Coffee and tea stain removal
Anyone involved in carpet cleaning often find success when removing coffee or tea spills — if the job comes relatively soon after the spill occurs.
But allowing days to pass, and the coffee, tea or wine stain is one tough job.
These stains appear to become permanent in the carpet. The best cleaning technique often shows limited success.
Why so tough?
Coffee, tea are difficult to remove because of the high temperature of the spill and added substances in the beverage
Plain, black coffee removal is one thing; black coffee with added cream and sugar is another.
In addition to this, some decaffeinated coffees often have artificial colors added to give it a richer look. Other, organic and non-caffeine coffees also can have artificial colors added. Artificial coloring can be tough to remove.
When performing spot or stain removal with coffee or tea that has flavorings added, you often have to use protein spotters (typically alkaline spotting agents) for those substances in addition to the basic coffee spill.
And then there are the tannins in beverage spills. Tannins are found in beverages such as:
Coffee
Tea
Wine
Beer and other alcoholic drinks
Fruit juices
Colas
Cocoa
Tomato juice
And more
Tannin is a natural occurring vegetable dye found in many plants especially grape skin, tea leaves, bark and stalk of vegetation. It is responsible for the "bitter" taste of red wine and some coffees — a good thing, as long as it isn't spilled onto the carpet.
When coffee or tea or other beverages with tannins are spilled onto carpet, the heat of the beverage "opens up" the fiber and allows it to penetrate, at times penetrating through any fabric protection in the carpet. However, the better the stain Protector in the carpet, the better your chances of complete stain removal.
These hot spills bond with the fiber and removal is difficult, especially after a day or two have passed - or weeks or months, which can be the case.
What to do?
The first step of removal is to clean the spot or stain with a quality detergent, which will help remove added substances.
Do not use real soap, as soap can set the tannins or at least make them more difficult to remove. Although the cleaning industry uses detergents and not real soap, you may feel tempted to grab a bar of soap and use it on the stain. That's a mistake.
After applying the detergent, work it into the spot or stain and allow dwell time; then extract the spot or stain.
What is left behind is probably a tannin stain.
Next, apply a tannin stain remover (tannin stain removers are acid-based detergents, which work by dissolving the tannin for easier removal), work it into the stain, and allow to dwell for several minutes. Extract the spot and inspect.
If you still have a stain, it's time to use a color-safe bleach. When the going gets tough…
There are two schools of thought with removing the remaining coffee or tea stain.
Some profesional cleaners recommend using a reducing agent; another say an oxidizing agent is best.
Often, either one will work fine. The bleaching action of these products removes the discoloration.
Choosing a reducing agent is smart if you are in a hurry. Reducing agent action can be seen very quickly, while an oxidizing agent takes more time.