How to remove coffee from a rug

Not all of us are morning people, and we firmly believe that you can’t be held responsible for the things that happen before caffeine in the morning. So if you happen to be having a clumsy day and knock your morning coffee fix onto your new rug, don’t panic as we have the perfect solution to stop it from ruining your day.

With rugs, stain removal is different for every liquid you spill, and coffee in particular is a unique case. Due to the granules which make up your morning joe, as you treat the stain it will appear to grow. This is because you’re adding more liquid to the solution, diluting it as you go but ultimately causing a bigger surface area. This means a different technique is needed for coffee spills.

Working Inwards

The best approach to take is to work on the outside of the stain first, and slowly inwards to the centre of the stain. This will reduce the amount the stain can grow, and prevent you from over-working areas of the rug and potentially causing damage to the fibres. With this in mind, begin by blotting the outside of the stain with a clean cloth and remove all the excess liquid.

Water, Water, Water

The main method for cleaning up a coffee stain is to dilute as much as possible; especially if you drink strong, thick coffee in the mornings. This means that you need to add as much water to the stain as you can, without losing the ability to soak up the liquid. It’s best to do this in stages, adding a small amount of cold water to the stain each time and then repeating the blotting process. This will prevent you from over saturating the rug, whether it’s a wool rug or any other material, and help stop the mess from spreading too far.

Stubborn Stains

If your coffee stain is still visible after you’ve blotted it with water, try instead with a solution of dishwashing detergent. Keep the solution relatively weak and put a drop of your washing up liquid into some warm water and again, repeat the blotting process with this new solution.

Or if you prefer, a white vinegar solution will also be effective in this stain removal. Again, make sure that the mixture is relatively weak (about a 2:1 ratio of water-vinegar). Once you’ve rinsed this area with clean, cold water after you should see that the stain is gone.

Coffee is a real tricky one to remove, and unfortunately is one of the more-unsightly stains you can have on a rug. As with any stain, it’s important to act fast and do the initial blotting of the main liquid whilst the stain is still wet and it’s not had much time to sink in yet. 

Disclaimer:  Although these tips are tried and tested, they may not remove every stain from every rug and carpet. If you are in any doubt then call up a professional carpet cleaner for advice. Rugs Direct takes no responsiibility for trying any of our ideas.