The Best Ways to Remove Red Wine Stains, According to Experts

Have you ever accidentally spilled wine on your garment, sofa, carpet, or wood surfaces? Have you tried removing the stain by rubbing it off, yet the harder you scrubbed, the more the wine stain stuck?

Accidents happen, and we have all been there. Whether you spilled red wine cooking or when a glass slipped from your hand, the first thing you can do is blot the stain with an absorbent cloth or paper towel—since the pigments can quickly get caught in clothing and carpet fibers.

But even if the stain has started to dry up, the good news is that it isn’t too late to remove it! So, what else can you do to treat the red wine stain other than blotting it with an absorbent towel? We asked a food scientist and a cleaning professional to weigh in on the science behind red wine stains and easy strategies to help you bid farewell to them.

Why Does Red Wine Leave Such Bad Stains?

Red wine stains are stubborn because the beverage has chromogens, which can impart a dye to stain fabrics, stoneware, and enamelware. Specifically, red wine is made from red grapes with skins containing water-soluble pigments known as anthocyanins that are responsible for the drink’s vibrant colors.

Why Do Red Wine Stains Turn Blue?

Anthocyanins can change color depending on the pH of their conditions, explains food scientist Bryan Quoc Le. “Since red wine is acidic, and acidity leads to a lower pH, the anthocyanins become red, contributing to its signatory red color,” he says.

However, when anthocyanins come in contact with fabric and the textile is washed with laundry detergent (which has a high alkalinity and a higher pH), the anthocyanins’ chemical structure changes and converts them into compounds that produce a blue hue. In other words, if you have a piece of clothing with a blue stain, it might be from a missed wine stain that got absorbed into the garment’s fibers.

5 Ways to Remove Red Wine Stains

Toby Schulz, co-founder of Maid2Match, recommends treating the stain immediately. “The longer the wine sits on a surface, especially fabric, the harder the stain will be to remove,” he says.

Blot the stain right away, but don’t rub or scrub it, as that can cause the wine pigments to spread and seep deeper into the fabric. “Use paper towels or a clean cloth to dab the spill and absorb as much liquid as possible. Keep dabbing until there’s no more transfer of liquid,” Schulz says.

After blotting the stain and depending on the type of fabric, you can try these five ways to remove red wine stains.

1. Baking Soda

Baking soda dissolves in liquid and effectively breaks up a red wine stain. When combined with water, it forms a paste.

1. Make a paste of 3 parts of baking soda and 1 part of water.
2. Apply the paste to the stain and cover it entirely.
3. Let the paste sit on the stain until completely dry. For fabrics, use hot water to remove the baking soda paste. For carpet and surfaces, vacuum up the residue afterward.

2. Club Soda

Club soda is handy in removing red wine stains on fabrics such as cotton. That’s because club soda contains carbonic acid, which breaks apart the pigment compounds. It is essential to use club soda, and not other types of soda because it is clear and will not add color or contribute to further staining.

1. Pour club soda over the stain and let it sit for a few minutes.
2. Blot the stain with a clean cloth or sponge. Repeat the process until the stain has fully lifted.
3. Wash the stained area or rinse with clean water afterward.

3. White Vinegar

Vinegar neutralizes colors and stains and is particularly effective on linen and wood surfaces, Schultz says. For fabric, he recommends using white vinegar to avoid producing additional stains.

For Linens
1. Add a few drops of dish soap to vinegar and soak the stained area. Let it sit for a few minutes.
2. Blot the stain with a clean cloth or paper towel. Repeat until the stain has lifted, then rinse the stain with a damp cloth.
3. If the stain remains, add liquid laundry detergent and massage the stain by hand.
4. Use hot water to remove the stain until it disappears.

For Wood Surfaces
1. Soak an absorbent towel with vinegar and water mixture. Lay the soaked cloth over the surface.
2. Check the surface every few minutes by lifting the soaked cloth to see if the stain is lifted.
3. Repeat the steps above and gently rub the area until the stain is removed.
4. Apply polish if needed.

4. Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide can help remove red wine stains because peroxides can oxide the anthocyanins and convert them into more water-soluble compounds, says Quoc Le. Peroxide is best used on white fabrics and surfaces because it can bleach colored items.

1. Mix 1 part dish soap with 3 parts hydrogen peroxide.
2. Apply the solution to the red wine stain with a sponge or cloth.
3. Let it sit for up to half an hour or until you see the stain has lightened.
4. Blot the area with a damp cloth to remove any residue, and repeat as necessary until the stain has lifted.

Allowing the peroxide to sit on the stain gives enough time for it to break down the anthocyanins. Quoc Le adds, “The soap helps to further solubilize the stain by acting as a surfactant, which helps the larger chemical structures dissolve in water.”

5. Salt

If your red wine stain is fresh, try using salt to absorb the wine and llift the color away from the fabric.

1. Blot the stained area with an absorbent towel.
2. Cover the stained area with salt.
3. Let the salt sit on the affected area for 5 to 10 minutes, and repeat the steps above. Leave the salt on for a few hours or overnight for stubborn stains.
4. When the stain is removed, use cold water to rinse the area.

What About Dried Red Wine Stains?

While the above methods are for wet red wine stains, you can still use them to remove the tough and dried red wine stains. But Schultz suggests rehydrating the stain with a little dish soap.

Alternatively, he recommends soaking the area in cold water or club soda for at least 30 minutes (ideally overnight). Then, use baking soda, vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide to treat the stain, or choose your preferred stain remover.

Can You Use Heat to Remove Red Wine Stains?

While using hot water is one of the last steps in treating red wine stains with baking soda and white vinegar, this doesn’t mean you should use a blow dryer or put stained garments into the dryer. Similar to treating food and coffee stains, using heat to remove red wine stains can drive them deeper into the fabric so we recommend avoiding it at any cost.