Yes, tea staining is very common first stage of stainless steel rusting. This give you a early clue that your stainless steel should be passivated. This is the ideal time to treat your stainless steel.
While stainless steel rusts less than carbon steel alloys, if left untreated in a corrosive environment, stainless steel will rust.
Fortunately, treating tea stained stainless steel is a very simple process. We recommend using Citrisurf to passivate and remove the tea staining from your stainless steel.
