Often, after festive events or friendly gatherings, situations arise when it is necessary to remove a wine stain that has formed on a tablecloth or clothing. Those who have already found themselves in a similar situation know very well how difficult such a task is. This is explained by the fact that wine contains natural coloring pigments that penetrate deeply into the fabric structure and change its color not at the surface level, but at the fiber level. Even commonly available products available in almost every home can effectively remove wine stains; the main thing is to know how to use them correctly in such situations.
Removing stains from natural fabrics (cotton, linen)
Regardless of what type of material the wine was spilled on, it is much easier to get rid of the resulting stain if it is fresh. In cases where a wine stain is discovered immediately after it occurs, two main methods are used to remove it from cotton and linen materials:
- Treat the area of contamination with a solution of acetic or citric acid. The essence of this method is that the wine stain on the material, previously dried with a napkin, is washed with a weak solution of acetic or citric acid. You can repeat this procedure several times until the stain completely disappears or turns pink to the lightest possible shade. If you don’t have acetic or citric acid on hand, you can treat fresh wine stains with a slice of lemon, then rinse the stained area with water.
- Removing fresh wine stains with table salt. To use this simple but effective method of urgently getting rid of fresh wine stains, you need to make a paste from fine table salt, moisten it with water, and then apply the resulting mass to the stained area and leave it there for a while (up to 30 minutes). Once the salt has absorbed the wine from the material and dried, it can be removed with a clean cloth.
After urgently removing wine stains from the material using one of the proposed methods, traces of a spilled drink may still remain on it, which should not upset you. To completely remove remaining traces of dirt, items of clothing or tablecloths made from cotton and linen materials need only be washed in the usual manner.
How to Remove Red Wine Stains from Any Surface
A glass of excellent Merlot is one of the greatest pleasures available to us. Of course, unless it ends up on your clothes or carpet. But here we have a solution.
Why does red wine stain so easily?
One glass of red wine is approximately 25 grams of coloring matter. This is what makes stain removal so difficult. The color of wine comes from substances found in grapes called chromogens. These substances are similar to molecules used in dyes. Red wine also contains tannins, which are used to make ink.
Basic rules for removing red wine stains.
Whether you spill a glass of Cabernet or Merlot, follow these three basic rules:
- Act quickly. Once wine has spilled onto your carpet or sofa, you must immediately prevent it from spreading further.
- Don't rub. Rubbing and rubbing the stain can only embed it deeper into the damaged surface.
- Take a salt shaker. Not only salt, but also baking soda or baby powder (anything powdered) can quickly stop the stain from spreading. Apply a generous layer of salt/baking soda to the stain and leave for a couple of minutes.
How to remove wine stains from clothes.
Rinse the stained area, then apply stain remover and wash as usual. This is the safest way to get rid of a stain without ruining the item.
If there is no stain remover, use slightly acidified water (lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid will do). Ammonia is also suitable (a teaspoon of ammonia per liter of water).
How to Remove Wine Stains from Carpets and Rugs.
After treating a stain with salt or baking soda, you have a couple of ways to remove the stain.
Plan A: If you have vodka on hand, pour a small amount of it onto the stain and blot the outside with a paper towel or rag.
Plan B: Hydrogen peroxide and steam iron. This method is good not only for removing wine stains, but also urine stains (if you have pets), and on all types of carpeting.
Spray the hydrogen peroxide generously onto the stain (it's best to use a spray nozzle attached to the peroxide bottle) and cover the area with a damp, light-colored towel. Set the iron to a low setting and iron the towel for 10-15 seconds. Lift it up and take a look: the stain from the carpet should begin to transfer to the towel. Continue ironing until the stain on the carpet fades. After this, spray peroxide on it again and cover with a dry towel. Place something heavy on top (you can use a cast iron frying pan) and leave to dry.
How to remove wine stains from tablecloths, curtains and denim.
The “boiling water” method works here and is also suitable for removing berry and juice stains. This method is good for removing stains from thick fabrics.
Take a large bowl or basin and stretch the cloth with the stain over it. You can secure the fabric with paper clips, rope or rubber bands. Place this container in the sink/tub and carefully pour boiling water over the stain from a distance of about half a meter. After this, wash the item in the hottest water and detergent allowed.
How to remove wine stains from upholstery.
If you spilled wine on a mattress, sofa or chair, start again with salt. Leave it for a couple of minutes and remove it (you can vacuum it). Next, mix a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid with two cups of cool water and apply the mixture to the stain using a sponge. Pat with a paper towel or cloth to absorb the liquid, then pat dry with cold water and dry again.
