How to get red wine off couch

Wine stains happen to the best of us — that’s just the risk we take for loving red wine so much. Be it on a tablecloth, a carpet, or your shirt, in the midst of a good time, wine may spill and you may to have to deal with cleaning it up. But spilled wine doesn’t have to ruin the night.

While it may seem impossible — can I really get this giant red splotch out of this white rug? — red wine stains are not as difficult to remove as you might think, especially if you act quickly. Immediately blot the area with a paper towel or clean cloth to absorb as much of the wine as possible, taking care not to scrub. Then use one of our favorite red wine stain removal tricks below.

Tricks To Remove A Red Wine Stain

• Salt
• Dishwashing Detergent
• Boiling Water
• White Vinegar
• Bleach
• Baking Soda

Salt (Great for carpets and rugs)

As soon as you stain your carpet with red wine, blot as much of it as you can with a paper towel, and then cover the entire stain with salt until you can’t see the red wine stain anymore. Let the salt soak into the wet stain and then dry. As the salt dries, it should suck up the stain. Then, simply vacuum everything up.

Don't Miss A Drop

Dishwashing Detergent and Hydrogen Peroxide (Great for clothes)

Mix together equal parts dishwashing detergent (we like Dawn) and hydrogen peroxide. Pour the mixture over the wine stain and allow it to soak in. You should see the stain begin to fade almost immediately. After you have allowed the mixture to soak into the stain, launder the clothing normally. This trick works best on light colored clothes, as hydrogen peroxide has a tendency to bleach.

Boiling Water (Great for tablecloths)

Boil water in a tea kettle. While you’re boiling the water, find a large glass bowl and place it in the sink. Then stretch the portion of the fabric that has the stain on it over bowl and secure it with a rubber band. The fabric should be taut. When the water boils, pour it from a height over a foot above the stain directly on to the fabric. The stain should wash out.

White Vinegar and Laundry Detergent (Great for clothes)

Cover the stain in white vinegar, which neutralizes purple and red pigments. Immediately after applying the vinegar, rub in liquid detergent, then launder in hot water. The stain should lift.

Bleach (Best for white fabrics only)

While we don’t recommended using bleach for all wine stain occurrences, it is your best bet for getting wine out of white fabrics. Simply soak the fabric in bleach for about ten minutes and then launder in hot water. The stain will disappear.

Baking Soda and Water (Great for clothes and carpets)

As with salt, baking soda is a great way to absorb and break up a red wine stain. Once the area is blotted, cover liberally with a paste of baking soda and a few drops of water (this should be smooth enough to apply, but not too runny). On a carpet, allow the paste to dry completely and then vacuum it up. On clothing, allow the paste to dry completely, then launder in hot water.

***

If the above tricks don’t seem to work, a chemical product we’ve been told does a great job is Wine Away, it even removes stains that are old and dry, though we’ve never tried it ourselves. And if all else fails, or you seem to encounter more stains than normal, you may want to consider just drinking white wine.

Accidental spill left you wondering how to remove red wine stains? One careless move can result in red wine on surfaces such as upholstery, carpet or a tablecloth, leaving an urgent cleanup job to be done. 

While red wine stains are a challenge, they definitely can be dealt with so you’re not left with a mark. To do so, make sure your laundry room ideas include stashing the right items to enable you to take action quickly.

Kit to the ready, discover all you need to know to deal with red wine stains around your home.

How to remove red wine stains

Act quickly when red wine is spilled, just as you should when removing coffee stains. ‘When it comes to any sort of stain, the quicker you treat and wash the item, the better for full stain removal,’ says Wayne Edelman, CEO of high-end dry-cleaning service Meurice Garment Care (opens in new tab).

Whether you’re cleaning a couch, cleaning upholstery, or restoring carpets or garments to their former pristine condition, use this guide to how to remove red wine stains to get the task done successfully.

How to remove red wine stains from upholstery

The number one cleaning tip if you see a red wine stain on upholstery is to blot the liquid using white paper towels. Alternatively use a clean white cloth. ‘It is most important that you do not rub,’ says Wayne Edelman. 

After that, a great option is to put salt on to the area. Leave it there a few minutes, and you might find it’s lifted all of the red wine off the couch. Vacuum up to remove.

If this doesn’t do the trick, another method will be necessary, such as the application of a red wine stain remover – we like Wine Away (opens in new tab). 

