Around the House : Remove Coffee Stains From a Rug

You've got a beautiful piece of carpet or rug and your mother spilt her coffee all over it, is there a way to get the stain out?

Leftover water from boiling some spinach is the key. Dip an old toothbrush in the spinach water and scrub the stain. A towel should be sufficient for absorbing the excess water and coffee as it lifts off your carpet. Repeat these steps several times and the coffee stain should be nothing more than a memory.

Conventional cleaners don't work as well on coffee because it has tannins and polyphenols in it. These acids require a neutralizing agent like oxalic acid, found in spinach, to remove them. WARNING: The spinach water may have an adverse effect on white carpets. Chlorophyll in the water may leave your carpet with a green stain instead.