Removing Red Wine Stains From Clothes And Other Fabrics

by Taylor

If you like to drink red wine then a little knowledge about removing red wine stains from clothes and other washable fabrics is a must.

Obviously, no one ever means to splash, drip or spill wine but it happens more frequently than we would wish. When it does, being prepared and knowing what to do are very helpful so that you give the stain less time to set, because the older the stain the harder it is to remove.

Below I've gathered up several videos from around the web with tips and techniques for how to remove red wine stains. You will see a variety of techniques below, but just because the suggestions are different doesn't mean they are wrong. There are many ways to remove these types of stains.

The tips below are focused mainly on home remedies for stain removal, but I know that some people don't want to make their own stain remover. If that is you, you can also read wine stain remover reviews, many of which are formulated to work on washable fabric, to find one that will work well for you.

*** Update: Since first drafting this page I've discovered a homemade wine stain remover recipe which is now my go to suggestion (click the link to go to this article on the site). Yes, these methods below can still work, but this one is simple and is very effective, so of all of them it's the one I recommend. *** End Update

If you don't see a technique below that you know has worked for you, I would love to hear your tips too. You can share your tips for how to remove a red wine stain here, or read other tips which have already been submitted.

I hope these tips help you in removing red wine stains, so you can get back to enjoying that glass of wine with friends and family without worry.

Stain Removal Red Wine Tips For Clothing

The video below gives stain removal red wine tips for washable clothing.

The most important tip provided is to act as quickly as possible once you get a red wine stain.

To do this, first blot at the stain with a paper towel or clean white cloth to sop up as much red wine as possible.

The video also cautions it is best to keep the stain wet until you can begin treatment, because as the red wine stain dries it will be more likely to set, and therefore be harder to remove.

You can do this by rinsing the clothing under cool running water, or misting the stain with water from a spray bottle.

You can also apply salt to the stain, which will help keep the red wine stain from spreading further onto the clothing.

Once you are able to treat the wine stain you should presoak the clothing in a basin or tub filled with a solution of oxygen-based stain remover, such as OxiClean, and water.

After this presoak you next wash the clothing in the hottest water allowed by the fabric's label to remove the stain.

Photo by TheBusyBrain

Removing Red Wine Stains From Fabric

Below is a video giving tips for removing red wine stains from washable fabric.

The suggestions from the video below for removing stains on clothing and washable fabrics, like napkins and tablecloths, caused by red wine include:

• Treating the stain immediately with white wine and salt


• Then washing as quickly as possible, using a laundry stain remover and then either chlorine bleach or color safe bleach in the wash, along with detergent

A helpful hint is to make sure that you don't dry the fabric until you have confirmed the stain is completely removed, otherwise you will set the stain.



You can share your own stain removal clothes tip here, sharing your own tips for removing stains.

Photo by noellium, Flickr CC

Stain Removal Red Wine Tip - Use Milk Or White Wine

Here is a tip many people have shared with me -- use either milk or white wine as a red wine stain remover on washable fabric.

The video below demonstrates how to use either of these common household items to remove one of the toughest stains there is.

The key to using either milk or white wine is to let the stained portion of the clothing soak in the liquid for at least two hours.

If the stain is really old, the video suggests an even longer soaking.

Of course once the spot is removed you still need to launder the clothing as normal so you don't let the milk or white wine set in and cause a stain of its own (or start to smell bad!). (Here are instructions for removing milk stains if needed.)

I would love to hear if either of these home remedies has worked for you. You can share your own tip here, or experience with one of these ideas for removal.

In addition, you might be surprised to hear that there are lots of unusual uses of milk around your home. Click the link to find more that I've added to the site, or to share your own with me as well!

***Update: A SR101 Reader wrote in with this comment about the white wine technique, saying:

I use white wine pretty successfully for removing red wine stains, especially if I treat the stain quickly.

***End Update

Photo by delphaber.

Remove Red Wine Stains From Clothing And Carpet

Below is a video giving tips for how to remove red wine stains from clothing and carpet.

I like the suggestions more about red wine clothing stain removal than for carpet, but I would like to hear from you in the comments to see if the suggestions about carpet stains worked for you. (In addition, here are several more videos on what to do when you have a red wine spill on carpet).

First, in regard to clothing stains the video suggests blotting with either white wine, club soda or cold water while the red wine stain is still wet on the fabric.

Next, after blotting it suggests pouring salt onto the stain, and letting it sit for a couple of minutes.

