How to wash red wine: 13 ways to remove stains from clothes

Red wine stains on white dressy clothes are not such a rare occurrence after events with a feast. Such traces are complex stains, and it can be very difficult to deal with them.
In order not to spoil the item, you need to act carefully, adhering to time-tested recipes and recommendations of experts.

Let's take a closer look at how to remove red wine stains from white clothes and fabrics.

First aid

Removing fresh wine stains from clothes is easier and faster. Do not rinse immediately with boiling water. This can lead to discoloration of pigments and their further penetration into the fibers. Traditional first aid is to apply table salt to the stain and let it soak for 15-20 minutes. The crystals actively absorb water and prevent the wine from soaking deeply.

Salt is the first assistant in the fight against wine stains. A few drops of vinegar or lemon juice on the stained area will neutralize the stain. White wine stains can be washed in cold water or rubbed with ice cubes.

Removing red wine from carpet and upholstery

The first method helps remove fresh dirt from the carpet: pour salt or baking soda onto the area with wine, wait until it dries completely, brush off the mixture and vacuum it.

The second method with a hot iron is used even by professional cleaners. Dilute 50 ml of vinegar in a glass of water and spray it onto the stain. Cover it on top with a cloth soaked in hot water and iron it until the dirt disappears.

How to remove a fresh stain at home?

The sooner you start cleaning, the better. It will be easier to remove, since the paints will not have time to penetrate into the fibers of the fabric and become fixed in them.

The procedure for treating fresh stains is as follows:

If it cannot be removed and washed immediately, you can use regular paper towels. Wet it with cold water and wipe away the drink stain. Wet stains can be easily removed with ordinary soapy water.
To enhance the effect, you can also apply regular table salt to the wine stain. This will absorb the water along with the coloring pigments. After absorption, the old layer of salt is shaken off and a new layer of salt is applied to the stain.
If there is vodka on the table, place it on cotton wool or a napkin and gently blot the red wine stain. Alcohol is great for neutralizing color pigments.

Did you know that wine can be considered both an aperitif and a digestif? Read our other articles to find out when and what wine to drink correctly!

General recommendations

Before you wash red wine from clothes, you should keep in mind that in this case you need to act as quickly as possible. High-quality alcohol with a natural composition quickly penetrates the fabric fibers, absorbing into them, which is why if unwanted traces are detected, immediately take measures to eliminate them. The more chemical components there are in the wine, the easier it will come away from the affected material.

Here are some tips for quickly cleaning up unwanted marks:

Immediately after placing the stain, remove excess liquid with a napkin. Give it as much wine as possible.
If you can’t immediately remove the stain, sprinkle it generously with salt and rub a little of it into the material. It will absorb the pigment of the wine, which will help make washing easier in the future. After 10-15 minutes, change the salt to new one.
Do not use hot water to fix the problem. High temperatures can only aggravate it, accelerating the absorption of wine.
Be sure to take into account the composition of the fabric being washed and the recommendations for washing it indicated on the label of the item, so as not to deform the material.

Compliance with the recommendations listed does not guarantee complete elimination of stains, but in any case, it will increase the effectiveness of the chosen method of how to wash wine.

How to remove old wine stains?

Fresh red wine stains are difficult to remove, but old stains are even more difficult to clean. In such cases, treatment with conventional stain removers will not help. However, there is a more radical way to remove old red wine stains - using a household cleaner.

Before use and beginning the cleaning process, wear gloves:

Wet the affected area of the cloth.
Fill the stain with Domestos and leave for 5 minutes to absorb.
Gently scrub the cloth with a toothbrush to remove any remaining cleaner.
Machine washable with detergent or gel.

You can quickly and easily remove wine stains at home

Wine stains on white cotton and linen clothes

In everyday life, things made of cotton and linen are often used. This is especially true for towels, napkins, and tablecloths, which get dirty after every feast. Cleaning them is difficult because it can leave streaks on the fabric.

To clean stains from such fabrics, most often take laundry soap and hydrogen peroxide, mix them and apply them to the required place. Keep until the stain is removed.

Some women recommend pouring ammonia, vinegar or citric acid onto the stained areas, just hold for a few minutes, then rinse with running water.

What not to do when removing a wine stain

To avoid making the problem worse, it is important to understand what not to do.

When washing, try to wash from the edges to the center. Otherwise, the stain will “hiss.”
Please note that strong detergents should not be used on wool and natural furs. Choose a gentle solution
When treating a stained area, you must ensure that there are no streaks left around the stain. To prevent this, you must first wet the area around the stain with clean water.

If you follow proper cleaning procedures, the results can be impressive. Don't rush to throw away your stained sweatshirt. No matter how difficult the stain is, there is always a way to get rid of it.

