Picture this: it’s Saturday night and you’re enjoying a night in with friends and family. The night couldn’t be going any better–you’re indulging in your favorite bottle of red, playing games, listening to music, reminiscing about your favorite memories together, and laughing up a storm.

But then, DISASTER HITS. You find yourself laughing so hard at a story that when your hands fly in the air with glee, your wine goes absolutely everywhere! All over the white couch, the beige carpet, yourself, and your mother-in-law. THE HORROR!

Is there anything worse than trying to get out a red wine stain? Before you go into panic mode, here are a few tips, tricks, and products that will save the day when disaster strikes (and will also leave your MIL totally impressed!).

Tip #1: Buy Wine Away!

Wine Away is a product my mom found many, many years ago and we have carried at the winery ever since! It all started when I was getting my wisdom teeth removed. She gave me some grape juice to drink. Nevermind that my mouth was still numb, but I drank it, and it spilled EVERYWHERE on their white carpet! My mom tried so many things, but the stain was never really gone. So, she went in search of ideas to remove red wine (because lets face it, grape juice is almost that), when she found a product called Wine Away. She immediately ordered it. When it arrived she came home, tested it out, and voila the stain disappeared! I always have a bottle at home, just in case! Now, if you don’t have any Wine Away on hand, try these steps below!

Tip #2: Don’t scrub!

Our gut reaction is typically to apply some elbow grease and scrub the pain (oops, I mean stain) away. This might make the stain look slightly better for the time being, but it actually spreads the stain deeper and wider, making your job much harder than it needs to be!

Tip #3: Be quick!

We know, we know–tending to a stain in the moment, especially when you’re entertaining, can be downright annoying. But if you delay, the wine will sink deeper and end up setting in the fabric and once again give you more work to do to remove it.

Tip #4: Use a dry material first!

The first step in actively removing a red wine stain is applying a dry material to “lift” out the wine. Liquid moves towards anything dry it comes into contact with, so immediately and generously apply table salt, baking soda, sodium percarbonate, dry soap powder, talcum powder, or kitty litter. Let it sit for a few minutes.

Tip #5: Apply boiling water and blot!

While it’s never a good idea to apply dry heat to a stain, hot water actually works wonders when paired with one of the above cleaning solutions. When blotted into the covered stain, the hot water will cause the wine molecules to lose cohesion with the fabric, making it easier to remove. (Another great option is milk–pour it liberally on the covered stain, let it sit, and blot.)

Tip #6: Use club soda and white vinegar!

If tip #5 isn’t doing the trick, give this one a try. Mix together club soda and white vinegar, apply to the stain, and give it some more good blotting.

Tip #7: Try Oxi-Clean!

If you’re still not having any luck, it’s time to break out the big guns. Oxi-Clean (or any oxi cleaner) is made of sodium percarbonate, which breaks down into hydrogen peroxide when mixed with water. Apply liberally to the stain and give it 20 minutes to an hour before blotting. (If you don’t have an oxi cleaner readily available, mix 3 parts hydrogen peroxide with 1 part dishwashing liquid.)

Tip #8: For clothing…

Pull the fabric tight when trying any method of stain removal. If it’s a fresh stain, add salt with hot water. If it’s a dried stain, use an oxi cleaner before putting it in the washing machine.

Tip #9: For carpets…

Immediately try the salt method! And if it doesn’t work, move straight to an oxi cleaner.

Tip #10: For couches…

Get the fabric as taught as possible and use the salt method first, moving to the oxi cleaner method, and then the club soda and white vinegar method.

Tip #11: Keep calm and carry on!

At the end of the day, life is not found in the possession or cleanliness of things, so keep sippin’ on that glass of your favorite red, stay in control of the situation, and laugh as much as you can!

Cheers,
Natalie