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Cleaning Tea Glassware

by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 18:45

Writer, editor, irascible curmudgeon

Maybe it's because I drink too much tea, or that I drink black and oolong teas or that I wash dishes by hand, but a brown ring of tea stain developed near the top of my glass mug.

I tried washing it out ... I tried scrubbing it out ... ;->

But nothing worked. I had ring around the collar.

Well I was mortified.

This morning, I was scrubbing away at it when a thought suddenly struck me. When I regained consciousness, I reached under the sink and pulled out the polish for our glass stovetop. A quick rub and the stain was gone.

No more unsightly ring around the tea mug!

Anyone else have any cleaning tips, like brushes for glass infusers, etc.?

Doc

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by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 18:45

You might give this a try . . .

Soak your glassware in hot water with vinegar. I clean my china cups, teapots and stainless steal travel mug this way. Take a sponge or gentle abrasive sponge/brush scrub it out and rinse with hot water. Comes right out. Coffee makers suggest cleaning they're appliances this way, to get the stains out. It works for tea too. I can't stand using soap, (drives my husband batty!) but I always end up getting soap flavored tea afterword. YUCK!!!!

Let me know if it works for you. Good luck!

Natalie Rjedkin Lee

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by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 18:45

Writer, editor, irascible curmudgeon

I have found that i can use a natural bristle wooden handle toothbrush to clear the slits on the glass infusers.

It's still a bit of a chore, but I don't want to use the mesh. I like watching the tea swirl. It's my version of a lava lamp.

Doc

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by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 18:45

I use baking soda to clean tea and coffee stains out of cups, and everything else. it dissolves them easily. My hubby holds onto his cup and won't let me wash it til it is nasty, but baking soda takes it right out.

Also, I have found that tea or coffee which sits in the cup is more likely to create a ring. that might be useful info for someone. My daughters won't even reuse a cup for a second cup of coffee it seems like and those cups never get nasty, I assumed because of the wash with a rag each time through the dishwater created enough abrasion to remove the potential stain.

Kitty

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by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 18:46

I'm satisfied with the above options for home use, but I've been reading Dept. of Health Guidelines for operating a food-service establishment. Teapots might be one of the "impractical" articles that can be cleaned with boiling water only, but if not, they have to be cleaned in a "detergent solution" and "sanitized" with an appropriate agent like chlorine, ammonia, or iodine, like all other dishes. Any ideas about working with these regulations? Do some of these industrial cleaning agents leave less of a trace than others, or even counteract one other?

Evan Draper

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