How to remove red wine stains

Act fast: blot the spill, then sponge with cool water or club soda; table salt sprinkled on a fresh wine stain helps absorb it. For washables, soak in a warm-water solution of dish detergent and white vinegar, pretreat, and launder with a fabric-safe bleach or oxygen product. Keep the item out of the dryer until the stain is gone. [1][2][3]

Open in the Stain Sorter

Do this now

Blot up as much wine as possible with white cloths or paper towels, then sprinkle the fresh stain with table salt to absorb it, or pour on club soda and let it fizz. Sponge promptly with cool water and blot thoroughly. [1][2]

Avoid

Don't rub — blot gently to avoid spreading the stain or damaging fibers. Don't use bar or natural soap on this tannin stain; it makes removal harder. Don't machine-dry until the stain is fully out, since heat permanently sets what remains. [2][3]

You will need

Method

  1. Sponge or rinse the stain promptly in cool water. On a fresh wine spill, sprinkle table salt to absorb the wine, then sponge with cool water or club soda and blot dry. [1]
  2. Soak the garment for 15 minutes in 1 quart of warm water mixed with 1/2 teaspoon detergent and 1 tablespoon white vinegar, then rinse with water. [1]
  3. If the stain persists, sponge it with rubbing alcohol and rinse thoroughly. [1]
  4. Pretreat with a pre-wash spot remover or liquid detergent (or pre-soak in an oxygen-based laundry product), then launder using chlorine bleach if the fabric allows it, otherwise an oxygen/sodium perborate bleach. [1][2]
Checkpoint — before any heat or drying

Inspect the wet item before it goes near heat: hang it to dry and confirm the stain is completely gone, because machine-dryer heat permanently sets any remaining wine. [2][3]

If that didn't work

Use a dedicated red-wine stain remover (e.g., Wine Away): spot-test, saturate the stain, wait 1-5 minutes, blot gently without rubbing, then launder as usual. Stains may need multiple treatments before they release. [4][3]

Cautions

Treat immediately — the alcohol in the drink can remove fabric dye. Read the care label and pretest any cleaning agent on a hidden area for colorfastness. [1]

acetate, triacetate, modacrylic, acrylic: Rubbing alcohol damages acetate, triacetate, modacrylic, and acrylic fibers; for acetate, dilute it with 2 parts water. [1]

cotton, linen: Dilute vinegar with 2 parts water before using it on cotton or linen. [1]

Ventilate the room when using caustic or flammable cleaning solutions, keep them away from open flames and children, and wear rubber gloves. [1]

Carpet synthetic wool

Method

  1. Wipe up the spill promptly. Pour club soda on the wine stain, sponge it up, then sponge with cool water and blot. [1]
  2. Blot with a solution of 1 teaspoon neutral detergent in 1 cup lukewarm water, follow with a solution of 1/3 cup white vinegar in 2/3 cup water, then repeat the detergent solution. Sponge with clean water and blot dry. [1]
  3. Lay a half-inch layer of absorbent cloths over the damp area, weight it down with books for 4-8 hours, then restore the pile and let it air-dry. [1]

If that didn't work

For persistent red wine, wearing rubber gloves, mix 2 tablespoons oxalic acid, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, and 8 tablespoons glycerin, adding butyl alcohol until the mixture clears; apply only briefly, blot, flush with water, then weight absorbent cloths over the spot for several hours and air-dry. Alternatively, saturate with a red-wine remover such as Wine Away for 1-5 minutes and blot. [1][4]

Cautions

Pretest cleaners on a hidden patch of carpet for colorfastness before treating the stain. [1]

Upholstery & mattresses

Method

  1. Blot the stain with 1 teaspoon neutral detergent mixed into 1 cup lukewarm water, applied with a clean white cloth — no harsh rubbing and no soaking. [1]
  2. Blot with a solution of 1/3 cup white vinegar in 2/3 cup water, then repeat the detergent-solution step. [1]
  3. Sponge with clear water without soaking the backing or padding, and let the fabric dry rapidly. [1]

If that didn't work

Spot-test a red-wine remover marketed as safe for water-washable upholstery (e.g., Wine Away) on a hidden seam, saturate the stain, wait 1-5 minutes, and blot gently. [4]

Cautions

cotton, linen: Overwetting can leave sizing rings; do not remove the cushion from its cover to clean it, and dilute vinegar with 2 parts water on cotton or linen covers. [1]

Not covered by our sources

Where sources disagree

Water temperature for washable fabric
  • Sponge or rinse the stain promptly in cool water before pretreating and laundering. [1]
  • Wine is a tannin stain: wash fresh stains with detergent in hot water if the fabric permits, and launder in the hottest water safe for the garment after an oxygen pre-soak. [3][2]

We show both positions rather than silently choosing. When in doubt, follow your care label and the more conservative option.

Third-party tests Not our test

Your Best Digs: In-house test of seven stain-remover products on white cotton shirts stained with coffee, wine, chocolate-hazelnut spread, and ink; stains were set for one week on the front and applied fresh on the back, then each product was used per label and washed identically.

OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover won overall, clearing all tested stains via soaking (ink faded substantially rather than vanishing). Tide To-Go pen was the portability pick and Shout Advanced Gel the gentlest on fabric.

The Best Laundry Stain Removers of 2026 · 2022-01-19 · accessed 2026-08-18 · third-party test — not our test

What people report Anecdotal

Real threads from public forums, linked and labeled. These are individual experiences, not verified results, and never a substitute for the sourced method or safety guidance above.

The original poster reported Dr Beckmann carpet cleaner removed most of a four-day-old red wine stain, and another poster said two applications of Vanish carpet foam completely erased a full spilled glass.

“after 2 applications of this you couldn't tell where the spillage was”

Red wine removal carpet help!!! — Mumsnet, 2023-02-17 · accessed 2026-08-18 · anecdotal

The poster reported Vanish plus rubbing with a laundry soap bar removed a fresh red wine spill from new jeans but bleached the fabric color out, leaving a white patch that a vinegar rewash did not fix; a commenter noted the Vanish used must be the color-safe variant.

“The stain treatment you used bleached the color out.”

Laundry help - Have I ruined my new pants? Spilt red wine on my new pants! I quickly put some Vanish on it and rubbed it with a bar of laundry soap. After letting it sit for a while I put it through the washing machine and the stain has disappeared but has now replaced it with a white stain... — r/laundry (Reddit), 2020-05-01 · accessed 2026-08-18 · anecdotal

Sources

  1. Institutional University of Georgia Extension — Remove Stains From Alcoholic Beverages, Beer, Wine (accessed 2026-08-18)
  2. Institutional Iowa State University Extension and Outreach — Common Holiday Stain Removal Guide (AnswerLine) (accessed 2026-08-18)
  3. Institutional Iowa State University Extension and Outreach — Holiday Stains (AnswerLine) (accessed 2026-08-18)
  4. Manufacturer Wine Away (Evergreen Labs) — How to Use Wine Away (accessed 2026-08-18)

Updated 2026-08-18. Compiled from the cited sources; not independently verified by this site. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy.

Safety

Always follow care and product labels. Never mix cleaning products — especially anything containing chlorine bleach with ammonia or acids. If swallowed or splashed in eyes, contact Poison Control (US: 1-800-222-1222 or poison.org).