A good book and a warm cup of coffee make for a cozy evening. That is until you spill your coffee on the pages of your beloved book!
Don’t despair, in this guide we’ll show you how to remove coffee stains from different types of paper.
Fresh coffee stains on paper can be treated using white vinegar and cotton balls. For older stains, you can use a diluted bleach solution.
After removing the stain you can use an iron on low heat to remove the wrinkles on your paper. Make sure to protect the paper by placing wax sheets underneath and on top of the paper when ironing.
We’ll cover the process step-by-step in this guide.
There may be affiliate links in this article. You can read more about this in my disclosure.
Are Coffee Stains on Paper Permanent?
Coffee stains don’t need to be permanent. If you act quickly it can be relatively easy to remove coffee stains from paper.
Older coffee stains can still be removed but will need a stronger cleaning solution. Unfortunately, especially large stains are unlikely to be salvageable.
Assess the damage first before deciding what course of action to take.
Why Remove Coffee Stains from Paper?
If you’ve spilt coffee on your favourite book or left a cup to rest on important business documents, it’s important to act fast. The longer a stain is left, the harder it will become to remove.
Are Some Types of Paper Easier to Clean than Others?
Yes, less-absorbent types of paper are easier to clean than absorbent ones. Absorbent types of paper, such as matte-coated, are harder to clean because liquids are absorbed so quickly.
This leads to darker, stronger staining. Less-absorbent papers include those with a glossy finish.
Can Coffee Stains from a Book’s Pages Be Removed?
You can remove small coffee stains and rings from the pages of your books. Although, if the whole volume is soaked, it will likely be impossible to save.
If you have spilt coffee on your book, act fast. Grab some paper towels and soak up the worst of the spill.
The quicker you act, the less time the coffee has to soak into the paper. Once you have moped up the excess liquid, follow our step-by-step guide for removing fresh coffee stains.
Things to Consider Before Removing Coffee Stains from Paper
Before we take you step-by-step through the cleaning process, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Make sure to use distilled white vinegar. Avoid coloured vinegar as it could stain the paper.
- Use a clean, waterproof surface when removing coffee stains from paper. Dirty surfaces can easily worsen the stain and damage the paper further.
- Always be gentle. Never rub or scrub the paper. This will likely cause the paper to tear. Instead, use careful dabbing movements when cleaning.
- Don’t let the paper get too hot. If you’re using an iron to flatten out wrinkled paper, use the lowest heat setting.
- Make sure to protect the paper with wax sheets. Wax paper is more resistant to heat but it will still melt if too much heat is applied.
- Make sure to regularly check the temperature of the paper as you iron.
What You’ll Need to Remove Coffee Stains on Paper
What you’ll need will depend on how fresh the coffee stain is.
For fresh stains you’ll need:
- paper towels
- ½ cup of water
- ½ cup of white vinegar
- 2 wax paper sheets
- an iron
For older stains you’ll need:
- paper towels
- ⅔ cup of water
- ⅓ cup of bleach
- 2 wax paper sheets
- an iron
How to Remove Fresh Coffee Stains?
Act fast! Mop up any excess coffee as soon as possible. This will prevent the paper from absorbing the paper and leaving a darker stain.
Darker stains will be more difficult to treat. Once you have removed the worst of the spill, you can use a white vinegar solution to treat the stain.
White vinegar is a great versatile, non-toxic cleaner. You should be able to find white vinegar at your local grocery store or online.
Instructions
- Fold a paper towel into a square and use it to dab at the stain to soak up excess liquid. Avoid rubbing the stain as this could tear the paper.
- Place a waterproof surface underneath the paper. If the paper is a page of a book, use a small surface that can be slotted underneath the page.
- Mix together ½ a cup of water with ½ a cup of white vinegar.
- Moisten a cotton ball or swab with the white vinegar solution.
- Test the moistened swab on a small inconspicuous area of your paper first. If the paper seems to be okay with the solution, continue to the next step.
- Dab the stain with the cotton ball or swab until the stain is lifted. When the ball or swab becomes visibly dirty, switch to a new cotton ball or swab.
- Use dry, clean paper towels to pat the area dry.
- Use a few new paper towels to place underneath and over the top of the area. Press the paper towels together very gently to remove any more liquid.
- Leave to dry.
- Place a sheet of wax paper on either side of the paper.
- Carefully iron the paper on the lowest heat setting. Check the paper as you iron it to ensure it does not get too hot.
Is There a Way to Remove Older Coffee Stains from Paper?
Yes, you can remove older coffee stains from paper. Older stains are much more difficult to remove as the coffee has had more time to penetrate the paper.
Bleach is more effective at removing older stains than white vinegar.
Instructions
- Place a waterproof surface underneath the paper. If the paper is a page of a book, use a small surface that can be slotted underneath the page.
- Mix together ⅓ cup of bleach with ⅔ cup of water.
- Moisten a cotton ball or swab.
- Test the solution on a small inconspicuous area of your paper first. If the paper seems to be okay with the bleach solution, continue to the next step.
- Gently dab the moistened ball or swab onto the stain until it is lifted.
- Use dry, clean paper towels to pat the area dry.
- Use a few new paper towels to place underneath and over the top of the area. Press the paper towels together very gently to remove any more liquid.
- Leave to dry.
- If the paper has any wrinkles you may wish to remove them. First, place a sheet of wax paper on either side of the paper.
- Carefully iron the paper on the lowest heat setting. Check the paper as you iron it to ensure it does not get too hot.
Can Wax Paper and an Iron Be Used to Remove a Coffee Stain from Paper?
When liquid is absorbed by a piece of paper and left to dry, wrinkles can often form. After you have removed the coffee stain, you can flatten out the wrinkles using wax paper and an iron.
First, place wax paper underneath and on-top of the wrinkled paper. Then set your iron to the lowest heat and very gently guide it across the wax paper.
Check the paper regularly to ensure it does not get too hot.
Which Method Is Most Suitable for Stubborn Set Coffee Stains?
For stubborn set coffee stains, it’s best to use a bleach solution. If you would rather not use bleach, you can try first try white vinegar.
White vinegar is non-toxic but also less effective than bleach on darker, older stains.
How Can I Avoid Damaging Paper When Cleaning?
Paper is delicate and easily torn. When cleaning with a bleach or white vinegar solution, always dab gently.
Never rub or agitate the paper as this will risk tears. If you choose to use an iron to remove wrinkles, make sure to use wax paper and the lowest heat setting.
Direct heat can burn, discolour and damage your paper.
How Do I Remove Tea Stains from Paper?
To remove tea stains from a piece of paper you can use the same methods as with coffee. Make sure to mop up the excess liquid from fresh spills quickly to avoid stubborn stains.
You can use the white vinegar method for fresh stains and a bleach solution for older stains.
That’s the end of our guide. Now you know how to safely remove fresh and stubborn coffee stains from paper.
Always test new cleaning solutions on an inconspicuous area before using them properly.
Farah Zeb is a mother of five, including two children with special needs. She shares practical parenting tips and resources to help other families navigate daily challenges and create supportive, nurturing environments.
