Cleaning Coffee Mugs

Whose bright idea was it to make all insides of coffee mugs white? As a coffee expert, I’m all too familiar with coffee stains in general, but especially the ones that mar the insides of my favorite mugs, thus making them look embarrassingly dirty. “Thanks for coming over for dinner! Here’s coffee in a gross-looking mug!”

While these stains don’t come out with regular hand-washing or stints in the dishwasher, there are a few different things you can do lift them. Which one is best and easiest? I was determined to find out! So I tried five different methods and recorded my results. Here are my findings.

How I Tested the Methods for Cleaning Coffee Stains Inside Mugs
I rooted around in the cabinet and found my five favorite mugs, which, with near-constant use, also happened to be the most stained. I brewed a strong batch of coffee and poured about two ounces of liquid in the bottom of each one. Then, I let it all sit on the counter to soak in. Once the liquid had evaporated and the coffee oils had left a nice, tough layer on top of the already-lingering stains, it was time to get to work by cleaning each one using five popular and proven methods!

The ratings: I ranked each stain-removal approach from 1 to 5, with 5 being the easiest and/or most efficient and 1 being the hardest and/or least efficient. While each technique and tool managed to leave the mugs clean, some required more work either during or after the job was done. Along with the rating, you’ll find more detailed notes from my tests.  READ MORE...

Good For Cleaning

More and more people are tossing out the harsh chemicals from their daily cleaning routine and instead turning to natural products, such as baking soda and vinegar, to remove grime, disinfect surfaces and leave spaces shiny and clean, according to Reader's Digest. 

So why are these household items such effective cleaning agents? The answer is pretty basic — baking soda and vinegar lie on opposite ends of the pH scale.

"When you are cleaning using baking soda or vinegar, you are actually doing very complicated manipulations of molecules," said May Nyman, a professor in the department of chemistry at Oregon State University.

Baking soda is the common name for sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). Most people probably associate it with cooking, because it makes your cakes and breads big and puffy. 

Vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid (HC2H3O2), produced by bacteria during fermentation.  READ MORE