution of water and distilled white vinegar and leaving your clothes in there to soak for 15 minutes.
For more stubborn stains, others recommend spot treating the stain with undiluted vinegar. And others still recommend mixing a combination of vinegar, water and liquid laundry detergent and then letting your stained clothes soak for up to 30 minutes.
Many people also add vinegar to their machine wash to soften clothes and remove any mildew odors.
⚡Warnings when using vinegar to get rid of clothing stains: While the vinegar method may work quite effectively, there are some cautions to keep in mind. Too much vinegar in laundry can be a bad thing.
Firstly, vinegar is an acid and if you add a lot to your machine wash, then it could start to corrode the rubber seals and hoses in your machine. Over time, that can result in your machine starting to leak - particularly if you have a front loader.
Secondly, using pure, undiluted white vinegar on clothes could ruin them - particularly if they are made of delicate fabrics or anything made with elastic.
DON’T use laundry detergent that contains bleach with vinegar in the same wash, because it can create a toxic chlorine gas that can actually be lethal!
If you’re using vinegar to soften clothes, then you may be better off using natural Wool Dryer Balls instead. These work very effectively to speed up drying time and soften clothes in an eco-friendly way.
How to Remove Coffee Stains From Clothes Using Bleach
If you want to learn how to get rid of coffee stains, some people may have told you about using bleach.
Generally, this advice includes washing your stained clothes with diluted chlorine or oxygen bleach and water solutions for just a few minutes. This is often recommended for very stubborn stains.
⚡Warnings when using bleach to remove coffee stains: Firstly, not all clothes can be washed with bleach solution and it may destroy certain fabrics like wool, silk, leather, or spandex. It’s more suitable for use on cotton and linen fabrics. It’s best to always check the care instructions and clothing labels.
Secondly, if you often use chlorine bleach to brighten your clothes, over time it can weaken the fibers and cause your clothes to turn yellowish.
Furthermore, bleach when used in combination with substances like vinegar can create a highly toxic and potentially lethal gas. It may also be harmful to animals and the environment over time.
And, if you’re interested in a non-toxic lifestyle, then you may want to avoid bleach and opt for eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets that also help avoid plastic pollution because they’ve been designed to be kinder to the environment.
How to Take Coffee Stains Out With Washing Detergent
“How to get rid of coffee stains on clothes using washing detergent?” you may ask. When you use gentle and non-toxic laundry detergent like Kind Laundry, this is one of the most effective and environmentally friendly ways to remove coffee stains.
You can use a pre-treatment product first like our vegan stain remover bar , and then your laundry detergent. Soak for 3-5 minutes to loosen the stain with the pretreatment before washing with laundry detergent - either by hand or in a machine.
⚡Warnings when using laundry detergents: Remember that not all laundry detergents are made the same way. Some include toxic chemicals that may be harmful to your health and may also have negative consequences for the health of the planet.
Luckily there are natural, plastic-free and eco-friendly laundry detergents like Kind Laundry that you can use instead.
How to Get Coffee Stains Out of Clothes Using Toothpaste
Home remedies for getting rid of coffee stains sometimes talk about using toothpaste.
This method typically involves rubbing some white toothpaste over the stain and then rinsing it off thoroughly with water. Some articles like this one from Treehugger recommend using Tom’s of Maine toothpaste to remove coffee stains.
⚡Warnings when using toothpaste to remove coffee stains: Be careful of using toothpaste on delicate fabrics as this method doesn’t seem to have much evidence-based proof that it works. You could otherwise unintentionally end up ruining that lovely tee or dress.
Also make sure that if you do use toothpaste, that it’s white but not a whitening toothpaste as that may contain bleach which could stain certain fabrics.
Also be aware that if you’re interested in living without toxins in your life, you may want to avoid certain non-natural toothpastes.
How to Take Coffee Stains Out of Clothes With Baking Soda
Baking soda is made from sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda is sometimes used by people as a home remedy to get rid of coffee and tea stains. This is done by creating a paste by mixing the baking soda with water which is then applied to the stain and typically rubbed in and then gently rinsed off with water until the stain has been removed.
⚡Warnings when using baking soda to remove tea and coffee stains from clothes: Baking soda is alkaline. When it’s used on clothes like wool or silk, it may fade those clothes over time.
And, if you combine baking soda with laundry detergent, it may actually limit the detergent's ability to remove the stains as they have different pH levels.
Furthermore, certain fabrics may actually start to break if you use baking soda on them, such as elastane.
How to Get Coffee Stains out of Fabrics Using Egg Yolk
This one sounds rather strange, doesn’t it?
Some people say that egg yolks can be used to take out tea and coffee stains from clothes. They indicate that you do this by mixing an egg yolk and rubbing it into the stain for a minute or two until it comes out. Then rinse with cold water to remove all the egg and wash it normally with laundry detergent to remove all excess egg yolk.