List of effective washing powders

How to remove red wine from clothes using washing powder? The list includes the most effective remedies for this problem:

Myth
Persil (Persil)
Ariel (Ariel)
Losk
Dosia (Dosya)

Novoseltsev’s method still works

How to remove using household chemicals?

If the stain does not dry out for a long time and an improvised solution is not possible, you can use a professional cleaning agent. When choosing a cleaning product, consider the following points

Composition: It is best if the cleaning product does not contain irritating components. Oxygen bleach, which does not contain chlorine, can be used to treat wine stains.
Use it. There are products for washing only white items, while others are designed for colored or black items. You can also buy an all-purpose stain remover.
Price. You can use inexpensive products to combat red wine stains. This may discourage you from purchasing expensive composites.
Release form. Liquid stain removers are suitable for all types of fabrics. It is better not to use the powder on delicate materials (wool, silk, leather, velor, suede).

Top 3 stain removers

An effective and inexpensive product for removing wine stains from textiles.

Vanish OxyAction Gold Gel detergent 0.45 l costs about 170 rubles. The composition of this product is suitable for both hand and machine washing. The liquid is applied to the stain, rubbed in and left for 10 minutes. Then add gel and rinse.
Sarma. Inexpensive powder, but effective in removing stains. Used for washing white and colored laundry. The price of the powder is about 70 rubles per 0.45 kg package. To remove stains, clothes must be soaked for two hours. The powder works best at temperatures above 30°C.
Boss Plus This is one of the most budget stain removers. The price is about 40 rubles per package. Use the composition for both hand washing and washing in a washing machine. Wash after soaking for 20 minutes in a powder solution (55 g per 10 liters of water).

All of the above stain removers can be purchased at DIY stores.

Top 10 folk recipes for getting rid of old marks

To remove a stain that has already dried, washing alone may not be enough. It will be necessary to bring in “heavy artillery” in the form of improvised means. Top 10 most effective folk recipes:

Ammonia .
First, you need to soak the fabric in cool water and soap it with laundry soap. After setting the item aside for 10 minutes, prepare the main cleaning solution. For every liter of water take 1 tbsp. l. ammonia. Clothes are soaked in it for 15 minutes, after which they are washed as usual.
Vinegar 9% . To get rid of stains, it is used in its pure form. Soak a cotton pad or sponge in vinegar and gently blot the contaminated area. After 20 minutes, the item should be washed as usual.
Lemon. It works in a similar way to vinegar. The breakdown of the dye occurs due to the influence of acids. Fresh fruit is cut into 2 halves and the required amount of juice is squeezed out. The stain is soaked in it, left for half an hour, after which the item is washed as usual.
Hydrogen peroxide . It is applied to a cotton pad, which is used to wipe the stain. If it is old, then the cotton wool is left on the fabric in the form of a compress for 10 minutes. Then the item needs to be washed. Hydrogen peroxide is used only for washing white fabrics. Black things under its influence may become paler.
A mixture of alcohol and glycerin . This method is suitable for removing wine stains from delicate fabrics such as wool or silk. For 3 parts vodka take 1 part glycerin. The mixture is applied to the stain and left for 10 minutes, after which the clothes are washed.
Soda. To prepare the gruel, it is diluted with water or vinegar. The mixture is applied to the stain and left until completely dry. Then the powder is brushed off and the product is washed.
Boiling. You can bleach a stain by boiling the fabric. However, not all materials can withstand such processing. This method is good for cleaning tablecloths or towels. Things will shrink after contact with boiling water. To enhance the effect, you can add any bleaching compound to the water, for example, soda or hydrogen peroxide.
Aspirin. This pharmaceutical preparation contains acid that helps get rid of stains. One tablet should be diluted in 100 ml of water and the stain should be treated with this mixture. After 15 minutes, the fabric is washed.
Mineral water . It is used to remove fresh stains. You need to take sparkling water. To enhance the effect, you can add a few tablespoons of lemon juice. A 15-minute soak is enough to completely remove the stain.
Dishwashing liquid . Apply it with a sponge to a stain previously moistened with water. After 30 minutes, rub the contaminated area with a soft-bristled brush and wash as usual.

There are many traditional methods for dealing with red wine stains. All the recipes given are working ones, so you can choose any of them.

Features of removing dirt from things of different colors

Depending on the color of the fabric on which the red wine has stuck, the method for removing it will vary. When choosing a detergent composition, you should always consider the color of the product.

White

The stains are especially noticeable on white fabrics, but can be easily removed since the product is resistant to contact with bleach. You can use any folk recipe or professional household chemicals. Stains are removed without a trace.

