Microelements included in the composition of red wine, falling on the canvas of the fabric, strongly impregnate its structure. Under the influence of air and sunlight, the wine oxidizes, it dries, and it will be very difficult to wash without spoiling the clothes. Therefore, it is important to know how to remove a red wine stain right away. But there are a number of ways to clean things even after some time.
Urgent first measures
Having spilled red wine on clothes, it is not always possible to wash it immediately. It is unlikely that if this happens in a restaurant, there will be a stain detector in your purse, and special tools are not always at hand at home. As soon as the wine has been spilled, primary cleaning should be carried out. To do this, you can choose one of these methods:
- Take a cotton or paper napkin. Put it under the stain and, squeezing with your hand, squeeze the cloth as much as possible so that as much wine as possible is absorbed into the napkin.
- Pour table salt on the stain (you can use starch, soda or talcum powder) and vigorously rub the fabric with it. Leave for 5-10 minutes, the dye will partially absorb into the absorbent. Shake off the salt, and when you have the opportunity to wash it, first rinse it with cool water to remove the remaining salt, and then rinse the fabric with warm water.
- Saturate a cotton pad liberally with table vinegar or lemon juice and wipe the stain until it is completely gone, changing to fresh pads as it gets dirty. IMPORTANTLY! Only wool and silk can be cleaned in this way, cotton fabric – it dries instantly.
- If there are no napkins, salt, vinegar and lemon at hand, the stain should be rinsed thoroughly with cold water (water is usually available where wine is drunk). Do not go beyond the contamination, so that the wine does not spread on the clean part of the clothing. This way, you won’t let the wine dry and stain your clothes forever until you get to the bathroom to wash them.
What to do if the wine has dried up
Dried red wine stains can also be removed with improvised means that are available in almost any home, without the use of factory stain removers. Before you start cleaning, the product should be tested on a piece of the same fabric or applied, for example, to a seam on the inside of a garment, so that if the fabric is damaged, it will not be noticeable.
General cases:
- To remove wine stains from cotton fabric, stretch the item over a bowl and pour boiling water over the contaminated area – the stain will disappear right before your eyes.
- A cotton tablecloth on which red wine was spilled will be saved by baking soda: it should be soaked for 1 hour in a warm solution of 3 liters of water and 6-9 tbsp. spoons of soda, and then wash.
- White things are cleaned from red wine with ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. They should be taken in equal parts, diluted with a small amount of warm water, and the contaminated area of the fabric should be immersed in a container with the solution.
- It is better not to clean things made of colored fabric with acids, a raw chicken egg and glycerin will help. Glycerin should be taken in the same volume as the volume of the egg, the ingredients should be thoroughly mixed. Apply the mixture to the stain in a thick layer and vigorously rub it into the fabric with a brush for 3-5 minutes. Then wash.
- A stain on a colored item can be removed with potassium permanganate – you need to make a strong solution and soak the contaminated area in it for 5-10 minutes, and then wipe it with a cotton pad richly soaked in a solution of hydrogen peroxide prepared from 1 teaspoon of peroxide and 200 ml of water.
- The original method of removing stains left by red wine is known in Spain. There, the practice is to generously pour dry white wine over the stain, wait a while, and then simply rinse the thing in clean, cool water. Maybe it’s a matter of degree, and wine can be replaced with vodka, but rather the reason is tartaric acid.
Delicate fabrics:
- A woolen item contaminated with red wine can be cleaned with ordinary cow’s milk. It should be warmed to a warm state (so that it is not hot to the hand) and watered over the spot several times so that the fibers of the fabric are well soaked with milk. Then let the thing stand in cold milk for 30 minutes. Then wash it in the usual way (with washing powder or soap).
- To remove red wine stains from silk or wool, the contaminated area of the item should be immersed for 30 minutes in a mixture consisting of glycerin, vodka and ammonia (proportions 1:3:1, respectively). Then wash the thing as usual.
If the thing cannot be washed either by hand or in a washing machine, then you will need a vacuum cleaner. In this way, stains from carpets and upholstered furniture are cleaned: a solution of water (3 parts) and baking soda (1 part) is prepared, it is applied to the stain and left to dry completely. Then the contaminated area is vacuumed. The procedure must be repeated 2-3 times, the coating will return to its former appearance.
From a carpet with a fluffy pile, red wine stains are removed with finely ground table salt – it is abundantly sprinkled on the contaminated area, and then vacuumed. Read more about how to remove spilled wine from furniture and carpets in this article .