You were terrified to serve red wine at your dinner party, and then the worst happens: Someone ends up gesturing too wildly or clinking glasses too forcefully, and now there’s a scarlet stain on your upholstery and your new dress. What to do? There are a couple of things you could do when you realize your red wine is everywhere except in your glass. First, of course, is to panic. Don’t panic! Even if red wine is all over your favorite shirt, it can be saved! There’s a right way and a wrong way to tackle red wine spills. Get it wrong and you’ll be stuck with the stain forever. Have no fear, red wine stains are not as difficult to remove as you might think, especially if you act quickly. Here are some of our favorite red wine stain removal tricks:
THE SALT TRICK (ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR CARPETS AND RUGS)
As soon as you stain your carpet with red wine, blot as much of it as you can with a paper towel, and then cover the entire stain with salt until you can’t see the red wine stain anymore. Let the salt soak into the wet stain and then dry. As the salt dries, it should suck up the stain. Then, simply vacuum everything up.
MIX CLUB SODA AND WHITE VINEGAR
Water and white vinegar is a mixture that’s been around forever. But the minerals added to club soda bay help absorb and break up the red wine molecules, making it easier to blot up.
SPARKLING WATER
Pour sparkling or soda water liberally over stain. Gently blot up with white paper towels. Repeat as necessary.
WHITE WINE
You could also try applying white wine to the stain, which will help neutralize it. Just gently dab the stain to remove the excess liquid.
A MIXTURE OF DAWN AND HYDROGEN PEROXIDE (GREAT FOR CLOTHES)
Mix together equal parts Dawn dishwashing detergent and hydrogen peroxide. Pour the mixture over the wine stain and allow it to soak in. You should see the stain begin to fade almost immediately. After you have allowed the mixture to soak into the stain, launder the clothing normally. This trick works best on light colored clothes, as hydrogen peroxide has a tendency to bleach.
WHITE VINEGAR AND LAUNDRY DETERGENT (ANOTHER GREAT TRICK FOR CLOTHES)
Cover the stain in white vinegar, which neutralizes purple and red pigments. Immediately after applying the vinegar, rub in liquid detergent, then launder in hot water. The stain should lift.
Red wine stains don’t have to be the end of the world but some of them can be really stubborn and just won’t go away! The professionals at Good Cleaners are trained for these kinds of emergencies. Book a Cleaner and get a good night sleep knowing that the stains are removed thoroughly.
