Cleaning Stained Coffee Cups--the secret ingredient

It's been two weeks since I last blogged here. Do you ever just find yourself going about your daily life, doing normal daily things, and asking, "What's the point?" 

As in, there are kids starving all over the world. Here I am, writing about how to clean stuff with vinegar. 

I get this feeling often, and about all sorts of different things. I guess it's a good feeling? But instead of spurring me to action, it tends to just paralyze me.

I'm not going to try to answer the questions that feeling poses, though. (At least, not today.)

So about your coffee maker. Is it kind of dingy? Is the glass carafe permanently stained sepia? Yeah, it happens. I happen to know a really easy trick to make it look like new!

Cleaning Coffee Stains with Vinegar

1. Put a cup or two of vinegar into the reservoir of your coffee maker, and then fill it to its maximum capacity with water. Skip the coffee grounds this time. ;) Turn it on, and let this diluted vinegar run through its system.
2. After it's finished brewing, promptly turn the warming plate off. Lift the lid, being careful not to be scalded by the steam, and wipe off as much of the interior as you can reach with a damp rag. Remove the basket, and wipe it too. Wherever there was an oily, brown coffee residue will wipe clean, no scrubbing required!
3. Now, pour your steaming, hot vinegar solution out of the carafe and into any stained mugs you have laying around.
4. Don't burn yourself, and wipe out the inside and bottom of the glass carafe. It may be helpful to set the carafe on a pot holder or towel to make sure the glass doesn't shatter from being put onto a cold counter top. Let the carafe cool, then rinse.
5. Now, start dumping the vinegar out of your mugs, making sure to reserve some of the vinegar solution in another bowl or mug.
6. Dip your damp rag into the hot vinegar solution, and scrub your coffee stained mugs. These won't wipe out QUITE as easily as the carafe did, but a little scrubbing with hot vinegar should make them look almost as good as new!
7. Run a cycle of plain old water through your coffee maker to flush any vinegar residue, and you're good to go!

It works for tea stains, too. This may just be the easiest cleaning project ever. 

What have you been up to lately?

Shared at:



Nifty Thrifty Sunday // Keeping it Simple: Motivate Me Monday // The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop // Sumo's Sweet Stuff: Market Yourself Monday // Frugal Crafty Blog Hop // Creating My Way to Success: A-Round-Tuit // Serendipity and Spice: Manic Monday // The Dedicated House: Make It Pretty Monday // Ninth Street Notions: I Made It Monday // Bowl Full of Lemons: One Project at a Time // Someday Crafts: Whatever Goes Wednesday // Practically Functional : The Fun in Functional // The Frugal Girls: Chic and Crafty Party // Liz Marie: Clean It Link Party! //