How to Get Coffee Stains Out of a White Shirt

Co-authored by Susan Stocker and Amber Crain

Removing a coffee stain from your pristine white shirt might seem hopeless at first, but don't worry! There are a number of stain-busting techniques you can try out. We'll start by walking you through some options for treating fresh coffee stains, then move into a few suggestions for removing stubborn stains and older coffee stains.

Here are 9 effective tricks for getting coffee stains out of your white shirt.

1

Blot a small stain with white vinegar and dish soap.

Vinegar and dish soap make an easy DIY stain remover. Try mixing warm water with a few drops of dish soap and 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of white vinegar. Do not use any other kind of vinegar.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Susan Stocker
Green Cleaning Expert
Expert Interview. 8 November 2019.} Apply the solution to the stain and let it sit for 15 minutes before rinsing it out with cold water.^{[2]
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Jon Gholian
Cleaning Specialist
Expert Interview. 3 December 2020.} Hang it up to dry, if possible, and run it through a regular wash cycle as soon as you can.^{[3]
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- For a large stain, soak the shirt overnight in a solution of 3 parts vinegar to 1 part cold water.
- Alternatively wet a paper towel or clean cloth with white vinegar and dab at the stain gently. Keep blotting the stain with the paper towel until it lifts.

2

Spot treat a minor stain with club soda.

Club soda is a quick and easy way to treat minor stains. Saturate the stained material with the club soda. Then, gently blot the area with a paper towel until the stain lifts. If possible, hang the shirt up to air-dry and toss it into the wash as soon as you can.^{[4]
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- Repeat this as many times as you'd like.
- Club soda probably isn’t realistic if you’re dealing with a large coffee stain.

3

Dab at large, fresh spills with a paper towel.

The towel absorbs excess liquid and makes cleaning easier. If you just dribbled a little coffee on your shirt, you can probably skip this. It’s definitely beneficial if you’re dealing with a larger stain, though! Just grab a few clean paper towels and gently dab at the spill to soak up excess coffee on the shirt.^{[5]
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- You can also use a clean, dry cloth.^{[6]
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  Jon Gholian
  Cleaning Specialist
  Expert Interview. 3 December 2020.}
- Avoid applying pressure since that can drive the coffee into the fabric.
- If the first paper towel gets saturated, grab a fresh one to finish the job.

4

Rinse larger stains with cold water.

Act quickly so the coffee doesn’t have time to soak into the fabric. It might be easier to take your shirt off for this if you're dealing with a large stain. If you can't take off your shirt right now, no worries! Just do your best to flush the stained area with cold, running water for a few minutes.^{[7]
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- If you can't get the shirt under a faucet or take it off, hold a dry paper towel under the stain and dab the stained area with a wet cloth or sponge.
- Always use cold water for this! Hot water will permanently set the stain into the fabric.^{[8]
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5

Pretreat the spot with liquid laundry detergent.

Rub the detergent into the stain and let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Use a stain pretreatment product if you have that, but your usual liquid laundry detergent also works great. Cover the stain with the detergent and gently rub it into the fabric. This should loosen up the stain before you run it through a normal washing machine cycle.^{[9]
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- If you only have powdered laundry detergent, mix equal parts detergent and water to make a thick paste and cover the stain in that.^{[10]
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6

Machine-wash the shirt in cold water.

Avoid using hot water which could permanently set the stain. Adjust your washing machine's settings to use cold water and the cycle you’d normally use for your white shirt. Then, toss the shirt into the machine, add detergent as you normally would, and run the wash cycle.^{[11]
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- It’s fine to wash the shirt by itself or with a load of other white items.
- If you have oxygen bleach laundry detergent on hand, use that for more stain-fighting power.^{[12]
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7

Confirm the stain is gone before drying the shirt.

