You are enjoying a tasty cup of coffee when suddenly it spills—the worst part is that it’s on you.
We’ve all been there, and it doesn’t take long before the shock of a coffee spill turns into the annoyance of how to remove coffee stains.
No coffee lover is immune to the dreaded coffee stains. If you enjoy cups of coffee all day, anywhere and everywhere, then you’ve probably come across a spilled coffee or two.
Spills are inevitable, so it helps to know how to remove coffee stains.
Coffee can stain sofas and armchairs, rugs and carpets, table linen, clothing, a car seat, and other items.
Coffee spills are stressful, ugly, and generally something you want to eliminate immediately. They can leave an unsightly dark stain, especially on light fabrics.
Your first thought maybe that it will be there forever. But don’t fret! This is not necessarily the case. Coffee stains are not impossible to remove.
You didn’t ruin your clothes, carpet, seats, or your boss’ chair by drinking a sticky salted caramel latte in his office (and you shouldn’t have).
The action to be taken after a coffee spill depends on whether it was an accident or the stain was dry when it was discovered. The key to dealing with both types is part of these cleaning tips we will give below.
Read on for tips on removing coffee stains quickly, easily, and effectively. These tips can be used on clothes, carpets, car seats, upholstery, furniture, etc.
Avoid overwetting the area you’re cleaning, but keep it damp until you’ve removed the stain.
Tips on How to Remove Coffee Stains
Fresh stains are much easier to remove than old ones, so act immediately on spills. Don’t let the stain dry, and get to work right away.
You can always sit down with a fresh cup of coffee when you clean up the mess.
But whether it’s fresh or been lying for a while, here’s how to remove coffee stains from your home and your clothes. There are various common household items you can use to remove coffee stains.
Common Household Items for Removing Coffee Stains
Act Fast
It’s not a household item, but our best advice is to always be sure to act fast if you have a spill on the carpet or any other surface.
Cold Water
For a fresh coffee stain, start simple: Use cold water. Try running the stained fabric under cold water.
Run cold water over the back of the fabric before running it over the front. This can prevent the stain from penetrating the material and becoming more difficult to remove.
When you are sure the stain is gone, you can wash it normally. Keep two towels handy for your carpet, upholstery, and similar items, one wet and one dry.
Dab the stained area with a damp towel before drying it with another towel. Continue this process, and if you have acted quickly, you should be able to remove the stain.
Soap
Use household soap or detergent. Dab a small amount onto the stain and leave it on for a few minutes, careful not to let it dry.
Rinse with water and hope it’s done. Keep a towel handy to dry the area after rinsing for car seats, carpets, upholstery, and more.
Vinegar
A mixture of white vinegar and water can be a suitable cleaning agent for coffee. Rub the stain with a towel dipped in this solution until it disappears.
The vinegar smell may linger, so you should freshen up later and wash the area you may have stained with normal soap and water.
Baking Soda
Baking soda and water should be combined to make a paste, which should help remove coffee stains. Rub the paste on the stain and keep rubbing until the stain disappears. Then rinse with cold water and pat dry.
Egg Yolk
This is an unusual method for removing stains, but many promise it works. Beat the egg yolks.
Rub the mixture with a cloth over the stain for a minute or two. Rinse, and the stain should be gone. Again, remember that your clothing will likely smell like an egg until you can wash it.
Washing Detergent
Rub some liquid detergent on the stain and blot it. If you’re at the office and don’t have laundry detergent, try some dishwashing detergent; it can be helpful.
Leave to act on the stain for a few minutes. It should remove the stain, but if not, still read on.
Toothpaste
First, make sure it’s white toothpaste. Did you know that because it acts as an exfoliator, you can rub a little toothpaste on the stain, and it should break it down? Rinse and repeat this process if necessary.
Baby Powder
Sprinkle some baby powder on the spot of the stain. Leave it on for a few minutes. Afterward, you can rinse and dab with cold water.
Shaving Cream
Since shaving cream contains many of the same ingredients as soap, you can rub shaving cream into the stain, rinse, and repeat as needed.
If you’re still struggling with a coffee stain, you have a persistent stain on your hands.
Paste
Now it’s time to think about making a paste. Mix equal amounts of laundry detergent, water, and vinegar, cover the stain, and gently scrub the stain with an old toothbrush.
Stain Removal Spray
The next option is to spray the fabric with stain remover spray or dip it in powder and water and inject some effort. Gently scrub the stain with good laundry soap.
Stain Pen
If you’re prone to coffee spills, keeping a stain remover pen in your desk, car, or purse might be helpful.
They can work magic, quickly removing the stain until you get home and wash it off. Available in supermarket laundromats, they are a convenient way to remove stains on the go.
Beer
It may seem like a strange solution, but pouring a small amount of beer on a coffee stain on your carpet can work.
Gently rub the beer on the stain, rinse, and repeat if needed. To remove the beer smell, you may want to freshen the carpet with your cleaner.
Bleach
Bleach is the last resort and can only be used on white clothes, but it might be worth trying to restore a white top or shirt to its original whiteness.
Remember to be careful when using it – you don’t want other clothes going through the bleach treatment either.
How to Remove Coffee Stains From Everything That You Own?
How to Remove Coffee Stains From Clothing?
It’s always like that; when you’re wearing white, they begin to look for those coffee stains. And usually when you don’t have extra clothes to change into.
Whether the spill happened at home, on the way to the office, while running errands, or in the office, we have a solution for your situation.
Once the spill has just happened, removing coffee stains from clothes can be easy. All you need is a microfiber cloth.
I have two towels handy, one wet and one dry. Blot the area stained with a damp towel before drying it with another towel.
