First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Blot up the liquid with a clean white cloth or paper towel. Don't rub.
- Rinse the spot from the back with cool water as soon as you can.
- Keep the item out of the dryer, and away from an iron, until the stain is gone.
- Test any remover on a hidden seam first, and stop if color transfers.
Black coffee on a shirt is a tannin stain, and it sets more firmly the longer it sits in the fabric. Cream or milk adds fat and protein, so if there was dairy in the cup, the greasy part gets handled before the tannin does. Catching a spill while it's still wet makes a big difference, and a dryer's heat can make a dried mark impossible to remove.
Coffee on white shirt fabric is easiest to fix within the first wash, so don't let it sit in the hamper. Dish soap for coffee stains works best on a fresh spill, so rinse the spot with cool water first. Test any product on a seam before you use it, since a cleaner that's fine on cotton can dull a colored shirt.
8 items
What you'll need
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- Liquid laundry detergentPretreats the stain and does the main washing. (opens Amazon)
- Prewash stain remover (optional)A stronger pretreat for stubborn spots. (opens Amazon)
- Oxygen bleachLifts stains on colorfast fabric, including colors. (opens Amazon)
- White vinegarUsed in the short soak for a leftover shadow. (opens Amazon)
- Liquid dishwashing detergentA small amount goes in the vinegar soak. (opens Amazon)
- Chlorine bleachOnly for white cotton or linen, as the last step. (opens Amazon)
- White cloths or paper towelsBlot up liquid without adding color. (opens Amazon)
- Powder detergent (opens Amazon)
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5 steps
How to get coffee out of clothes
Step 1 of 5
Blot and rinse with cool water
Press the coffee up with a clean white cloth, and don't rub. Then rinse the stain from the back with cool water, so it pushes out of the fabric instead of deeper in.
Tip. Slide a white towel under the spot so the coffee doesn't spread through to the other side.
Step 2 of 5
Pretreat with detergent
Work liquid laundry detergent or a prewash stain remover into the stain with your fingertips, or use a paste of powder detergent and water. If the coffee had cream or milk in it, give this step extra time, since the grease has to lift first.
Tip. A detergent that contains enzymes also works well as a soak.
Step 3 of 515 minutes
Soak in a warm vinegar solution
If a shadow is still there, soak the item for 15 minutes in 1 quart warm water with 1/2 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Rinse it thoroughly with plain water afterward, so no vinegar is left in the fabric.
Careful. Use white vinegar only, since colored vinegar can leave its own stain.
Step 4 of 5
Wash, then check before drying
Wash with detergent, not soap, in the warmest water the care label allows. On colors, use oxygen bleach per the package directions instead of chlorine. Check the spot in good light before the item goes near the dryer.
Careful. Follow the package amount for oxygen bleach, since too much can leave yellow marks.
Step 5 of 55 to 6 minutes
Brighten white cotton or linen
On white cotton or linen whose label allows bleach, add 1/2 cup chlorine bleach diluted in 2 cups water, 5 to 6 minutes into the final wash. Do this only after the vinegar and every other product have been rinsed out. Skip this step for colors, silk, wool and spandex.
Tip. Set a timer so the bleach goes in at the right point in the cycle.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for coffee
A liquid laundry detergent or prewash stain remover covers most coffee stains. For colors, check the label to make sure the stain remover is safe for colorfast fabric, and keep chlorine bleach for white cotton or linen.
Utopia Kitchen White Flour Sack Towels
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on this fabric, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light before using any heat. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →Pick what it is on
Coffee on every material
Carpet & rugs1
Kitchen & bath9
Clothes & laundry5
Furniture & upholstery2
Shoes & accessories2
Bedding & linens2
Walls1
Leather & suede2
No match. Try the main search for anything else.
How to tell it's working
Each pass should lift a little more tan onto the cloth, and the stain should look lighter as you go. When the shirt is clean but a shadow remains, it isn't finished, so repeat the pretreatment rather than drying it. If the shade is unchanged after two full washes, the tannins have likely set, so head to the old-mark section.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your fabric
Whites and white shirts
White cotton and linen are the easiest fabrics to win back. Once the earlier steps are rinsed out, a diluted bleach can go in during the wash, about half a cup of bleach to two cups of water, added five or six minutes into the cycle.
Only use it if the care label allows bleach, and never on silk, wool or spandex. Rinse out any ammonia, vinegar or alcohol with plain water before the bleach goes in.
Colors and denim
Colored shirts and jeans can take the same steps, but leave chlorine bleach out. Use an all-fabric oxygen bleach instead, the gentler kind, and only on fabric you know to be colorfast.
Test first by dampening a hidden seam, pressing a white cloth to it, and checking for any color transfer. If the cloth picks up dye, skip the bleach and repeat the detergent wash alone.
Silk, wool and delicates
Silk and wool need the lightest touch. Rinse with cool water and blot, and keep chlorine bleach away from them completely, since it damages these fibers.
