Drinking a cup of tea in the morning or even later in the day does not only leave you energized but also relaxes your nerves. At the same time, spilling the tea is an inevitability. It could be when you knocked your feet on a hard surface while leaving the kitchen or even when your hands fumbled while lifting or dropping the cup.
While the inevitability is there; the greater part of worry is the stain caused in the process. You see, tea is laden with tannin, an astringent compound, capable of staining your items, including carpets.
But not to worry, we will show you how to get around it in this guide on how to get tea stains out of carpet.
Before You Start: A Couple of Things to Know
The goal is to remove the stains caused by tea spills, but what if you were approaching it the wrong way?
Here are a couple of things to have in mind:
The Type of Tea is Important
The tea you are trying to clean up its stains can help you or not. Also, the extent of the cleaning process is largely dependent on the type of tea spilled.
For example, you can clean up peppermint tea faster, due to the less concentration of tannin. This makes the cleaning task easier when compared to the high tannin content in the black and green teas.
How Long Has the Stain Been Untreated?
The general idea is that the “longer tea spills remain on the carpet, the higher the chances of getting the carpet stained.”
Therefore, you want to treat fresh tea stains on the carpet. The hardest tea stains to remove from the carpet are the old and set-in stains.
How To Get Tea Stain Out of Carpet
1. How to Remove Tea Stains from Carpet Naturally
As much as you can treat the stains immediately they happen, sometimes, following the simpler route works best.
This is what to do:
a. Blot the Tea Stain
Grab a paper towel or a clean cloth to get rid of the stains the moment the first spills touch the carpet. Soak up from the outside and work your way into the center of the stained area.
Continue with the blotting until the following happens:
- No liquid is being transferred from the area to the paper towel or clean cloth.
- Inspect the stained area to be sure it is almost dry, after the blotting.
b. Dilute the Stains
Despite the area being dry, you need to know that the stains are not completely removed. This is especially the case for dry tea stains. So, you need to dilute the stains, by pouring a small amount of water onto the area.
Get another clean cloth or use a paper towel to blot up the diluted tea on the carpet. Repeat until the area is completely dried and no additional liquids and or stains are being transferred to the towel or cloth.
c. Apply the Carpet Stain Remover
Follow the directions on the label to apply the carpet stain remover on the stained area. To be certain of the remover’s performance, do the following:
- Apply a small amount of it on a smaller part of the carpet.
- Take note if there is any discoloration.
Those are pointers to what to expect when using the carpet stain remover on the inconspicuous parts of the carpet.
d. Vacuum the Area
Rinse the area with water and blot until it is dried. Once it is dry, use a vacuum cleaner to remove any particles on the floor.
e. White Vinegar can now Come in
You may also need to use a white vinegar mixture, especially when the stain persists. The process goes thus:
- Use a 1:1 ratio for the mixture. That is one part of white vinegar to one part of water.
- Apply the solution to the stained area with the aid of a sponge.
- Allow the solution to sit and work on the area for about 10 minutes, before rinsing with cold water.
- With a paper towel, blot up excess water from the area.
- Allow the area to get dried, before vacuuming.
2. Use WD-40 to Remove Tea Stains on a Carpet
WD-40 is not what would readily come to mind when listing the best carpet tea stain remover. However, you can be sure that when used in the right way, it is helpful.
So, here’s how to use WD-40 for tea stain removal:
- Shake the can of WD-40 for a few seconds.
- Apply a spritz of it directly to the stained area; making sure that the area is fully covered.
- Allow the spray to wait for a few minutes.
- Grab a paper towel and dab it into the stained area. Keep at it until the rest of the stains are transferred to the towel.
- Complete the process by using a moist, cotton cloth to clean the carpet.
3. Removing Tea Stains with Soda Water and Salt
A combination of soda water and salt will help you get rid of tea stains on the carpet. The items needed are a glass of soda water, a glass of cold water, a cup of salt, and a clean, dry cloth.
The process includes:
- Sprinkle a generous amount of salt over the affected area and keep at it until the carpet is fully covered.
- Add a bit of the soda water to the area.
- Allow to sit for some minutes, before rinsing with cold water.
- Grab the piece of clean, dry cloth and wipe the surface to dry it.
4. Mix Club Soda with Salt
The process here is almost the same as that of soda water and salt, except that we will vacuum at the end.
Here is how to use club soda and salt mixture to remove tea stains from a carpet:
- Remove excess liquid from the surface/affected area, by blotting with an absorbent cloth.
- Pour a generous amount of salt over the area and allow it to sit for about 20 minutes.
- Now, the salt has absorbed most of the stains.
- Make a mixture of club soda and water. Pour a small amount of water into a spray bottle and add the club soda to mix.
- Spritz the mixture directly to the affected area, until it is saturated.
- Blot excess water out of the area, using either a paper towel or a clean, absorbent cloth.
