How to remove wine stains from clothes, linens and carpet

Step by step: how to remove wine stains from clothes, linens and carpet

Safety first. Hydrogen peroxide and oxygen bleach can lighten some dyes, so test on an inside seam first. Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or vinegar, and rinse out one stain remover before trying another.

1. 1

   Blot, do not rub

   Press a white cloth or paper towel onto the spill to soak up as much wine as possible, turning to a clean section each time. Rubbing pushes the wine deeper into the fibers and spreads the stain wider.

2. 2

   Flush from the back with cold water

   Hold the stain face down under a cold tap, or pour cold water or club soda through the back of the fabric, so the wine is pushed out the way it came in. Keep going until the water runs mostly clear. Never use hot water at this stage.

3. 3

   Pretreat with liquid detergent

   Work a little liquid laundry detergent into both sides of the stain with your fingers or a soft toothbrush. Let it stand for 5 minutes, then rinse again with cold water. This is the core of Tide’s method, and a fresh stain often disappears here.

4. 4

   Treat what is left with peroxide and detergent

   Mix 3 parts 3% hydrogen peroxide with 1 part liquid detergent, test it on a hidden seam, then apply it to the stain. Leave it for 30 minutes to an hour, blotting now and then with a white cloth. You should see the purple fade to a pale pink or brown, then disappear.

5. 5

   Or soak in oxygen bleach

   For large stains on tablecloths and napkins, dissolve oxygen bleach in warm water at the dose on the tub and soak the item for 1 to 6 hours. This suits colorfast cottons and polyester blends better than spot-treating a wide area.

6. 6

   Wash on the warmest safe setting

   Wash as the care label directs, at the warmest temperature it allows, with your usual detergent. Mississippi State Extension suggests washing beverage stains with a bleach that is safe for the fabric, which means oxygen bleach for colors.

7. 7

   Check before drying

   Look at the spot in good light while it is still damp. If any color remains, repeat the peroxide step and wash again. Air dry until it is gone, because dryer heat can set what is left for good.

How to remove an old or dried wine stain

Rehydrate it, then use the peroxide and detergent mix or an enzyme or oxygen soak. A dried stain is harder but often still removable, especially if it has never been through a hot dryer.

Soak the item in cold water for 30 minutes to loosen the stain. Then apply the Tide mixture of three parts hydrogen peroxide to one part liquid detergent, blot, and leave it for up to an hour before rinsing and washing. For older beverage stains, Mississippi State University Extension suggests trying an enzyme product before laundering. Repeat rather than reaching for something harsher; several gentle rounds are safer for the fabric than one aggressive one.

Wine stains by fabric

Check the care label first; what works on a cotton tablecloth can damage silk or wool.

For dry clean only fabrics, New Mexico State University Extension advises using only a dry-cleaning agent or asking a dry cleaner for help.

Wine on a couch, mattress or rug

Blot, dilute with cold water, blot again, then use a spot remover made for wine. You cannot flush from the back, so the trick is to add small amounts of liquid and blot it out many times without soaking the cushion or pad underneath. Wall-to-wall carpet has its own routine in our guide to getting red wine out of carpet.

• Blot from the outside of the spill inward so you do not spread it.
• Mist with cold water, blot with a dry white towel, and repeat until no more color transfers.
• Apply a wine or carpet spot remover as the label says, test it in a closet first, then blot dry.
• For upholstery, check the cleaning code on the tag before using water. Rowe Furniture explains that W means water-based cleaners only, S means a water-free dry-cleaning solvent only, W/S allows either, and X means vacuum or brush only. On S or X fabric, blot and call an upholstery cleaner.
• On a mattress, use as little liquid as possible and let it dry fully before you make the bed. Our mattress stain guide has the full method, and the carpet stain guide covers wool rugs and set-in spots.

Salt, white wine and other wine stain myths

Most party tricks only dilute or absorb the wine; they do not remove the pigment. They are fine as a first aid, not as the fix.

• Salt or baking soda can soak up a fresh puddle on a tablecloth, but brush it off before treating, and do not grind it in.
• Pouring white wine on red wine just adds more liquid. Cold water does the same job without the sugar.
• Club soda is mostly water. It works because it flushes, not because of the bubbles.
• Hot water and ironing set wine stains. NMSU’s stain guide warns that heat sets stains, so do not press or machine dry until the stain is gone.

When chlorine bleach is safe on a wine stain

Only on white fabric whose care label allows chlorine bleach, so check the tag on white tablecloths and napkins first. For those, Clorox’s method is:

1. Blot the spill, then pour club soda on the stain and blot again.
2. Mix 1/4 cup of regular bleach into 3/4 cup of water. Never use bleach full strength.
3. Apply the mix to the stain right before the item goes in the machine, not hours ahead.
4. Wash with about 1/3 cup of bleach in the hottest water the care label allows.
5. Check before drying; Clorox says not to tumble dry until the stain is gone.

For colored fabric, Clorox recommends a bleach-free stain remover instead, applied directly to the stain before washing. Rinse out any peroxide, vinegar or other remover before the bleach goes on. For yellowing and other marks on whites, see our guide to stains on white clothes.

White wine, champagne and spills you cannot see

A white wine or champagne spill can seem to vanish as it dries and then turn up weeks later as a yellow or brown mark. The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute explains that with time or heat during cleaning, the residue oxidizes into a visible stain, the same process that turns a cut apple brown.

• Treat clear spills as if you could see them: flush with cold water and wash before the item goes into the dryer or storage.
• Do not iron or press a garment you spilled on until it has been washed, since heat can bring the hidden stain out.
• For dry clean only clothes, DLI’s care tips say to let your cleaner know a spill happened so they can treat it properly, even if nothing shows.

Wine on stone countertops, grout and wood

Wipe wine off hard surfaces right away. Polished wood finishes usually wipe clean, but porous stone and grout can soak up color. The Natural Stone Institute lists wine with coffee, tea and fruit as organic stains, which can leave a pinkish-brown mark on stone.

• For an organic stain on indoor stone, the institute suggests cleaning with 12% hydrogen peroxide (hair-bleaching strength, four times the 3% drugstore kind) and a few drops of ammonia. Wear gloves and test in a hidden spot first.
• For a stain that has soaked in, it suggests a poultice: an absorbent powder mixed with 12% hydrogen peroxide, spread over the stain, covered with plastic and left for 24 to 48 hours. Its poultice page has the method.
• Never mix ammonia and bleach. The institute warns the combination creates a toxic gas.

For everyday stone care, see our granite countertop guide; for stained tile lines, the grout cleaning guide.

Mistakes to avoid

• Scrubbing the stain hard with a napkin, which spreads it and roughens the fabric.
• Rinsing with hot water, which can set the color.
• Using chlorine bleach on colored fabric and leaving a pale patch.
• Putting the item in the dryer before checking that the stain is gone.
• Pouring hydrogen peroxide on silk, wool or an untested dark fabric.
• Assuming a white wine or champagne spill is gone because you cannot see it, then ironing or storing the item.
• Using full-strength bleach on a white tablecloth instead of diluting it first.