Removing Coffee Stains from Clothing

If you're an avid coffee drinker, it's almost a foregone conclusion that you'll have to deal with coffee stains at some point in your life. Coffee spills can result in stains on clothing, carpets, rugs, furniture and more. Fortunately, although you might not be able to remedy the fact that hot coffee spilled on your clothes may cause injuries and burns, you'll be able to deal with the stain if you act quickly enough. Read on for a brief overview of how to remove coffee stains from clothing in just a few simple steps.

Step 1 -- Remove the Clothing and Rinse

Before you do anything, it's a good idea to remove the article of clothing that had coffee spill on it. Turn the clothing inside out so that the surface that came into contact with the coffee directly is not exposed. Turn on a cold water faucet in your sink and rinse the stained area off with cold water. Do not get any water on the front side of the item of clothing if you're able to prevent that from happening. Wring the clothing out to get rid of any excess water that has collected in the fabric.

Step 2 -- Apply Clothing Detergent

Pour detergent on the stained area. It's a good idea to pour the detergent on the part of the clothing that actually came into contact with the coffee, so you might need to turn the clothing right side out once again in order to have the best access. Scrub the detergent into the clothing with a toothbrush until it begins to lather up somewhat.

Step 3 -- Allow the Detergent to Soak In

The detergent should now be allowed to soak into the clothing. This will help it to remove the stain as much as possible. If you just recently spilled the coffee and the stain is fresh, allow the detergent to sit for about 10 minutes before you rinse it out. If the stain has already dried, let the detergent sit for about half an hour before you proceed to the next step.

Step 4 -- Rinse the Detergent

Rinse the detergent off using only cold water. When the clothing dries a bit, check to see if the stain is still visible. If it is, you may either repeat the detergent application and rinsing process or opt to take your clothing in to a dry cleaning service for additional attention.

If the stain has been sufficiently lightened or removed from the clothing entirely, put it in the washing machine on a standard warm cycle. You can then allow the garment to air dry so that you can be sure that the stain has been eliminated properly. The faster that you're able to deal with a stain caused by coffee on an article of clothing, the greater the likelihood that you'll be able to remove that stain.