Mrs Hinch fan's 'best trick' for banishing tea mug stains in seconds

01 January 2024 , 12:04

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It can be a real pain when tea mugs get stained (Image: Getty Images/EyeEm)

With over 10 million cups of tea drunk every day in the UK, there's no doubt a few people guilty of having stained mugs in the back of their cupboards.

It can be incredibly frustrating when your favourite tea cup or mug looks perfectly pristine on the outside - but the inside is covered in unsightly brown stains. This is normal, because tea contains tannin, which gives it colour - and is also used as an agent for many dyes. This can cause discolouration and dark stains on cups which unfortunately doesn't always come off in the dishwasher.

One cleaning enthusiast was so fed up of her stained tea mugs she reached out to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook group to ask fellow fans of the Instagram sensation Sophie Hinchliffe for help. The social media user asked: "Please can anyone tell me how I can get this stain out of my mug? It always gets washed in the dishwasher so I don’t understand why it has gone like that in the first place, thank you."

Luckily, a fellow member of the group decided to share the "best trick" they had ever learned - and it could be used to get rid of stains in just seconds. They said: "I always soak my cups and teaspoons once every six months or so in bleach, works a treat and brings them up like new. Best trick I was ever taught, I got sick of buying new teaspoons and then my good old mum mentioned bleach and it's game-changing."

Another agreed, saying: "I soak my mugs once a week with water and bleach. No need to buy anything specific, just a little bleach and water and soak it for five minutes," while a third added: "Use a spot of bleach with hot water before leaving to sit a while. Make sure to rinse thoroughly."

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You can pick up bleach really cheaply, costing only 70p at Asda for 750ml, and the same at Sainsbury's for the same price and size. If you do decide to use bleach, you should make sure to use rubber gloves so you protect your hands. The smell can also be strong, so be sure to ventilate your room by opening windows.

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz