Red Wine Stains Removal Tips

Entertaining at home can be a great experience, as well as often a little cheaper than actually going out, but the mess that is left behind after all the guests have left can be a real pain to deal with. For the most part though the work is fairly easy to achieve, wash some glasses and dishes, put all the leftover food in the refrigerator, clean up the paper trash and straighten a few chairs.

The one thing that can drive a host or hostess into a panic though is discovering that at some point during the party someone spilled their red wine and now there is a big red stain on their carpet (or worse still their upholstery) Should this happen to you there is no need to panic though, contrary to what you think red wine can be removed.

Ideally the best time to begin work on a red wine stain is right after the accident occurred but in the bustle of a busy gathering that rarely ever happens. If you are working with a set in stain all is not lost though as long as you do the following as soon as you discover the stain:

For Carpet and Upholstery
Begin by mixing together about one teaspoon of a mild detergent (not one that contains bleach though) with a cup of lukewarm (not hot) water. If there is no suitable detergent on hand then you can substitute white vinegar.

Blot the stain carefully with the mixture using a clean white cloth. Never rub at the stain as this will only make the problem worse as you will simply spread the wine around.

Blot at the stain gently until the stain is removed, rinsing out the cloth as you go.

For Clothing and Fabrics
If possible soak the stained fabric in a bowl of plain cool water for at least 30 minutes.

Pretreat the stain with a household stain remover (the kind you find in most supermarkets)

Launder the fabric on the delicate cycle, adding a detergent containing bleach if the fabric is one that can stand up to such things.