While most of us can handle a sudden coffee stain on our shirt at home, coffee stains while you are at work can be an entirely different story.
Coffee stains always seem to happen at the most inconvenient times, but an untimely coffee stain does not have to ruin your day at work.
We’ve done the research, and removing coffee stains from your clothes while at work is easy.
If you follow these steps, you will learn how to remove coffee stains from clothes at work and be back to your professional-looking self in plenty of time for your big meeting or presentation.
What You’ll Need
You will need a few simple items to remove coffee stains from your clothes at work.
- Water
- Paper towels
- Hand soap
- Stain removal pen
Now that you have everything you need continue reading below for step-by-step instructions on how to remove a coffee stain from your clothes while at work.
Later in the article is a video showing the exact steps discussed below and frequently asked questions about coffee stains on clothes while at work.
1. Blot the affected area with a dry paper towel
As soon as you realize you have spilled coffee on your clothes, grab a napkin or paper towel and begin blotting the affected area.
Please resist the urge to scrub at the stain; scrubbing will only help set the stain into your clothing, making it harder to work out later.
Instead, blot the affected area to remove any excess coffee that hasn’t been absorbed by the fabric yet.
Pro tip: If the stain has already soaked through your clothing, place a dry paper towel or napkin underneath the stain as well.
Doing this simple technique will double your absorption action, limiting the coffee from spreading and staining more of your clothing.
2. Blot the coffee stain with a fingertip and soap
Once you have removed all excess coffee from your clothing, dampen your finger or a fresh paper towel in soapy water.
You can make this soapy water in the bathroom using some cold water and hand soap.
Apply this soapy water to the coffee stain, blotting gently.
Again, it is important not to scrub.
Even with soap, scrubbing a coffee stain on your clothes at work will only aggravate the stain, making it more difficult to remove.
3. Blot the affected area with a dry paper towel
Once you have applied the soapy water, take another paper towel and pat the affected area dry.
Doing this will remove any excess water and soapy residue.
For large stains, use a portable stain remover product if you have one.
If you have them, you can also use a portable stain remover product to remove coffee stains from your clothes at work, especially if the stain is large.
Use them as directed, and you will be good to go until you can get home and remove the stain completely.
Pro tip: If you are prone to spilling on your clothes, you might want to invest in some portable stain remover products.
These products come in wipes and pens, making them easy to transport and store at work.
Keep them organized like an emergency kit in your desk or locker, so you will always have the stain-fighting power you need to remove coffee stains at work.
An excellent option is this Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover, 3 Count that I found on Amazon.
It’s easy to store in your desk or locker, plus it gets excellent reviews from over thirty thousand confirmed buyers.
4. Allow The clothing To Dry
Once you have blotted away all the excess water, allow the affected area to air dry.
Since you have already removed most of the water, this should not take more than a few minutes.
5. Wash your clothing when you arrive back home
Once you get home, it is essential that you treat the stain correctly to ensure that it has been completely removed.
Treat the stain like you usually would treat any other stain.
Use cold water, detergent, and stain remover product to completely eradicate the stain from your work clothes and prevent it from setting in.
The following video demonstrates how to remove coffee stains from your clothes while you are at work.
0:10—Dab the affected area with a dry cloth
0:14—Moisten the cloth with water and dab the affected area again, working from outside in.
0:20—Dab the affected area again with a dry cloth to remove all the water.
0:23—Treat with a travel stain pen if necessary.
0:26—If the stain is not entirely removed, cover it up with another article of clothing such as a decorative scarf.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I remove dried or old coffee stains at work?
Removing coffee stains from your clothes at work is easiest if you do so as soon as the coffee hits your clothes.
Removing a dried stain, though, is not impossible.
Once you realize that you have an old coffee stain on your clothes, rub some soap on the stain.
This process works best if the soap is detergent, but hand soap will do if you have nothing else.
Apply the soap first alone to allow the soap to break down the oils holding the stain to the fabric.
Then, run cold water over the stain.
Allow the water to soak through for a few minutes to begin lifting the stain off of your clothes.
Once the stain is properly wet, use your finger or a cotton swab to rub the stain gently.
Doing this will break up the oils and residue, removing the stain from your clothing.
If the stain is large or particularly dark, you may need to repeat this process a couple of times to remove the coffee stain from your clothing altogether.
Allow your clothing to dry completely before applying more soap to the affected area.
Check out our similar article dedicated to showing you how to remove coffee stains from paper.
What should I do if I spill coffee on my dry clean only clothes?
The only thing you can do with dry clean only clothes is blotting the stain.
Attempting to use soap and water can exacerbate the situation and potentially could ruin your clothing.
Unless you know what you are doing, don’t try to remove a coffee stain from dry clean only clothes at work beyond blotting it to remove the excess coffee.
Leave the stain removal to the dry-cleaning professionals.