If the stain is old and has already soaked in, use 3 parts hydrogen peroxide and one part dish soap. Apply the mixture to the stain and leave for 20 minutes to an hour. After this, clean the mixture using a damp, clean cloth.
Removing wine stains from wooden surfaces.
Got a wine stain on your wooden furniture? Dampen it with water, sprinkle salt and use half a lemon to rub the stained surface. Rinse everything off with water and dry. This method will also help deal with greasy stains.
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.
Carpets and upholstery fabrics
A wine stain on carpet or upholstery is an even bigger problem that can't be solved with just one cleaning. Such products are difficult to clean because spilled drinks are absorbed and retained not only by their dense base, but also by the numerous fibers covering their surface. That is why, in order to remove a wine stain from a sofa, upholstery or carpet, a two-stage cleaning is necessary, performed in the following sequence:
- A paste prepared from fine table salt moistened with water is applied to the area contaminated with wine and thoroughly rubbed into it. After waiting for some time and the salt partially drying, it is removed from the surface of the fabric using a vacuum cleaner.
- The area to be cleaned is treated with a mixture prepared on the basis of liquid soap or dishwashing detergent. The second ingredient of such a mixture can be either vinegar or hydrogen peroxide; here you can choose the most effective composition in each specific case. To prepare such a mixture, both of its components are mixed in equal proportions, but it should be borne in mind that 3 percent peroxide can be used, and vinegar should only be table vinegar, not essence. The prepared mixture is applied to the contaminated area using a cotton swab or sponge and thoroughly rubbed into it, then wait a while and repeat the procedure, but using plain water.
Before you start using one of the cleaning products described above, you should test it on an inconspicuous area of the carpet or upholstery. If, when testing the product, the fabric has not changed its original color, then you can safely use it without fear of deterioration in the appearance of the product after cleaning it.
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.
Methods for cleaning linen and cotton fabrics
Express methods for removing wine stains from clothing may not work if used on printed fabrics, poplin, linen and cotton fabrics. To remove red wine stains from clothes made from such fabrics, you can try the following methods:
- Take one egg yolk and 40 ml of glycerin. Mix these two components until a single mass is obtained, which we then apply to the area of contamination. All you have to do is wait 2 hours and then wash your clothes in warm water. While the mixture of yolk and glycerin is on the fabric, you need to carefully monitor the color of the clothing. If the paints begin to fade, you should immediately wash off the glycerin.
- Wine stains from white linen and cotton clothes can be removed using hot acidified water. You can use vinegar or lemon juice to acidify. We stretch the clothes on an enamel bowl and begin to pour acidified water until the wine stains disappear.
To remove a red wine stain from white clothes, if you don’t have any stain removers on hand, you can use food products that are most often found in every home: milk or kefir. This method of cleaning wine stains cannot be called quick. You need to soak soiled white clothes overnight in milk or kefir, and wash them in the morning. Don't worry, these products won't damage the fabric.
The washing machine does not take in water: first steps
From white material
To remove wine stains from white fabric items that require a particularly careful approach, since any dirt on them is especially noticeable, you can use one of the following methods:
- The area of contamination is generously moistened with water and covered with sodium hydrosulfide. After 10 minutes of exposure to such a cleaning agent, the fabric is rinsed under running water.
- You can also try to remove a wine stain from the surface of a white fabric item using an aqueous solution of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. After treating a contaminated area of fabric with this solution, wait a while and then rinse it with water.
- A solution consisting of glycerin and alcohol mixed in equal proportions will help get rid of a wine stain on white silk fabric. The cloth soaked in this solution should lie for about two hours, after which it must be rinsed under running water.
... and boiling water
This method is only suitable at home and provided that the tag of your product does not say that washing is allowed only in cool or cold water. If the clothes can withstand hot temperatures, then let's get started. Quickly place the kettle on the stove. While the water is heating up, take some container and place the soiled item so that the stain is under a stream of “running” water. This is necessary so that you can pour boiling water on the dirt without scalding your fingers. You can ask someone to help. So, water the stain until it disappears. Then we carefully take the item out of the basin so as not to get burned, and put it in the machine.
Removing an old wine stain
Despite the fact that old wine stains are quite difficult to deal with, a simple aqueous solution containing an acid can help to successfully solve this problem. When deciding what to add to such a solution: vinegar or citric acid, preference should be given to the latter, since it is an almost universal remedy that helps deal with old wine stains on fabrics.
Having prepared the cleaning solution, you should generously moisten the stained area and, after leaving for a short time, rinse the fabric with water and dry.
You can remove old stains from spilled wine from thick fabrics using a concentrated aqueous solution of peroxide or ammonia. As in all other cases, the area of contamination is treated with a cleaning solution and then rinsed with water.
