How to Remove Red Wine Stains from Dark Clothes

Stains from spilled red wine are unwelcome in any situation, but can be especially troublesome when dark clothing is involved. While some methods of removing wine stains involve bleaching agents, this is not an option for dark clothes. However, there are a few methods to try before writing off the garment as a lost cause.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ice
• Dish washing liquid
• Baking soda
• Running water

1. Put ice on the red wine stain as soon as possible. Allow the ice to melt into the stain. This will help minimize the setting of the stain into the fibers that make up the weave of the material, and increase the chances that hand washing will eliminate the red wine mark from the garment.

2. Dish washing liquid can also help to prevent the stain from setting. Coat both sides of the material with the dish soap for the best result. As with the ice, this can help prevent the red wine from setting up a permanent mark in the fibers of the material.

3. For some dark fabrics, baking soda can be helpful in soaking up the spilled wine from the material. As the baking soda absorbs the red wine, it prevents the liquid from settling into the fibers.

4. If nothing else is available and the garment is not dry clean only, place the stained section under running water and allow the water to run through the material. This action will help to move the red wine through the fibers and out of the weave of the garment. Many proponents of this approach recommend the use of cold water.

Tips & Warnings

• Always identify the type of fiber or fiber blends contained in the garment. This will make a difference in deciding which method to try first.
• If the garment is dry clean only, use a dry treatment to help minimize the stain and take the clothing to a dry cleaner as soon as possible.
• Avoid using any cleaning agent that could cause spotting or otherwise fade the color of the garment.
• Regardless of the cleaning agent employed, do not rub the red wine stain. The rubbing action will only cause the red wine to penetrate deeper into the material.