How to Remove Red Wine Stains from Clothing
PREPARATION: Blot with a Clean Cloth
If the red wine stain is fresh, gently blot the stain with a cloth or paper towel. Do not rub! Rubbing the red wine stain will push the liquid further into the fabric, making it harder to remove. This step should be performed as soon as possible. Work from the outside of the stain inwards, to prevent the red wine stain from spreading. If you work from the inside outwards, you will spread the stain even wider and give yourself an even bigger stain spot to remove!
1. Use White Wine to Counter the Red Wine Stain
This is against normal logic, but white wine is a great counter to red wine stains! If you are at a party where both red wine and white wine are being served, you can use white wine to treat the red wine stain immediately. Gently blot the red wine stain with a cloth soaked in white wine. Again, do not rub the stain! Follow by dabbing the stained area with a clean cloth. Repeat as necessary. This is a great party trick that I have tried personally with great success. It defies intuition to use white wine to remove a red wine stain, but the chemicals somehow counter each other out to neutralize the stain. I always follow this step with a thorough wash as soon as I get back home.
2. Club Soda
Another handy stain-removal trick that can be used during a party is to blot the red wine stain with a cloth soaked in club soda. Club soda can usually be found at bars and restaurants, which makes it a convenient stain removal trick when you’re not at home. Again, follow by dabbing with a clean cloth. Repeat as necessary, and follow by laundering your clothes in cold water when you get home. This is a great stain removal strategy to use when you’re out because club soda is widely available, is quick, and is effective. The white wine and club soda tricks are my favorite strategies for removing red wine stains when I’m out at a restaurant or party.
3. Baking Soda
A useful stain-removal ingredient is baking soda. When applied to fresh stains, it soaks up the liquid from the clothing or fabric. If baking soda is not readily available, salt, flour, cornstarch, or talcum powder can also be used for the same effect. Apply a generous portion of the baking soda to the red wine stain and let it sit for 20 minutes to absorb as much of the wine as possible. Brush off the powder and check the stain. While the first two stain removal strategies were focused on quick solutions, this one is best done when a red wine spill occurs at home. This method can also be used for other types of liquid spills. For example, I have also successfully used it to remove oil stains from my clothing by following the same steps.
4. Vinegar Solution
Mix a solution of one part vinegar to two parts water and soak the stained part of the clothing in the solution for half an hour. Wash the clothing in cold water to continue the stain removal process. Check the red wine stain after it comes out of the washing machine, and if it is still visible, do not put it in the dryer! Once clothing goes through the dryer, it will be much more difficult to remove. This is true for any type of stain.
5. Boiling Water
Before trying this stain removal strategy, make sure your clothing can handle boiling water! It is best not to try this solution on delicate fabrics. Soak the stained part of your clothing in a bowl of boiling water and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Check to see if the red wine stain has lifted.
LAUNDER: Wash Clothing in Cold Water.
After performing the steps above, finish the red wine stain removal process by washing your clothing in cold water. After the wash cycle has completed, check the stained area to make sure the red wine stain is completely gone before putting it in the dryer. Once the stained clothing has been through the dry cycle, the stain will be much harder to remove! If the stain still exists after a wash cycle, remove it from the washing machine and try one of the other five red wine stain removal tricks listed above. As with all stains, the quicker it is treated, the easier it will be to remove. Good luck!
