Our new friends before the wine mishap.
A recent lovely evening of food, conversation and wine came to a halt when we noticed a few drops of red wine had stained the embroidered tablecloth we were dining upon. Emily immediately turned to the ole fashioned pile of salt routine, but this didn't seem to work as well as we had hoped. Upon doing some research about this matter, we came upon a wine stain cleaning solution that was tested and approved by the esteemed viticulture program at UC Davis...
This is absolutely foolproof for any laundered items! Mix Dawn dishwashing liquid soap with hydrogen peroxide...then pour on the stain and let sit as a presoak. Neither of these ingredients works by itself. You must use BOTH. You'll actually see the red wine disappear as you drizzle the mixture on a stain! I have used it to take major red wine stains out of ALL clothing and table cloths (regardless of the color of the item). I have used it on old dried stains and stains that were laundered, bleached and subsequently turned "yellow". OLD, old stains have been successfully removed. Just make sure the soap/peroxide mixture is relatively fresh. I used some the other day that was a few months old (I keep a bottle on my washing machine and pre-treat clothes as I see them coming through on wash day) and it did not remove a particularly large stain completely. -How to Remove Wine Stains Patty's Formula
We also discovered that a Tide stain stick is very good at removing wine stains with a bit of focused gentle scrubbing. We were able to remove about 95% of the visible stain. But next time we're trying Patty's formula up above!
please please talk about the wall behind your friends! are those decals? where are they from? what is the paint color? that's the EXACT color i want to paint my bedroom!!
view karenwog's profile
I'm with ya, karenwog! Is that wallpaper or decals, and who makes it?!? That paint color will be in my dining nook as soon as I get details!
view celinai's profile
karenwog: we're trying to get permission for a full house tour of the home shown above, so hopefully in the future we'll be able to share all the details.
view gregory's profile
Dawn hydrogen peroxide is also supposed to be the best cleaning solution if your pet gets sprayed by a skunk. Who knew the combo was so magically powerful?
view laila's profile
Interesting solution.
However, I have always, time and again, had extreme success with the ol' club soda treatment for red wine. Whether on fresh spilled wine or (woops, it dried already) accidents. And oddly enough, regardless of the soda being flat or carbonated. So when my soda goes flat, I keep it on hand for such spills.
Just my .02!
view TMM's profile
I think I would test out different versions of dawn on some fabric before going to town on any important tablecloths. Dawn is my favorite dishwashing soap, but one day I used it to wash my husband's nice cotton dress shirt because there was a tiny, tiny food stain on the collar - and it turned the whole top of the shirt an unmistakable PINK.
For the life of me I can't figure out why, because it's not like the soap was colored pink. Neither was the food stain, so it's not like it was spread all over.
Even with bleach and later baking soda scrub, I was never able to get rid of the pink color, and I ended up having to get rid of the shirt.
Since then I have never used a dish soap on cloth. I figure it probably had some random dye in it that wouldn't effect dishes, obviously, but was enough to stick to the fabric.
view Kaete's profile
We spilled a whole glass of red wine on a cotton twill sofa. Then used white wine to get the red out. It somehow neutralizes the red right before your eyes. Works on everything...carpets, dog beds, furniture, clothing.
view robertcraig's profile
They had this tip on Queer Eye long ago, and I just happen to spill some wine right after hearing it. Worked like a charm (even with non-Dawn dish soap)!
view jennifer in sf's profile
The best red wine trick I know is to stretch the stained area over a bowl and then pour boiling/near-boiling water right through it. Works like a charm!--seriously, the stain disappears before your eyes. The altar guild ladies at my stepmom's old church used to use this technique every Sunday since Communion always left a bunch of stains.
Obviously, this technique only works on fabrics that are reasonably sturdy and colorfast (like a white cotton or linen tablecloth).
view bibliophage's profile
Though I don't drink myself, I'll be sure to remember a few of these tips above next time I drink/spill grape or other fruit juices.
view gregory's profile
Am I the only one who assumed the wall decor is a collection of -actual- iron trivets? (We live in a world of faux everything! Let something just be what it is!)
view verhext's profile
I love the photographs. What fun!
view Seaside's profile
i've used Oxy Clean even after wine stains have dried with remarkable success. to my disbelief, it removed a huge wine stain on my linen curtains with ease.
i just mix a scoop with about 1c of water and let it dissolve. put the stained garment on a flat surface and put a thin towel beneath it and gently spoon the mixture onto the stain, being sure it expands beyond the edges of the stain. reapply as the liquid dries and the stain fades. launder as usual!
view rebecca_f's profile
Anyone have tips for getting coffee out of white cotton t-shirts?
view robotechnique's profile
I have just discovered your site and it is because I was looking for information on how to get red wine stains out of cotton. Man alive!!! The equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and Dawn worked like a miracle. I had tried other things but to no avail. Thanks so much. I will remember this forever!!
view Loosewheels's profile