Tea Staining Removal.

Brown discolouration or tea staining of stainless steel in coastal environments is a common problem, but luckily it is one that can be prevented.  If you have tea staining there are a few steps to take to bring your stainless steel hardware back to "as new" condition.

Wilson & Macindoe recommends following a regular cleaning program as described here.  But if you have tea staining just follow these simple steps:

 

Get a specialist cleaning product such as the 3M Stainless Steel cleaner and a non scratch cleaning sponge, both readily available from your supermarket.

Apply clean water with the cleaning sponge and rub gently.  If the mark won’t shift, it may be necessary to use a stainless steel cleaner, in which case apply the cleaner and rub gently.  An old toothbrush can be used to get into any nooks and crannies.

After cleaning it is important to rinse the stainless steel with clean fresh water and buff with a soft cloth.

Remember to always rub with the grain, NEVER across as you will spoil the finish and the stainless can lose its shine.

Also NEVER use steel wool to clean stainless steel.  It is usually made of carbon steel and the fragments left behind as well as scratching the surface will rust onto the stainless steel surface.  If you must use a scourer, use stainless steel wool or a Scotchbrite plastic scourer.  This will scratch the surface, but will not leave fragments behind to go rusty.  On polished stainless steel surfaces this will damage the surface and is not recommended.

If you have any questions or require any additional information please contact us.

Tea Staining Case Study:

These handles had been on a house in Whitford, Auckland for two years. While not directly on they were still well within 5 kilometres from the coast. They had not been cleaned in that time. They were returned to us as ‘rusty’ handles.
Rust and tea staining look very similar and can often be mistaken.

Using the instructions above we restored the handles to their original condition in a couple of minutes.

Comparison of tea stained and cleaned handle.