‘Upholstery can be tricky and if the cover is not removable the cleaning should be referred to a professional,’ says Wayne.

How to remove red wine stains from carpet

The experts recommend a few alternatives when it comes to how to remove red wine stains from carpet. But as with upholstery, it’s important to soak up the liquid first.

‘Blot as much of the red wine as possible with a clean white cloth,’ says Jessica Samson, a cleaning expert at The Maids (opens in new tab). ‘Work from the outside of the stain to the inside of the stain so that the red wine doesn’t spread and make the stain larger. Do not rub or scrub.’

If you’ve got some club soda, this can come to the rescue. ‘Pour your club soda directly on to the stain,’ says Vera Peterson, president of Molly Maid (opens in new tab), a Neighborly (opens in new tab) company. ‘After completing this step, blot again, pressing the club soda into the stain. Pour more club soda on to the affected area and continue blotting repeatedly until the stain is lifted.’

Dish soap and white vinegar are another possible answer for removing red wine stains. ‘Start by blotting the stain well,’ says Vera. ‘Then, prepare a cleaning solution consisting of one tablespoon of hand dishwashing soap, one tablespoon of white vinegar, and two cups of warm water. After this, using a white cloth, only – to prevent any pigment from the cloth bleeding into your carpet – apply a small amount of the cleaning solution directly on to the stain, blotting repeatedly until the stain is lifted.’

Another option is to use hydrogen peroxide. Proceed cautiously, though. ‘Blot the stain as best you can with a clean, dry cloth,’ says Vera. ‘Mix two parts hydrogen peroxide to one part dishwashing soap and test it by applying it to a small, out-of-sight part of your carpet or rug. If it does not discolor the fabric, continue. Apply the solution to the red wine carpet stain. Blot and repeat until the stain is gone.’

How to remove red wine stains from table linens

Enthusiastic glass clinking or animated guests waving their arms while speaking can mean removing red wine stains from tablecloths is on the agenda. Here again, speed is of the essence, so blot with white paper towels or a clean white cloth to absorb as much of the red wine as possible first.

We recommend a spot cleaner – like Wine Away (opens in new tab) – for a tablecloth, followed by washing in the machine, according to the label. 

Don’t have a product to hand? ‘First blot the stain area with a clean, dry cloth to keep the stain from spreading,’ advises Jonathon Reckles, a vice president of CD One Price Cleaners (opens in new tab). ‘Try not to let the stain dry before laundering. Then, rinse the stained area with chilled water and three parts baking soda prior to laundering with detergent on the cold cycle.’

How to remove red wine stains from clothing

When red wine is spilled on clothes rather than home surfaces, speed is also of the essence and even if you’re only considering small laundry room ideas it’s worth keeping what you’ll need at hand.

‘Red wine stains are tannin based,’ says Wayne Edelman. ‘They generally will not come right out in the machine and need to be pretreated. Protein and tannin stains can be pretreated with a multipurpose pre spot formula such as Shout (opens in new tab). 

‘To make a home tannin stain remover, you can mix half a teaspoon of a laundry detergent of your choice with one-quarter cup of white vinegar and one-quarter cup of cool water.’

Follow the instructions on the label of clothing to wash afterwards. ‘In terms of what clothes should be left to a pro, only dry-clean items truly need to be taken to professionals,’ he adds.

Does baking soda remove red wine stains?

Baking soda can remove red wine stains. ‘It is an absorbent, and will soak up not just the wine, but the odor that comes with it,’ explains Tricia Holderman (opens in new tab), expert on cleaning and author of Germinator: The Germ Girl’s Guide To Simple Solutions In A Germ-Filled World (opens in new tab). ‘Just sprinkle  – do not dump – on the spill, let it absorb for a few minutes, then blot, do not rub. ’

Are red wine stains permanent?

Red wine stains needn’t be permanent, but for best results, act immediately and always make sure to blot the liquid and not to rub. 

Be mindful that not all surfaces are equal. ‘Upholstery and carpets are a little harder as you don’t usually have the ability to get to the opposite side,’ says Tricia Holderman. ‘So while you can get the spill from the fabric side, you might not be able to get the carpet pad or the interior cushion. The stain can be gone from the topical part, but can bleed through from the residue.’

Can you get red wine out of upholstery?

How do you get red wine off fabric?

Are red wine stains permanent?

How do you get red wine out of couch with white wine?