Red Wine Stains Giesen's Foolproof Guide to Removing Red Wine Stains
At some point or another it happens to the best of us—we spill a glass of red wine. While your first reaction to spilled wine is to take a moment of silence, remember that for the sake of stain removal, it’s best to act quickly.
Here are some of our favourite red wine stain removal tricks:
For carpet, rugs, and furniture:
Immediately blot as much of the wine as you can with a paper towel (careful not to rub it in) and rinse the area by pouring cold water on it (this keeps any remaining wine from setting). Then soak the water up. Next, thickly coat the entire stain with salt. Let the salt soak into the wet stain and then dry. As the salt dries, it should lift the stain. Once dry, simply vacuum away the evidence.
For clothes and drapes:
Again, immediately soak up as much wine as you can without rubbing. Cover the stain in white vinegar, which neutralises purple and red pigments—in a worst case scenario, you can use white wine instead of vinegar. Next, rub in liquid detergent and wash the item in hot water ASAP. Repeat if needed.
For white clothes and table linens:
Reserve this trick for white clothes, table linens, and other white fabrics without colour, as bleach will bleach your fabrics (imagine that!). Simply soak the fabric in bleach for about ten minutes and wash in hot water.
If you’re at a restaurant, festival, or away from your favourite household cleaning products, be sure to cover the stain with cold water immediately. This will give you some time before the stain sets.
So next time you’re with great friends and someone gets a little too animated and those flailing hands and waving arms lead to the inevitable glass knock, no need to stress – just move quickly!