# How come my dishwasher doesn't get tea stains off mugs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 2, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893 "2011-02-02T14:50:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Brian\_Wood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Brian\_Wood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian_Wood)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893/21 "2016-08-27T14:08:24Z")
Hi guys, I make my own Dishwasher detergent and can tell you the missing ingredient for getting Tea and Coffee stains off cups and dishes is a 1/3 of a scoop of oxy clean for whites. It has bleaching agents in it and removes all stains great and there’s no suds or after smells either. Do try it and let me know what you think. Don’t pre treat the cups just put them in and you’ll be amazed. I’ve got to sat though that I use the oxy clean with my homemade dishwasher powder. Best of luck, and let me know how you get on. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893/22 "2016-08-27T14:58:34Z")
Read the label on your dishwasher detergent package. Ones without chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) don’t do well with tea stains. Detergents with NaClO do better. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893/23 "2016-08-27T15:31:23Z")
I’m with the OP. I make sure to give my mugs a quick sponge before I put them in the dishwasher to break off the tea stains which is usually in the form of a ring. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893/24 "2016-08-27T16:53:28Z")
Another thought is to use better mugs. I drink coffee and my wife likes tea. I use any old cheapo mug and she uses some fairly expensive china ones that were a present. They come up clean in the dishwasher but if she has tea in one of my cheapo mugs - that stays brown. She does like fairly strong tea. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893/25 "2016-08-28T00:45:47Z")
This is why I stopped drinking tea regularly. I used to drink both coffee and tea, and my teeth were yellowing a bit. I noticed that tea stains a mug much worse than coffee, so I looked it up and the Internet does say that tea stains teeth worse than coffee. Now I mostly just drink coffee and a bit of herbal teas, chamomile and rooibos. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893/26 "2016-08-28T01:13:38Z")
Don’t most ‘complete’ dishwasher detergents have silicon beads (sand, actually) in them? These beads being shot at high pressure help to clean the gunk off the dirtiest dishes. Bob ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893/27 "2016-08-29T18:09:55Z")
I’ve found that table salt, a little bit of water, and a lot of scrubbing does a good job getting tea stains out of ceramic mugs. > [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Detergents with NaClO do better. NaCl… NaClO… I assumed that the stains came out because the salt is mildly abrasive, but is there some chemical reaction going on, too? ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893/28 "2016-08-31T02:09:12Z")
I can’t find anything with a quick google other than tannins having poor solubility, but I remember something about insoluble compounds precipitating out of tea - hence difficult to remove stains. I find that a good hand scrub with even a plastic scour pad gets rid of tea stains quickly. I have black mugs so I guess I haven’t noticed if my one year old dishwasher removes the stains or not. ---
**Author:** ![tallcoldone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@tallcoldone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tallcoldone)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893/29 "2016-08-31T16:08:49Z")
For stubborn stains, you can also try a cleaner that contains oxalic acid, like [https://www.barkeepersfriend.com/how-to-use/in-the-kitchen/](https://www.barkeepersfriend.com/how-to-use/in-the-kitchen/) – NAYY, YMMV It works well on scorched food stains in cookware and also removes spoon/knife marks from plates, mugs, etc. Pretty gentle abrasive so it shouldn’t damage the surface. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-dishwasher-doesnt-get-tea-stains-off-mugs/569893.md?page=1)