⚡Warnings when using egg yolk to remove tea and coffee stains from clothes: There’s not really much data to back up this claim. In fact, there are also lots of articles online about how egg yolk is one of the toughest stains to remove from your clothes. So trying this method may just result in two dirty stains.
How to Get Rid of Coffee Stains With Shaving Cream
Do you know how to get rid of coffee stains on clothes using shaving cream? Some people say that this method works, although we couldn’t find too much evidence to back it up.
The thinking is that shaving cream is a soap in liquid form and that it therefore can help to clean your clothes.
⚡Warnings when using shaving cream to remove tea and coffee stains from clothes: Even though shaving cream may be made from soap, it’s not actually intended to be used as a detergent for cleaning clothes.
Shaving creams are not all made the same way. They may contain a range of toxic chemicals that could be damaging to your health and the environment.
In addition, they generally come in metal canisters that may not be recyclable and may just cause more pollution. If you're concerned about the health of the planet (and your own health), then choosing an environmentally safe laundry detergent may be a better option.
How to Remove Coffee Stains From Clothes Using Beer
Do you want to know how to take out coffee stains using beer? Well, the internet is full of people searching for the same thing as it turns out.
Most anecdotes instruct people to pour beer over the stain and rub gently until it disappears. Once the stain is gone, then put the clothes into a regular wash to get rid of that beer smell.
⚡Warnings when using beer to remove tea and coffee stains from clothes:This isn’t exactly a mainstream, tried and tested method for removing tea and coffee stains.
But, beer is mostly made up of water and generally doesn’t stain clothes, especially if it’s washed out immediately. The downside of using beer to remove stains is of course the smell. You don’t want to go around smelling like a brewery after all.
How to Remove Old Coffee Stains From Clothes
Old, ingrained stains are usually the hardest to get rid of. These are the types of stains that many people try searching for effective solutions to remove.
So how to remove old coffee stains from clothes, or how to remove set in coffee stains then?
The solution depends on what type of fabric your stain is on, and how long the stain has been there for. How to get out old coffee stains may also depend on the color of the fabric that’s been stained - for example a stain on a white shirt may be more tricky to remove than from a dark green top.
One of the best solutions for how to get old coffee stains out of clothes (and how to remove coffee stains from clothes in general) is to use a combination of Kind Laundry’s Vegan Stain remover Bar to pre-treat the stain, and then wash your clothes with Kind Laundry’s Laundry Detergent Sheets.
How to remove coffee stains from clothes: linen and cotton
If you’re specifically looking for methods of how to get coffee stains out of clothes that are made from cotton or linen, then keep reading.
How to remove coffee stains from cotton
There are several methods for how to get coffee stains out of cotton. We recommend using our natural stain remover bar to pre-treat the stain. Perfect for removing all types of stains including grass stains, wine stains, or spaghetti sauce stains - this stain remover bar doesn’t contain any toxic chemicals or phosphates and comes in biodegradable packing.
Wet the stained area with water and then gently rub the bar directly onto the stain for about 20 seconds. Let it sit for a few minutes and then wash it off. Next wash the clothing item with our eco detergent sheet, in line with the care instructions on the garment.
How to remove coffee stains from linen
There are several methods for how to get coffee stains out of linen. You can follow the same guidelines as above for getting coffee stains out of cotton. But when it comes to washing linen in a machine, take special care to follow the care guidelines as linen may need to be washed on a cool or cold wash to avoid shrinking.
How to get rid of coffee stains the eco-friendly way with Kind Laundry
How to get rid of coffee stains on clothes is easiest and best when you use our eco-friendly laundry sheets.
If you’re into sustainable living, a no-toxins lifestyle and being kind to the Earth, then Kind Laundry’s product range will suit you.
For example, if you want to know how to remove coffee stain from white shirt, then start by looking at the care instructions on the shirt. This will give you advice on what temperature you can wash the shirt on, whether it can be machine washed or not, and which types of solvents or chemicals you could use to clean it.
The final verdict: best method to remove coffee stains
You, like so many others, may be keen to know how to get coffee stains out of clothes. While there are a range of home remedies that are recommended by people online, many of them are not proven and some carry a range of risks as we’ve mentioned above.
Using an environmentally-friendly and toxic-free laundry detergent may be the best method for removing coffee stains in clothes. Not only is it effective (especially when you use a stain remover bar as a pre-treatment), but it’s also kinder for your health and the planet.
If you’re looking for a laundry detergent and stain remover bar to help resolve the issue of how to get coffee stain out of white shirt or how to remove coffee stains from clothes in general, then consider products like Kind Laundry that are made with safer ingredients, that are biodegradable, zero waste and eco-friendly.
