How to clean tea-stained mugs? And mildew off rubber seal of washing machine?

[thereistheball]

I'm in a rented flat that is very lovely but has a couple of things I'd like to sort out before I can feel properly comfortable in it.

The first is the mugs - they have those horrid tea stains all over the inside, so they never look clean. It is OK to bleach them? I don't have a dishwasher to rinse them in afterwards, so would be worried about my tea tasting of bleach afterwards. I think Lakeland do a kind of rubber for these stains but I'm not going to get there for a while, or do an order.

Also, the washing machine is a French-style top-loading one with a very mildewed rubber seal all round the drum. I had a quick go at bleaching this and was mildly successful, but don't want to damage the rubber. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Tea stains - try rubbing ordinary table salt into the stains with a damp cloth.

i use wire wool for tea stained mugs

Before I had a dishwasher I used to use bleach in tea mugs and teapot. It should rinse off fine. (just normal bleach, not the thick domestos type).

I think my mum told me to use cream of tartar or bicarb to remove the tea stains if you understandably don't want to use bleach ...

I know Lakeland usually has a range of relatively eco friendly thins to remove mildew ... perhaps they could recommend a cleaner for your washing machine

Miltons is very good for cleaning tea-stained mugs, but if you've got a metallic glaze on the rim, don't fill to the top.

The mildew stains are trickier. There are all sorts of washing machine cleaners around, but TBH I don't find them terribly good. You could try running the hottest cycle your machine will allow, with no laundry, but with white vinegar (distilled malt, not white wine) in all the soap/conditioner dispensers. Immediately after the cycle wipe everything down that you can reach while the machine is still wet and warm. An old toothbrush will be useful!

Miltons shouldn't damage the rubber seal, especially as you'll rinse it off immediately, but I don't think it will remove the mildew, just bleach it. Toothpaste and salt are both quite good cleaners - use a toothbrush for both.

Mugs - I use sterilising tablet, but denture cleaning tablets work really well too.

Washing machine - Dettol mould and mildew remover spray is the tops for that sort of thing

agree on milton or cif brings marks straight off cups

Wow, fantastic. Thanks! Now I just have to get on and do it, which is a whole other problem

If they're not your mugs I wouldn't even think of drinking from them until they were bleached, especially if you can't use a dishwasher. Salt will work for the stains, but bleach will kill off anything lurking in the little cracks you can't see. Why not get new mugs???

TBH I'd pay a £1 for a new mug- using other people's mugs seems a bit gross.

I bleach using diluted Domestos, or bicarb of soda.

soaking with some salt has always worked for me. Are you able to buy some pretty cups to help make it seem more homely?

I get rid of tea stains with a good scrub. Bleach only bleaches them, it doesn't get rid.

sterilising fluid does the trick

I did bleach the mugs and it worked brilliantly. Am much happier about them now.

I would have bought new ones and stored these for the owners but we have moved from a 3 bed house in the UK to a 1 bed flat abroad, so storage is an issue. Already have our stuff stashed in the UK, don't want to have to have a parallel storage unit here, and yet more stuff of our own to move next time!

Now I just need to tackle the mildew again. No Dettol here, will have to use diluted Domestos. And will follow with a hot wash, though the mildew is outside the tub so not sure how much that will help.

Thanks!

Put some bleach on an old toothbrush, or make a paste with ajax (or other scouring powder that has added bleach) and water and coat the mildew for a while, then scrub.

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