Skip enzyme products on these too, and don't scrub, because friction roughs up silk and felts wool. If cool water alone doesn't lift the mark, let a cleaner handle it instead of reaching for something harsher.
Dry-clean-only items
A dry-clean-only label rules out water-based steps, so dab up what you can with a white cloth and go no further. Get the piece to a cleaner soon, since fresh coffee is far easier for them to lift.
Let the cleaner know the coffee had dairy or sugar mixed in, because the fat from the dairy calls for its own approach. Leave home remedies out of it so they can choose the right treatment from the start.
Coffee with milk or cream
Coffee with cream or milk is a combination stain, since the dairy adds grease. Work liquid laundry detergent into that grease first, before anything else, and give it its full time.
Once the grease has lifted, the steps work the same way. Any shadow left behind is handled by the short vinegar soak.
Old, dried or set-in stains
An old or dried coffee stain needs a longer pretreat. Soak it in a laundry product that contains enzymes, then wash again, and repeat if the mark is fading.
For a stubborn spot, keep an enzyme-dampened pad on it for 30 minutes, warm and moist. On colorfast fabric, an oxygen bleach soak for 1 to 6 hours, per the package, is the next step, and on white cotton or linen the diluted chlorine bleach wash comes last.
Be realistic: a stain that has been through the dryer may never fully come out. If two rounds don't change it, stop before the fabric suffers, and take the item to a cleaner.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on coffee?
Liquid laundry detergent does most of the work on coffee, with a short vinegar soak for any shadow left behind. Baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, salt, club soda and rubbing alcohol help only in limited cases, and the steps don't need them.
Works3Helps5
Chemical safety
Never mix these
Some products in this guide react dangerously with each other. Use them one at a time and rinse with water in between.
Chlorine bleach + Vinegar
Vinegar is an acid, and acid mixed with bleach gives off toxic chlorine gas.
Chlorine bleach + Oxygen bleach (OxiClean)
Both makers advise against combining them: OxiClean says not to mix it with chlorine bleach, and Clorox says the two bleaches cancel each other out.
Chlorine bleach + Hydrogen peroxide (3%)
Washington State's health department says bleach reacts with hydrogen peroxide, and Clorox says not to mix bleach with other household chemicals.
Oxygen bleach (OxiClean) + Vinegar
OxiClean's maker says it should not be mixed with household chemicals other than detergent in the wash.
If they mix by accident: Stop and add nothing else; leave the area for fresh air, open windows and keep children and pets away; call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, or 911 if anyone has trouble breathing.
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't start with hot water
Hot water can set a fresh stain before you know what the fabric can take. Start with cool water, and save hot water for the wash after the detergent pretreat.
Don't use full-strength bleach
Undiluted bleach can weaken fabric so it tears or wears out sooner. Too much can also leave yellow marks, so always dilute it and stay within the amounts in the steps.
Don't rub the stain
Rubbing pushes coffee deeper into the fibers and roughens them. Blot with a clean white cloth, and work from the outer edge toward the center.
Don't skip the hidden-spot test
Pretest any remover on a hidden spot first. If color moves onto a white cloth or the fabric changes, stop and choose a gentler option.
Don't wait for the mark to dry
Coffee that dries into a fabric is much harder to lift than a fresh spill, and time works against you. Sponge it with cool water as soon as you can, before it has a chance to set.
Don't blot with a colored towel
Color can transfer from a dark cloth or napkin onto the stain. Blot with a clean, dry white cloth or white paper towels, and press rather than rub.
When to call a professional
Dry-clean-only pieces should go to a cleaner soon, with a note that the coffee had dairy or sugar mixed in, since the fat calls for its own approach. A stain that stays after a tested home attempt is also worth the trip, especially on a garment you can't replace.
Questions
Does coffee stain clothes, and will it come out?
Yes, and a fresh stain usually comes out with a cool rinse, a detergent pretreat and a wash. Coffee with cream or milk needs the grease treated first, and an old or dried stain is much harder.
Can I use white vinegar alone on a coffee stain?
Not really. It works best in the short warm soak with a little dishwashing liquid, which is the step to follow. Rinse it out completely before the wash.
Does baking soda work on coffee stains on clothes?
It's only a mild scrub on fabric, so test a hidden spot first if you try it. Detergent does the real work on clothes.
Does coffee stain jeans, and how do you get it out?
Yes. Follow the steps, but use oxygen bleach instead of chlorine, since denim is colored, and test a hidden seam first.
Can you get coffee out of a wedding dress?
Take it to a dry cleaner who handles wedding gowns as soon as you can, and say it's coffee. Don't put it in the dryer or iron it while the stain is still there.
Is it worth treating a coffee stain that's a few days old?
Often yes, but expect a longer job. Use the enzyme pad and a longer soak, and stop if two rounds don't change it.
Related
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.