How to Clean Red Wine Stains

Spilled red wine results in an unsightly stain.

An accidental bump is enough to cause red wine to slosh from your glass and onto clothing or carpet. The resulting red wine stain is enough to ruin these surfaces if it's not properly removed. Time is of the essence to avoid absorption into surrounding fibers. By isolating the stain before it can go further, you're able to focus on cleaning the red wine stain out of the clothing or carpet fibers.

Things You'll Need

• 1 1/2 tsp. mild dishwashing detergent
• Bucket
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• Sponge
• Cleaning cloths
• Rubbing alcohol
• Enzyme stain remover
• Laundry detergent
• Oxygen bleach
• Table salt
• Vacuum

Instructions

Stained Clothing

1. Place 1/2 tsp. of mild dish-washing detergent in a bucket with 1 qt. of lukewarm water. Add 1 tbsp. of white vinegar and mix the ingredients together. Soak the wine-stained garment in the detergent and vinegar solution for 15 minutes before rinsing it with lukewarm water.

2. Dampen a cloth with rubbing alcohol. Blot the remaining red wine stain with the rubbing alcohol.

3. Mix enzyme stain remover in 1 qt. of warm water. Allow the garment to soak for half an hour to further remove the wine stain and grape pigments.

4. Launder your garment with laundry detergent and oxygen bleach to remove the last traces of the stain. Make sure the stain is completely removed before placing the garment in the dryer. If any wine stain remains, repeat these steps before laundering the garment again.

Stained Carpet

1. Pour table salt over the wine stain to absorb as much of the wine as possible. Leave the salt in place for 20 minutes before vacuuming it up.

2. Combine 1 tsp. dish-washing detergent and 1 cup of warm water to make a soapy solution. Dampen a clean cloth with the detergent solution and dab at the remaining wine stain. Begin by blotting the outer area and moving in toward the center.

3. Pour 1/3 cup of white vinegar and 2/3 cup of water into a bucket. Sponge the wine-stained area of the carpet with the diluted vinegar solution to lift more of the stain. Alternate blotting with the soapy solution and sponging with the vinegar solution until the stain is gone.

4. Rinse your carpet by blotting it with a damp cloth. Soak up moisture by applying pressure to the carpet with a dry cloth. Allow the carpet to air dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Pour club soda on a fresh wine stain on your clothing to help flush out the stain.

• Substitute baking soda or cornstarch for the table salt to absorb a fresh wine stain in carpeting.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Stain Solutions: Wine
• Good Housekeeping: Stain Buster: Wine, Red
• University of Missouri; Stain Removal for Washable Fabrics: Fruit and Beverage Stains; Sharon Stevens; June 2009
• Re-Nest; How to Clean Every Type of Carpet Stain; Rachel Wray; May 2010