How to Remove Red Wine Stains

My friend Susan, the hostess of a dinner party I once attended,
astonished us all by her actions when one of the guests spilled
a glass of red wine on the white tablecloth.

She jumped up and
first put a full kettle of water on the stove, then removed
everything from the table, took up the tablecloth, and stretched
the fabric over a pan in the sink.

Once the water was boiling, she
pulled a chair up to the sink, stood on it with the kettle, and
poured the boiling water over the stain from a height of 3 to
4 feet.

This stain removing technique worked like magic!

It isn’t everyone who would be willing to disrupt their dinner
party by removing all the food, plates, and utensils, but I’ve
since learned Susan’s tip works most successfully when the stain
is fresh.

If the stain is dry, try soaking the red wine in white
wine to bleach it out. Finally, cover the stain with a thick
baking soda paste, leave it for a few hours keeping it moist by
spraying it with water from a spray bottle. Wash as normal.

Read more: Home, Household Hints

By Annie B. Bond

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Sonny H.

7:03PM PST on Jan 10, 2012

Noted. Thanks!

send a green star

Carole R.

10:06PM PDT on Sep 15, 2011

I wouldn't do this while my guests are still at my house. Seems a bit like over-reacting.

Cali W.

5:10AM PST on Feb 15, 2011

I cracked up when I read how the wine stain was cleaned and just had to chime-in with a much easier method that doesn't require you clearing the table or acting immediately. There's this great product we've found while on vacation - it's made from water and natural ingrdients it's called Wine Away red wine stain remover. We've had many dinner parties and spills on our tablecloths and we just grab our handy bottle of Wine Away and the stain disappears ... the great thing is we just wait until the party is over. Here's their website: www.wineaway.com

Louis O.

12:57PM PDT on Jun 26, 2010

SORRY ANNIE YOUR CUTE...IT'S JUST THINKING OF THE PEOPLES FACES AS THIS WILD MAD WOMAN JUMPED UP YELLING ABOUT HER TABLE CLOTH BEING STAINED (DINNER FINISHED) ON THE SPOT RUNNING TO PUT HOT WATER ON, TAKING ALL THE FOOD AWAY FROM THE TABLE, MAYBE YOU HAD THE PORK CHOP IN YOUR MOUTH SHE TOOK THAT AWAY TOO, JUMPED UP HIGH TO POOR THE WATER ON THE CLOTH! KILLS ME))))))))) I WON'T GO TO HER HOUSE FOR DINNER THATS FOR SURE, SCARED THE HELL OUT OF THE COMPANY.

Henry N.

11:19AM PDT on Jun 9, 2010

Thank for the info, but I would not do it when the guss still at the table and dinner is not finish yet, that is not so polite, when your guess accidently spill it, who would come again when they saw you do this. But I have seen peopole try to use toothpaste over the stain and wash it off, the stain is gone and the fabric is like new again, so your guess will appriciate your dinner and your welcome party.

Jody M.

7:13AM PDT on Jun 9, 2010

I have used this boiling water method for large grape juice stains my daughter acquired on an all white outfit at a birthday party, and on red wine stains. It's AMAZING!! The stain disappears instantly!! I don't know why more people don't know about this...???

Julie F.

4:26PM PDT on May 7, 2010

I like that comment. We used to throw salt onj them but it didn'r really work. Our grandmother told us that but then she didn't rell us she used bleach...we couldn't figure out why it didn't work for us.

Anne P.

6:16AM PST on Nov 17, 2009

My husband recently spilled a glass of red wine on our beige living room carpet (we panicked a bit, as we are renters). He found the following remedy using dish soap and hydrogen peroxide, which worked like magic: http://www.ehow.com/how_2526_remove-red-wine.html.