It sometimes seems that no matter how often you give your teacups or mugs a good scrub, there's some pesky stains left over that make them look old and grubby. But there's no need to throw them out and purchase new ones, as a staple kitchen ingredient costing just 65p can banish any old tea marks for good.
That's according to fans of the cleaning influencer Mrs Hinch, who have been sharing their top tips online for a clean and sparkling home. They say that the cheap cupboard favourite is all you need to remove the stains, and you won't even need to use a drop of bleach.
The Express reports that one cleaning fan took to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook page with a dilemma surrounding their grubby teacups, wondering what was the best way to get them clean again.
She wrote: “There are always yellow/brown tea stains in my cups. What should I do if I can't wash them off with clean water?” The post received over 100 comments from fellow cleaning enthusiasts, with the majority recommending the woman use salt for the stains.
One person said: “Rub salt on it. The stains will disappear. Wet cup first.” Another wrote: “Salt with a drop of hot water. Rub around the cup and it comes up like new. I never use bleach for cups.” A third agreed: “I put salt and a small amount of water in the cup then use a cloth and rub the sides. Works on teaspoon stains too.”
Someone else echoed: “The best remedy l read somewhere on one of the sites was to use salt and hot water. Never had a problem cleaning a stained cup since l started using this method.” And another person commented: “Put salt inside the wet cup and it scrubs right off straight away. No steeping and it takes seconds.
It's likely that you'll already have some salt in their kitchen cupboards, but if not, it's cheap to buy from local supermarkets. At Sainsbury’s and Asda table salt retails for 65p. At Waitrose it costs 70p.
To clean your cups using this method, wet the inside of the cup with some water and add about a tablespoon of salt, then scrub the mug until the stains have lifted. The salt acts as a mild abrasive, working its way into the stains and getting rid of them.
Other Mrs Hinch fans suggested using either denture tablets or Milton sterilising fluid to remove the stains.
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