Colored

Colored fabrics are more prone to hair loss. For this reason, gentle treatment methods should be used.

Liquid stain remover.
Low concentration acidic solution (lemon juice, vinegar, ammonia).

Black

Stains on black fabrics are not noticeable but should be removed with care. Contact time with the cleaning solution should be kept to a minimum. Only mild home remedies such as glycerin, alcohol, lemon juice and dish soap can be used. It is best to soak all clothing to avoid discolored white marks after the procedure. The water should be cold.

The nuances of cleaning different types of fabrics

Depending on the type of fabric, the features for removing wine stains will differ. All of them are listed in the table:

Fabric type	The best stain removers	Notes
Cotton and linen	Powder and liquid stain removers, soda, vinegar, salt.	Boiling is possible, but not recommended.
Wool and silk	Only liquid stain removers, a mixture of alcohol and glycerin, soda slurry, mineral water.	Aggressive agents in the form of hydrogen peroxide or vinegar (in high concentrations) can damage the fabric.
Jeans	Baking soda, salt, dish soap, lemon juice.	Dyed jeans are prone to heavy shedding, so you should not boil them.
Synthetics	Alcohol, salt, soda, citric acid, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide.	The fabric does not tolerate boiling. The maximum washing temperature is 60 degrees.
Leather	Dishwashing liquid, alcohol, mineral water. Remove the stain with a sponge or soft cloth; do not use a brush.	Leather items cannot be washed; treatment should be limited to local cleaning.

How not to ruin fabric

You will find various recipes on the Internet that claim to help you remove wine stains from fabrics. However, not all of them can be applied in practice.

To avoid having to throw things away after such treatment, you should take into account the following tips:

Cleaning with manganese dioxide. If you try to remove a stain with this product, it will simply turn black. After this type of flushing, you will need to find a way to remove the manganese dioxide itself.
Rinse with sodium sulfite. This substance is an acid salt of sodium and sulfuric acid. When using this composition on fabrics, the fabric dissolves if the dosage is slightly exceeded. When this substance decomposes, it also produces toxic sulfur dioxide.
White wine. Some people are of the opinion that red wine can be made to disappear along with white wine. In fact, this method is completely ineffective. It will also create new stains on light-colored fabrics.

It is important to pay attention to the composition of the fabric that needs to be cleaned.

Delicate fabrics (silk, nylon, nylon)

Even fresh traces of wine from such delicate materials as silk, nylon and nylon are more difficult to remove than from cotton and linen. You can try to cope with getting rid of traces of wine spilled on the material in one of the following ways:

Removing fresh wine stains using an acetic acid solution. The concentration of acetic acid in the solution used to clean delicate fabrics should be slightly higher than for cotton and linen materials. The prepared solution is used to treat the stain several times to achieve maximum lightening.
Using a solution of liquid soap and alcohol . Having prepared a solution of a small amount of liquid soap and alcohol, they should treat the material with the wine stain, using a cotton swab or sponge for this purpose. After performing this treatment, it is necessary to rinse the product in clean water.

Unfortunately, none of the above methods guarantees that after their use, no traces of spilled wine will remain on silk, nylon or nylon fabric. After preliminary cleaning, the product will need to be washed using powder for delicate fabrics, which will either completely get rid of wine marks on it or make them as invisible as possible.

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Helpful information:

When you begin the process of removing wine stains, you need to take precautions, such as protecting your hands with gloves.
When removing a wine stain, work from the center of the stain outward.
Before attempting to remove a stain with a new cleaner, test it on a small area of fabric.
Drink wine only from wine glasses. This will make it less likely that you will spill it. For example, it’s not for nothing that a large number of different glasses for cocktails were invented. What would be convenient to drink!
If you are using an odorous substance, such as ammonia, make sure the area is well ventilated and place a mask over your mouth and nose.

With colored clothes

The main difficulty in getting rid of wine stains that have formed on colored clothes is due to the fact that for these purposes you cannot use products that can harm the coloring composition of the material itself, as a result of which the product will lose all its visual appeal. To remove wine stains from clothes or tablecloths made of colored fabrics, gentle methods are used, the most effective of which are as follows:

Using an egg-glycerin mixture. Having prepared a cleaning composition of egg yolk and glycerin mixed in equal proportions, it should be applied to the contaminated area using a cotton swab or sponge. After soaking for half an hour with the cleaning composition, the product must be washed in warm water.
You can also remove a wine stain from a colored fabric item using a weak solution of potassium permanganate by soaking the contaminated area of the fabric in it for 5-6 minutes. After completing the soaking procedure, the contaminated area of the material should be treated with a solution of hydrogen peroxide prepared in a ratio of 1 teaspoon of peroxide per glass of water.