The heat from your dryer will permanently set a lingering stain. If the shirt looks totally clean and the stain is gone, toss the garment in your dryer and dry it as you normally would. If you aren’t sure or just want to play it safe, consider air-drying the shirt instead. That way, you won't accidentally set any lingering bit of stain permanently.^{[13]
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Expert Source

Jon Gholian
Cleaning Specialist
Expert Interview. 3 December 2020.}
- If the stain persists, try running it through another wash cycle using enzymatic laundry detergent.

8

Use an enzymatic presoak to get rid of old stains.

Mix the cleaner with warm water and soak the shirt for 30 minutes. Older coffee stains are more stubborn, but you can definitely get them out! Mix 1 quart (946 ml) of warm water with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of an enzymatic presoak product in a large basin or bucket. Then, immerse the shirt in the solution. After half an hour, lift the shirt to make sure the stain is gone. If it looks good, run the shirt through a normal wash cycle as you normally would.^{[14]
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- Enzymatic presoaks are commercial stain removers that you can buy at any grocery or big box store. These cleaners use enzymes in their formulas to help break down organic stains.
- If the stain is still there, try soaking it for another half an hour or give one of the other cleaning techniques a try.
- Don’t put the shirt in your dryer until the stain is completely gone.

9

Get rid of older stains with chlorine bleach.

Diluted bleach is safe to use on natural fabrics like cotton and linen. Mix 1/4 cup (60 ml) of chlorine bleach and 1 gallon (946 ml) of water in a large bucket or basin. Submerge the shirt in the solution and soak it for 5 minutes. Then, rinse the shirt with cold water and run it through a normal wash cycle.^{[15]
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- You can also launder the shirt with bleach. Add a cap full of bleach to the washing machine drum as it fills up with cold water, then add the shirt and run the cycle.
- Don’t put the shirt in your dryer until the stain is completely lifted.
- Avoid using bleach to treat coffee stains on spandex, wool, silk, mohair, or leather clothing. It’s best to take those fabrics to a dry cleaner.

Expert Q&A
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Question

Is there anything else I can try?

Susan Stocker
Green Cleaning Expert
Susan Stocker runs and owns Susan’s Green Cleaning, the #1 Green Cleaning Company in Seattle. She is well known in the region for outstanding customer service protocols — winning the 2017 Better Business Torch Award for Ethics & Integrity —and her energetic support of green cleaning practices.

Susan Stocker

Green Cleaning Expert

Expert Answer

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If you haven’t let the stain dry yet, pour regular table salt over it and let the salt soak it up as much as possible. When the salt is dry, wipe it off. Then put baking soda on it (Arm and Hammer is the best), let it soak up as much as possible, then scrub with a paste of baking soda and a bit of water. Next, put vinegar on it (white vinegar only!) until it is nice and saturated, let it soak for 4 minutes, blot it with a white paper towel, and then machine wash with cold water and bleach.
Question

What should I do if the stain is already dry?

Susan Stocker
Green Cleaning Expert
Susan Stocker runs and owns Susan’s Green Cleaning, the #1 Green Cleaning Company in Seattle. She is well known in the region for outstanding customer service protocols — winning the 2017 Better Business Torch Award for Ethics & Integrity —and her energetic support of green cleaning practices.

Susan Stocker

Green Cleaning Expert

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If the coffee stain has already dried, I recommend trying Puracy Stain Remover to get it out.
Question

Are coffee stains permanent?

Jon Gholian
Cleaning Specialist
Jon Gholian is a Cleaning Specialist and the Founder of Cleany, a home and office cleaning concierge service based in New York City, New Jersey & Miami. Cleany specializes in providing quality cleaning and handyman services to all their customers. All Cleany employees are insured, bonded, and professionally trained. Cleany has been featured in the New York Times, Bravo & Redfin.

Jon Gholian

Cleaning Specialist

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Coffee stains are a bummer, bur fortunately, they're not hard to remove. Gently rub the stain with a clean, dry cloth. Pre-soak the stain in a solution of warm water, a few drops of dish soap, and 1 tbsp white vinegar for 15 minutes. Then, rinse the shirt and hang it up to dry.