The next step is to rinse with cold water, and then coat with liquid laundry detergent and let it sit for approximately ten minutes.

The video suggests using an enzyme based detergent, but I do not believe that is necessary because the stains caused by red wine are caused by tannins.

Enzyme detergents are useful in removing protein stains, but tannin stains are not made from protein.

Therefore, in my opinion just regular detergent will do.

Finally, if the stain is still present, also treat with a laundry pretreater before washing.

Something not mentioned in the video, but which is important, is to check after washing to make sure the stain is thoroughly removed.

If not, try washing again or using a new stain removal method, but definitely do not place it in the dryer or you will set the stain.

In addition, the video discusses removing red wine stains from the carpet.

Like I said below, I do not like this portion of the video as well.

The video suggests pouring club soda or water on the stained area of the carpet.

Pouring anything onto your carpet in large amounts is a big no no, because the liquid will quickly soak all the way through to the carpet backing.

That may move the stain further into the carpet, and also makes the carpet harder to dry which can lead to mold and mildew, or carpet backing deterioration.

Instead, I suggest just blotting at the stain.

Next, for stubborn stains the video suggests creating a paste of 3 parts borax or baking soda and one part water to use on the wine stained carpet.

Borax can be a good wine stain remover for clothing, so it most likely will be helpful for removing red wine out of carpet too. (There is a borax carpet stain remover too. See this article about how to use borax to clean carpet for more information.) However, I don't think baking soda would be as effective. Just because borax and baking soda look similar, since they are both white powders, doesn't mean they work in the same way for stain removal.

After creating the paste the video suggests applying it to the stained carpet with a toothbrush, letting it dry, and then vacuuming it up.

Here is the video for your review:

Photo by Smabs Sputzer

Red Wine Mess Out Of Brown Pants

by Darron

Question From Darron:

I am in need of your help. I have brown pants and red wine messed it up. Can you help me to remove same?

Taylor's Answer:

Red wine stains can be some of the most difficult to remove.

I am currently assuming that your pants are washable. If they are, have you tried the laundry product, Wine Away to try to get out the red wine stain? I highly recommend it, and is good not only for wine stains, but also for grape juice and coffee stains. There are lots of other commercially available wine stain removers you can use too, if you don't want to use this one.


If your pants are dry clean only, then you will need to decide if you want to try this product on them and risk ruining the pants through the laundering process.

If not, then I suggest taking your pants to a dry cleaner. Make sure you tell them exactly what the stain is, and how long it has been there so they have the best chance of being able to remove it.

In addition, here is an article about red wine stain removal which may give you some additional ideas.

Good luck!

I've answered this question as part of my stain removal help section of the site. You can ask me your own question, or see what else I've already answered.

Photo by jessicamelling

How To Remove A Wine Stain From Clothing

Below is a video explaining how to remove a wine stain from clothing, as long as you can wash it in the washing machine.

The video is geared toward removing red wine stains, and at least the main suggestions are very similar to my advice for red wine stain removal.

The steps suggest first soaking the clothing in cool water for approximately half an hour, then treating the stain with a laundry pretreater, and then washing the item, adding chlorine bleach if safe for the fabric.

However, what is really interesting about this video is one of the alternate suggestions for removing stains caused by red wine from washable fabric: to soak the stain in denatured alcohol, and then rinsing with white vinegar.

Denatured alcohol is sometimes used to remove berry stains, so it would make sense to also try it on red wine stains.

Denatured Alcohol {Referral Links}

The video suggests using the denatured alcohol on delicate fabrics, but I would definitely spot test this first in an inconspicuous area before using it on any delicate fabrics.

As you can see, there are lots of techniques and ways for removing red wine stains from clothing and other washable fabrics. In fact, this page has gotten so long I've started another one. You can read even more wine stain removal tips here, including several from other readers.

If you've got another method which has worked for you, I would love to hear about it. You can submit your own tip about how to remove a red wine stain here.

In addition, you can submit a wine stain remover review here, if you've used a commercially available product for removing these stains.

Photo by geishaboy500

Related Links On This Site

Stain Removal Tips & Tricks For Busy Moms

Go From Tips For Removing Red Wine Stains To Home Page

There are affiliate links on this page, and if you purchase a product through them I receive a small commission. Purchasing through my links costs you nothing extra, but helps support the free information provided on this site and my family. To learn more please see my product review disclosure statement.