I Tried This “Miracle” $1 British Trick for Cleaning Stained Coffee Mugs, and They Look Brand-New (What a Game-Changer)

The first thing I look forward to in the morning, aside from (admittedly) checking my phone, is making myself a hot cup of coffee. The aroma of the roasted beans and sweetness of the coffee creamer just give the perfect signal of the official start of the day. But with all of that coffee drinking also comes the unfortunate staining of many of my favorite mugs. 

I’ve found plenty of tips and tricks on how to get coffee stains out of mugs, but I was especially intrigued when I stumbled upon this British trick — and I know the Brits love their tea, so I had confidence it would work!  

It all starts with a cute little blue bottle. Milton Sterilising Fluid is marketed as a sterilizing solution for baby items, like bottles and teething rings, but can also be used for general household cleaning. Although it’s made in the U.K., I was able to find a bottle on Amazon for around $20 for about 34 ounces. I quickly identified which mugs would be the first on the testing block, which was fairly easy — not only do I love a cup of coffee in the morning, but I also love to savor it and drink it slowly as I read the news or catch up on emails. This means that by the time I get to the bottom of my mug, I can already see several rings and coffee stains that have formed around the inside. 

Usually my dishwasher does a pretty good job of getting the stains out, but on some of the older mugs that have worn-down porcelain, the coffee stains are pretty prominent. With my favorite Anthropologie mug in hand, I poured in about 1/4 cap of the sterilizing fluid and filled the rest with cold water. The bottle recommends using about a cap full for every 4 liters of water, and the stains on this mug were really dark, so I wanted to make sure I had the highest chance of success. (With so little fluid needed, I know this bottle will last me a while — I probably used less than $1 of product!). 

I let the diluted Milton solution sit in the mug for about 15 minutes and then poured it out. I checked on the mug throughout the process and was surprised I could actively see the stains slowly but surely lifting from the porcelain. After I rinsed the mug out, to my amazement, it looked brand-new inside with no lingering or faint coffee stains whatsoever. I couldn’t believe it! The cleaning solution also has a really mild smell, which I liked since I’m not a big fan of harsher household cleaners like bleach or Clorox. 

Amazed at the results, I wanted to do a little research on what this miracle product is. Milton Sterilising Fluid has been around since 1916 and was even used as a disinfectant and to treat skin burns during World War I. The brand claims that it kills 99.9% of germs and is also effective at killing bacteria and viruses like rotavirus, MRSA, and the swine flu. It also has the same active ingredients that are used to make water drinkable! And because of this, I felt extra safe using it on drinkware.

All in all, I couldn’t recommend Milton more highly for getting out any tough stains, especially if you’re a coffee enthusiast like me! I can’t wait to find more uses for this life-changing new addition to my cleaning arsenal.

Buy: Milton Sterilising Fluid 1000ml, $20.15