Red Wine Stain Removal Guide

Red wine stain removal is something you need to know about if you love to drink red wine, as many people do.

That is because, just like any drink, it is easy to spill, and when it does spill or drip it generally leaves a bright or dark red stain.

These stains set in quickly, and can be difficult to remove without the proper stain removers.

But you aren't going to stop drinking red wine anytime soon, are you?

So here's instructions for how to remove stains caused by red wine from washable fabric, upholstery and carpet so you can sit back and enjoy that glass of wine with friends without fear or anxiety.

Red Wine Stain Removal From Clothing And Fabric

Step 1: Soak the garment in cool water for approximately half an hour.

Hint: Some people suggest that soaking in white wine also works for this, or milk, but in my experience it's not necessary although it can work.

Additional hint: Some people also suggest sprinkling salt onto the stain, but there is mixed opinion about whether this does anything positive or not.

I tend to think this only helps soak up the stain, and since you are soaking I don't personally see the point.

However, you can try the salt if you think it will help -- it definitely shouldn't hurt anything.

Step 2: Pretreat the stain with a laundry stain remover.

Hint: I've found a great homemade red wine stain remover recipe that is really simple and works well for many types of fabrics (see the pic to the right). You can read more about it, and other suggested home remedies for wine stain removal here.

Step 3: Launder the clothing, using chlorine bleach if the fabric will allow it, or color safe bleach if not.

Hint: Make sure the stain is gone after washing, but before you place in the dryer or you may set the stain. Repeat if necessary.

Removing Red Wine Stains From Upholstery

Step 1: Blot up as much of the red wine as possible from the upholstery, being careful not to spread the stain further.

Step 2: Mix a solution of two cups cool water and one tablespoon dishwashing liquid.

Step 3: Using this solution, sponge the stain from the red wine with a clean white cloth.

Step 4: Next, blot at the stain until the liquid is absorbed.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3-4 until the stains are removed from the upholstery.

Step 6: Now that the stain is removed you should get plain cold water and a new white cloth and sponge the area to remove the cleaning solution, and then blot dry.

Hint: Be sure to get the upholstery only as wet as necessary to remove the stain.

In the alternative for removing stains caused by red wine from upholstery, instead of using the dishwashing solution, you can use dry cleaning solvent.

Further, I received this tip from a reader who used hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing soap to remove red wine stain from upholstery, which is actually one of my recommended home stain remover recipes for clothing too!

You can get more information on how to clean upholstery here.

How To Remove Red Wine Stains From Carpet

The instructions for red wine stain removal from carpet is the same as for upholstery.

In addition, you may find this collection of tips about removing a red wine spill on carpet helpful.

Recommended Red Wine Stain Removers

There are lots of stain removers out there that claim to work well on red wine stains. But which ones actually work as promised?

You can read wine stain remover reviews here, to see what has worked well for others, or share your own review to say what worked (or didn't) for you.

Submit Your Own Stain Removal Tip For Red Wine

Do you have your own red wine stain removal tip? If so, submit your tip here, or read others that have already been submitted.

In addition, this is one of the top Valentine's Day stains. You can check out the rest of them to make sure this romantic day stays enjoyable!

Get Even More Stain And Spot Removal Help Here

Are you a stain magnet like me? If so, check out the A to Z Stain Removal Guide which gives directions for how to remove over 100 types of stains from all kinds of surfaces.

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A-Z Guide: Instructions For Removing Over 100 Types Of Stains

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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.