Red Wine Stain

It's a fact: If you drink or serve red wine you will eventually have red wine stains to contend with.

Expect Spills and Stains

Red wine stains are a fact of life for those who enjoy red wine. They are not always the result of wild, raucous partygoers. Stains result from a glass that gets tipped over, a bump to an arm or a few drops that make their way down the stem of the glass, forming ring on the tablecloth. Knowing how to remove red wine stains is basic wine knowledge and as important as knowing the different wine varietals.

Treat Stains Immediately

Wine stains can usually be removed if they are attended to immediately. Avoid the temptation to set the stained tablecloth aside or to only partially remove a stain on a rug and then waiting until your guests leave to finish the stain removal process. The longer a stain sits, the more likely the stain is to become permanent. Get the stain out and then, in the case of garments, get them washed by hand, washing machine or dry cleaner.

Be Prepared For Stains

Get ready for stains before they happen. Build your arsenal of stain-fighting products and keep them easily accessible in your home or on the go. Many of the best products are highly-portable and will save your favorite shirt, blouse or dress if you have them tucked away ready for stain fighting. Small stains can be pretreated immediately when you are away from home with portable spot removers such as Shout Wipes or Tide Stain Removal Pen.

Fighting Red Wine Stains

The first steps for stain fighting are the same regardless of what method you decide to use:

• Blot immediately - Be sure to use a clean white cloth, paper towel or paper napkin to get as much of the stain out as possilbe. Colored or patterned towels and napkins can add their own stain.
• Continue blotting until the stain area is dry to the touch - Be careful not to scrub. This could cause the stain the further penetrate the fabric.

After you have dried the stain, you need to immediately apply something that will pull the remaining wine out of the fabric. There are many home remedies which involve products that you probably have in your kitchen and laundry area. A growing number of commercial products are now available designed specifically to pull the red wine stain out of any type fabric including carpets, without bleaching the color out of the surrounding area.

What Works

• Wine Away Red Wine Stain Remover is an excellent product to remove red wine stains from fabrics and carpets. It is made of natural fruit and vegetable extracts so it is safe for fabrics, children and pets. It works well on both fresh and set stains (perfect for that stain caused by the wayward wine glass you find under the buffet three days after the party!) It is tested and endorsed by the Good Housekeeping Institute and Food and Wine magazine and it is featured at many wine tasting rooms.
• Carbona Stain Devils #4 Fruit & Red Wine Spot Remover is one of Carbona's line of handy spot removers. It works particularly well on red wine as well as other tough stains from beer, liquor, fruit and fruit products. It works particularly well on machine and hand washable fabrics.

What May Work

• On clothes
  • For washable fabrics:
    • Commercial spot remover – Blot the stain dry and then dilute it by adding water with a wet cloth. Wait a day until the stain is very dry and then pretreat it with Shout Stain Remover. Hand or machine-wash in cold water. Air dry.
    • Soap and peroxide - Blot the stain dry. Then, soak the stain in a mixture of one teaspoon laundry or dishwashing liquid with one cup hydrogen peroxide. Soak a clean sponge in the soap/peroxide mixture. Put a dry towel behind the stained fabric and blot the stain with the sponge. Continue to pat gently, replacing the towel when it is no longer dry. Wash the fabric in cool water and air dry.
    • White wine dilution - Pour white wine on a red wine stain to dilute it. After blotting up the stain you may have to use a carpet cleaner or clothing stain remover to remove any final impressions of the stain.
  • For dry clean-only clothes - Blot the stain dry and then get the garment to the dry cleaner as soon as possible. Don't try to pretreat the garment first, since this might only cause damage to the fabric and make it more difficult for the dry cleaner to remove the stain.
• On carpets
  • Spot Shot Carpet Stain Remover by WD-40 is very effective on certain carpet fibers.
  • Oxi Clean Laundry Stain Remover and Oxi Clean Carpet Spot and Stain Remover both do an effective job on certain carpet fibers.
  • Baking soda and water paste - Use three parts baking soda for each part of water. Spreading the paste lightly over the red wine stain, keeps it from soaking into the carpet. Let the paste dry before vacuuming. If the stain remains, follow with a carpet stain remover.
  • Table salt - Pour a cup or two of table salt over the stain. Allow the salt to dry while it pulls the wine out of the carpet. It may take a day or two to dry. Vacuum up the wine-colored salt.
• On household surfaces
  • Wipe up any red wine as soon as it spills - Tile, stone, granite and other hard surfaces each require a different method for cleaning stains. Check the owner's information provided by the manufacturer or research online for detailed information.

What Not to Do

A quick Internet search or a phone call to Aunt Martha, will give you several ideas to remove that pesky red wine stain. Some of these ideas work, some may work, some won't work at all and some could cause additional damage. Here are a few of the ideas that don't seem to work well on every stain:

• Club soda – The carbonation may minimize the permanent staining, but it will only dilute the stain.
• Talcum powder – Pile talcum onto the stain to absorb the wine. It will pull some of the wine out of the fabric, however a stain remover will be needed to fully remove the stain.

Perfect for Gifts

Looking for a creative gift for your wine drinking friends? Consider tucking a small wine stain remover, like Wine Away, into the bag with your red wine selection. It's a fun gift add-on that will probably garner a lot of laughter. However, they will certainly think of you when they face that inevitable red wine stain.

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