Banish tough stains from dirty dishes with one ingredient – not washing up liquid

A cleaning expert has revealed that one common household ingredient can help banish stubborn stains from dirty dishes. While most people reach for washing up liquid and water, the ‘Queen of Clean’, Lynsey Crombie, says the teabag from your morning brew can be just as effective.

“Rather than use washing up liquid to clean a dirty baking dish, fill it up with water and add a used teabag, leaving it to soak,” she told Yours magazine. “The ingredient, tannin, will lift all the stains.”

To use the hack, Lynsey recommends filling your dirty baking dish with water and leaving a used teabag to soak while you eat your meal. During this time, she says the tannins will help break down grease, grime and stuck-on food.

“Tea has been used for cleaning for centuries, thanks to the power of tannins,” she shared in a previous Instagram video demonstrating the trick. “TRUST me, this simple trick really works,” she added.

While used teabags may help lift baked-on residue from dishes however, they aren’t a replacement for washing-up liquid when you need to remove bacteria or thoroughly clean greasy cookware.

Sharing more cleaning tips with the publication, the This Morning star said mayonnaise can also come in handy if you’re struggling to remove rings from a wooden coffee table.

She claims: “The oil in mayonnaise is great on wood, so use it to remove rings on coffee tables.

“Lemons are brilliant too. I stick the remnants of used ones in the dishwater to give dishes a nice smell and sparkle. They’re also great for descaling.”

Away from furniture, the expert has also previously shared her advice for tackling stains such as ketchup, tea and coffee on clothing.

During a segment on This Morning, she revealed a simple hack that only requires two things.

“Don’t use hot water, everybody always goes straight to the hot water tap or soak it in hot water,” she said.

“Instead go for cold water,” she suggested, as hot water “sets the stain even more”.

She added: “It’s like cooking the stain, particularly cooking stains like grease. You’re cooking it further into the fabric so always go for your cold water.”

Demonstrating the method on the show, she told viewers: “So tea and coffee in particular, the way I would use it is I would dampen that [the clothing item] with cold water first of all and then just literally apply as much [washing up liquid] as you want.

“It’s one of the best things for that quick fix, so just rub it in with your fingers, pop that straight into the washing machine and that [the stain] will come out clean.”