5. Use Only White Vinegar
Sometimes, the best way to remove tea stains from a carpet is by using just one cleaning product. We highly recommend using white vinegar and you will soon discover why.
a. Prepare the Mixture
The items you need are distilled white vinegar and warm water. Use a 1:2 ratio, which is 1 part of white vinegar and 2 parts of warm water.
The solution should be poured into a spray bottle.
b. Spray the Solution to the Affected Area
Spritz the distilled white vinegar solution onto the carpet. Wait for a few minutes so it can settle and act on the stains.
c. Remove the Solution
Use a clean cloth and dab at the tea stains. By now, the stains are softened, and should easily get removed from the carpet in good time.
If the process takes a longer time, repeat the previous steps.
6. How to Use Only Baking Soda
You can use just baking soda to get rid of tea stains from a carpet. You need the following:
- A small bowl
- Baking soda
- A clean cloth
- Water
Pour the baking soda into a small bowl. Use the clean cloth to scoop some of the soda from the bowl and apply directly to the affected/stained area.
Allow to sit for a few minutes, before rinsing with water.
Use a clean cloth to pat dry the area.
7. Combine Baking Soda with White Vinegar
The “power of two” cannot be underestimated when it comes to removing stains caused by spilled tea. Here’s how to use the two for excellent results:
These are the needed items:
- A clean cloth
- Half a cup of white vinegar
- Both cold and warm water
- A small bowl and;
- 1 and a half cups of baking soda.
Directions for Use:
- Dilute the white vinegar with cold water inside the small bowl.
- Make a paste out of the baking soda. Note that this is required mainly when you are tackling tougher tea stains. In this case, you need to mix 3 parts of baking soda with 1 part of water. Stir until you get a consistent, creamy paste.
- Use a spoon to scoop up the paste and apply directly to the stained area. Give it about 3 minutes to sit on the floor, before applying a damp cloth over it and using the same to push the paste deeper into the carpet.
- Pour the white vinegar solution into a spray bottle and spritz on the baking soda paste.
- Use a clean towel to blot up both the baking soda paste and the white vinegar solution from the stained area of the carpet.
- Continue the process and repeat until the stains are removed.
- You can then pour a small amount of water on the surface to rinse.
- Get rid of the residues by pressing a clean, dry towel onto the area.
- Allow the area to dry before vacuuming.
8. Use Just Laundry Liquid & White Vinegar
You can use either dishwashing liquid or laundry liquid to remove tea stains from a carpet. The items you need are a tablespoon of laundry liquid, a sponge, a microfiber cloth, warm water, and white vinegar.
To maximize the white vinegar and dish detergent/liquid solution, here are the steps to follow:
- Blot as much of the stains out of the surface using a paper towel.
- Prepare the solution by using equal parts (1 tablespoon each) of distilled white vinegar and laundry/dishwashing liquid.
- Add 2 cups of warm water and mix.
- Dip a small part of the microfiber cloth into the solution. You can also dip the sponge instead. Another alternative is applying the mixture to the stained area and using the microfiber cloth to distribute it until the area is fully covered.
- Get a dry cloth and blot up the area. This helps get rid of excess moisture.
- Pour cold water over the area to rinse it. Blot again to remove traces of the cleaning solutions used.
- Finally, allow the area to air-dry, before vacuuming.
9. Can Only Salt Tackle Tea Stains: Apparently, it can!
Yes, there’s a possibility of using only salt to get rid of tea stains on a carpet. The process goes thus:
- Pour a generous amount of salt to cover the stained part of the carpet.
- Allow to sit for about 30 minutes; providing enough time for the stains to be absorbed.
- Use a paper towel to scoop the salt, alongside the absorbed tea stains out of the carpet.
- Rinse the area with cold water.
- Dab dry with a clean, dry cloth.
- Finally, let the area air-dry, before vacuuming.
FAQs
1. Does Tea Stain Carpet?
Yes, tea spills can stain a carpet in a matter of minutes. The high tannin content/ingredients in both green and black teas make it quite difficult to clean up the mess.
2. How to Remove Old Tea Stains?
Green and black teas stick the most to the carpet and tend to “age” quickly. To get rid of these, you may need to make a cleaning solution out of distilled white vinegar and dish soap. The two help to break-down the stains and make them softer to be removed with a damp cloth.
3. How do I Treat Fresh Tea Stains on the Carpet?
Blot and dilute the stains, then, apply a carpet stain remover to accelerate the speed of removing the stains. Vacuum afterward.
4. How to Get Green Tea Stain out of Carpet?
Stains caused on a carpet by green tea spills are best described as “stubborn.” After using any of the cleaning methods discussed in this article, proceed to use a commercial detergent with a specialized cleaning machine to make a deep cleaning of the carpet.
Conclusion
Getting tea stains out of the carpet is a straightforward process. Just be fast with any of the methods and do not hesitate to contact a carpet-cleaning professional if it seems like something you cannot handle.