Tea Stain Removal
Tips on Effective Tea Stain Removal
Drinking it is delicious and healthy, but when it comes to tea, stain removal can be anything but enjoyable. Considering that the tasty beverage can be used as a dye for clothing, it is clear that a spill of tea can spell trouble. However, a little bit of knowledge can get the tea out of fabrics.
The history of drinking tea goes back many centuries, and is woven through many cultures, but none so lengthy as the Chinese. Legend has it that tea as a beverage was discovered in 2737 B.C. when the emperor and his entourage stopped to rest during a trip. As was their custom, the servants began to boil water to drink when dried leaves dropped into the boiling liquid. The emperor was intrigued by the pleasant aroma that was emitted from the brew, and tasted it. He found it to be a tasteful drink, and it became a regular beverage for him as a medicinal treatment as he believed it gave him energy. It remained a healthful drink only until around 300 A.D., when it grew in popularity and became a daily drink to be simply enjoyed.
For many centuries, tea was a beverage that was gleaned from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant. Over time, tastes expanded and in the current day, over 1,500 different varieties of tea from 25 different countries are available for the tea drinker to choose. It is a still a major product of China, where it is considered a primary crop for export and a favored beverage of the Chinese people. Originally, tea choices were confined to oolong, black or green teas. Today however, there are herbal teas containing no tea whatsoever, flavored teas and scented teas. The addition of different flavors, colorings and plant elements has made the composition of teas more complex, and tea stain removal has become more difficult through these.
The best way to attack a tea stain is to do so immediately when possible. Simply rinsing the fabric with clear, cool water as soon as the spill has taken place will usually take care of the problem. However, sometimes it is not feasible to do this, or perhaps the stain is not discovered until it has already dried. For these, there are some other cleaning options that can help to remove the stain.
Club soda and beer are both methods of cleaning stained fabrics that seem to be effective in most cases. Pour the bubbly beverage directly onto the fabric over the stain and rub lightly. Rinse the stained area with cold water, and repeat if necessary. The process can be repeated as many times as necessary to remove the stain, and should be followed by laundering the fabric.
One of the best stain removers as well as being possibly the most natural stain remover is plain, common table salt. Sprinkled over the stain, rubbed in lightly with a water dampened cloth, salt serves to dissolve as its gentle abrasion works the stain from the fabric. If the salt treatment leaves partial stains behind, combine equal portions of salt and white vinegar and work it into the fabric with your fingers before rinsing with cool water. Launder as usual.
The most natural of elements usually provide the best remedies for tea stain removal. Water, salt and white vinegar can be used on most fabrics with no detriment to the cloth itself. For an especially treasured cloth item, be sure to attempt the treatment on a spot that is inconspicuous first, however.
Enjoying a comforting cup of tea should not have the anxiety of the possibility of a stain disrupting the pleasure. Knowing how to remove stains beforehand will allow you to take full pleasure in your next cup of tea.