Remove Tea Stains Yourself

What follow are methods for cleaning tea stains that do not use commercial stain removers. I figure you probably know how to buy a good stain remover so I am just including the lesser-known techniques.

From teacups and metals:

• Rinse. Just rinse the surface and rub on it a warm, wet washcloth dipped in baking soda.
• Vinegar and salt. Use equal parts white vinegar and salt and rub it on the metal.
• Rub. Rub with a wet washcloth with little salt on the surface.

From carpets:

• Beer. Use beer on the stain and blot at it with a clean towel (choose a white one so that you can see when the stain is completely removed from the carpet). Add cold water to it and continue to blot at it until the stain is removed. Blot up the last of the liquid and wait for your carpet to air out and dry
• Vinegar. Spray the stain with a solution of one part white vinegar to two parts warm water. Blot at the stain with a cloth or towel until there is no color coming off of it. Mix one teaspoon of good-quality dishwashing detergent with one cup of warm water and use it on any parts of the stain that do not come out with the vinegar. If the stain is still there after the carpet has been rinsed off, blotted, and dried out a bit, you may wish to apply hydrogen peroxide to it and blot at it again. Be sure to rinse out all the peroxide.

From fabric (do not use these on delicate fabrics or dry clean-only fabrics—go to a professional for that):

• Beer. Try the beer method in the carpet section, listed above, and then launder as usual.
• Vinegar. Soak in a mixture of three parts white vinegar to one part water. Rub lightly and rinse it all out in cold water. Then, if the stain is still there, rub the affected area with salt. In addition, you can also dab at stain with a sponge soaked in vinegar and launder as usual.
• Ammonia. Use a solution of 2 cups of water and one tablespoon of ammonia to blot the stain.

From teeth:

• Produce. Use produce that are reputed to brighten your teeth without you having to do any more than bite into it, such as Macintosh apples, red tomatoes, and strawberries. Just eat these regularly, and your teeth should be much brighter than they would be otherwise.
• Hydrogen Peroxide. Brush your teeth with hydrogen peroxide or baking soda.