'Incredible' 10p hack to remove years of tea stains from mugs with absolutely no effort

Tea and coffee drinkers will be familiar with those stubborn stains often left in their mugs, which are caused by plant compounds - but a cleaning product could solve the issue

If you love tea and coffee, you will be familiar with those stubborn stains left in your favourite mugs after enjoying your drink.

The stains are caused by tannins, plant compounds found in foods and drinks like tea, coffee, chocolate, and wine. While these can be difficult to clean, a woman has explained an easy way to remove them with a method costing only 10p.

Jade Hampton explained her cleaning hack on the Mrs Hinch Army Cleaning Tips Facebook page. In her post, she shared before and after photos of her partner's work cup, which had 20 years' worth of tea stains.

Despite trying bleach, soda crystals, baking soda and white vinegar, nothing worked until she tried Astonish Clean and Revive powder. She said the results were "astounding" and outshined the effects of bleach despite the length of time the mug had been stained.

Jade wrote: "My Partner's work cup before and after. Had 20 years worth of tea stains (we live in a hard water area) and had tried bleach, soda crystals, baking soda and white vinegar to no avail. Just one tablespoon of Astonish Clean and Revive powder and it worked far better than bleach."

Howard Moss, CEO at Astonish, has previously told Express.co.uk about the power of the Clean and Revive powder, saying: "The specially tailored formula is made to banish ingrained stains with minimal effort. No scrubbing is required for an easy clean. Leaves no residue and no smell. Simply add a tablespoon and hot water and leave until cool."

Astonish Specialist Clean and Revive is specifically designed for "tea and coffee cups, teapots, flasks plus much more." It's crafted to "banish ingrained stains that dishwashers leave behind, restoring items to like new."

The product costs £4 on the Astonish website, but you can also buy it cheaper elsewhere. For example, Robert Dyas is selling it for £2.99 and Ocado also offers a similar price - £3 - which equates to 10p per 15g usage.

Previously, a shopper said they used denture tablets to clean their stained mugs. Posting on the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips page on Facebook, one woman asked: "Stubborn tea stains in mugs, help, please? Not just 'a little bit of elbow grease' because I've tried that plenty, it makes no difference. Any easier ways? Spill the secrets."

And commenters flocked to help her, with many suggesting she fill her mug with hot water and dissolve a denture tablet inside it, as this will help lift the stain and makes washing the mug far easier.

You can pick up a 30-pack of Steradent denture tablets for £1 from Tesco, meaning each tablet - which is all you need for one mug - costs you just 3p. The same deal is also available in Boots for their own-brand tablets.

One person said: "I use denture tablets and boiling water. Let it sit for a bit and then wash it as normal. Much safer than bleach and does the job perfectly. I prefer to buy the minty tablets as then I can smell if the tablet has lingered a bit and I need to wash the cup a bit more."

While another added: "Denture tablets dissolved in hot water. An old trick I learned from my Nan several years ago - cleans teaspoons too!"