Continue this process, and if you have acted quickly, you should be able to remove the stain. Blot instead of rubbing, as rubbing will only spread the stain further.
If the coffee has dried on your clothes, you can always rescue it, and cleaning it up with vinegar and a few other ingredients might be the solution.
Mix a paste of powdered laundry detergent, distilled white vinegar, and cold water until you get the consistency of toothpaste. Put on both sides, then wait a few minutes.
Scrub both sides with a small brush in circular motions, then rinse with cold water. Pretreat with laundry detergent before washing as usual.
The only caveat? If it’s a delicate fabric, take it to a professional cleaner.
Clothes are not the only victims of the infamous coffee spill. Many surfaces are often susceptible to coffee stains, from tables and counters to carpets.
The good news is that you can remove coffee stains from almost any special material using the following methods.
How to Remove Coffee Stains on Tables and Counters
Leaving a cup or mug with coffee on its base may leave a stain that will dry out, but it’s not hard to remove.
If a dried coffee rings on your coffee table, kitchen counter, or even on coasters, wipe it out with warm water and baking soda.
Alternatively, spray on an all-purpose cleaner and wipe it off with a microfiber cloth.
How to Remove Coffee Stains From Linens?
If someone spilled their after-dinner drink, here’s how you’ll remove a coffee stain on the tablecloth. Rinse immediately with cold water. Wipe the stain with a few drops of dish soap, then rinse.
How to Remove Coffee Stains From Upholstery?
If you’ve spilled coffee and need to wipe the sofa or clean the upholstery of the armchair, removal can be very easy, as these pieces of furniture are often treated with a stain remover when purchased.
If this is the case with your furniture, blot up the liquid with a paper towel when coffee spills. Gently absorb towards the center of the stain, do not rub.
Then, rinse the stain with a cup of cold water before blotting it again. If the upholstery has no stain-resistant finish, look for a cleaning instruction label on the furniture.
If you have a W, SW, or WS, the upholstery can be cleaned with foam or water-based cleaner. However, proceed with caution.
Always test cleaners in an inconspicuous area, such as a seam, to ensure they don’t worsen the stain.
While you can invest in the stain removers listed on the furniture label, it’s even easier to use dishwashing liquid.
Mix a tablespoon of your dish soap with two cups of cold water and apply the solution to the stain with a clean white cloth. Keep on blotting to get the liquid.
If the stain does not disappear on the first try, repeat the dish soap application and blotting. Finally, remove the dish soap with cold water and a clean cloth and blot dry.
How to Remove Coffee Stains From Carpet?
It takes quick work to remove coffee stains from carpets. With rags or paper towels, absorb as much of the liquid as possible before it sinks.
Also, mix a tablespoon of dish soap with two cups of warm water and add one tablespoon of vinegar. Dip a clean rag or towel into the solution and blot the stain.
The fabric should be neutral to avoid color transfer to the rug. Repeat blotting of the stain until you can no longer see it. Wet a clean sponge or cloth with cold water, and blot the area dry to rinse.
Use a final dry cloth to blot and absorb as much water as possible before letting it air dry.
How to Remove Coffee Stains From Car Seats?
We know coffee stains aren’t just limited to your home and office. If you’re one of those on-the-go coffee enthusiasts, you know the stress of spilling while driving.
You drink your delicious summer drink in the car, hit a pothole, and your iced coffee flies everywhere.
Now that you’re late for work, you can’t stop to clean up. You then forget it and see that your favorite coffee betrayed you and left a stain. What do you do?
If possible, you can always try to treat the stain as soon as possible. You can pull over to a safe place, clean up the stain, and try to do so, or treat it as soon as you arrive at your destination.
Absorb excess liquid with a paper towel or dried cloth. Blot, do not scrub. Repeat until you absorb as much liquid as possible. (If the stain is old, there is probably no excess liquid, or it will dry out and leave a stain.)
Apply cold water to the stain with a new paper towel. Blot while holding the water on the stain for a few seconds. This helps to extract more coffee. Blot with another cool, dry paper towel to remove excess water and extract coffee.
You now have options for dealing with the rest of the stain. Dishwashing liquid or baking soda works well as a treatment. Apply small amounts of dish soap or baking soda to a paper towel and then rinse with cold water.
Gently blot to create foam on the surface. Leave on the stain for up to 30 minutes to work on it. Rinse with a clean paper towel. Repeat if necessary.
We recommend a dishwashing liquid with a low or neutral pH for leather car seats. Just blot, and don’t use a brush (it can wear out the seats). Baking soda works best on vinyl seats.
This is best for lightweight fabric seats. You can also mix water and white vinegar, which should be one-to-one or more water than vinegar.
Add a small dish soap and dab it on the coffee stain with a paper towel. You can apply it to the stain with a stiff bristle brush and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Baby wipes can also help clean coffee stains, especially fresh ones. Keep baby wipes in your car for quick access when you need them. Finish with a protective agent or sealer.
If you have leather or vinyl seats, you should finish them with leather conditioner. This ensures the stain does not wear the material and can help protect against future stains.
Wash as Quickly as Possible
If you tried these tips at the office or on the road, throw your clothes in the washing machine when you get home. When the stain is gone, wash and air dry again.
Do not machine dry until you are sure the stain is gone. Machine drying the item while the coffee stain is still visible can harden it and make removing it nearly impossible.
When to Call a Professional
If the garment is marked dry clean only, take it to a dry cleaner as soon as possible. Highlight and identify the stain to help your professional cleaner choose the proper treatment.
The same goes for a stain that damages vintage clothing; you should contact a professional cleaner, or you’ll probably do more damage if you try to remove the stain yourself.
