Coffee and tea are the go-to beverages for many households around the globe. Whether or not to clean your coffee cup is among the hotly contested topics in the niche.
From a sanitary standpoint, the logical approach is to clean the mug after each use. Surprisingly, there is a solid argument for cleaning your coffee mug after a long duration of use.
This article will highlight why you should clean a coffee cup, when necessary, and how often you should execute this procedure. After this, you can ensure your well-being as you sip your flavorful cup of joe and engage custom assignment writing service to manage your academic schedule.
Why Do Coffee Cups Get Stained?
Every avid coffee drinker has observed the buildup of stains in your coffee mugs. This is owing to a component known as tannin that is present in coffee and tea grounds.
Although tannin may seem displeasing to the eye, many have touted it to be beneficial for boosting the taste of your coffee. Also, tannin does not contain any bacteria thus is not harmful to your health.
Why Should You Wash Your Coffee Cup?
To wash your coffee mug or not to wash your coffee mug. That is the question. Although stains by themselves are not an issue, many factors may necessitate regular cleaning.
Some of these include:
- The use of cream and sugar- Using cream and sugar in your tea may often result in your tea going bad if the cup is not washed correctly. This is because milk and cream contain various microorganisms that result in the curdling of subsequent milk-based beverages.
- If you share your cup with many people, you should clean it after each use. This reduces the chances of transmitting germs that could trigger various conditions.
- When you have stored your coffee in your cup for a long duration, storing warm beverages in a cup creates a conducive environment for mold and bacteria to thrive. These compounds may prove lethal if consumed by a person with a compromised immune system.
How Often Should You Clean Your Teacup?
As stated in the previous section, various factors may necessitate different schedules for cleaning your coffee cup.
When carrying a milk-based beverage, ensure that you clean the cup after each use. This should be done with soap and a soft cloth to properly dislodge any milk particles. On the contrary, non-milk coffee variations do not have adverse effects on subsequent servings.
When dealing with unadulterated coffee, you can take up to a month before cleaning your coffee cup. The residual tanning cultures your brew is giving it a more robust, better appealing taste.
Some people also argue that bacteria in your coffee cups are not foreign thus may not cause any issues. To manage the accumulation of stains, you may opt to rinse your coffee cup daily.
How to Clean a Teacup
Cleaning a stained teacup is a reasonably straightforward process. However, soap and water may not be effective in eradicating your cup of hard stains. For this, you may require baking soda, vinegar, or lemon water solution.
Baking Soda
This is best when dealing with ceramic mugs. When stained, ceramic is harder to clean with soapy water and thus requires an abrasive agent to rid your cup of stains.
For this;
- Wet your coffee cup with some water
- Put three to five spoonsful of baking soda in the mug
- Cover the mug and shake it
- Add some warm water and rinse the mug
- Wash it with warm soapy water
- Rinse it using clean, running water
- Wipe the bottle and allow it to air dry. This ensures that mold does not build up in the bottle when it is in storage.
Note: It is best to avoid communal sponges as they may contain various bacteria that may contaminate your drinks.
Vinegar
Like baking soda, vinegar is a good cleaning agent to rid your mug of stains. When using vinegar to clean your cup;
- Fill the bottle 1/3 with vinegar and add 2/3 part with water
- Close the bottle and allow it to soak for ten minutes
- Dump the vinegar and rub the stained surfaces with an abrasive cloth
- Rinse and clean
You can also use bleach in place of vinegar. However, ensure that you properly rinse your mug to avoid poisoning.
Why are Coffee Cups Dirty After Dishwashing?
Although most parts of coffee mugs are dishwasher safe, dishwashing machines are ineffective when it comes to removing coffee stains. This may be due to the softness of the water and the ineffectiveness of soap to dissolve the stains.
As such, it would be best if you scrubbed each part with a vinegar solution before loading it to the dishwasher.
Final Verdict
Whether or not to wash your coffee mug narrows down to your personal preferences. However, the tips herein should guide you in selecting your washing schedule and reducing the risk of contamination. With that, you can seek the best paper writing services, sip on a tasteful cup of joe and smoothly manage your daily tasks.
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