There's nothing nicer than a glass of red wine in the evening after a long day. But, if you spill the drink it’s a different story and you will have to deal with cleaning situation which is much more difficult than it seems due to the nature of its colour. Therefore, treating a stain as soon as possible is very important especially if the accident happens on the bed or clothes.
Things to remember:
- DO NOT rub with a wet cloth, as the stain will spread which will make it even worse.
- Use paper towels instead, which will absorb very large amounts of excess wine. Again, do not rub. The paper towel should be used by pressing the stained area to slowly absorb the wine.
- The remaining stain should be cleaned using any chosen products below. They are also suitable for cleaning up white wine stains. Overall, all of the products below are suitable for cleaning up any alcohol, so if you are in a hurry and don't have time to look up for cleaning solutions, these are the great to make a note off.
Removing a wine stain will be quick and easy if you react quickly and use our tips. Of course, it's always a good idea to have special cleaning products with you that are designed for stain removals. However, those who have tried special products have said that the natural option is better simply because it will not damage the material, which unfortunately does happen sometimes.
The best cleaning ingredients:
1. SALT. This ingredient is used quite often to clean a variety type of stains and cleaning up wine stains is one of them. Salt left on the stain for a longer period of time will do its job and will make the cleaning easy. Put the salt on the stain and leave it overnight. The effective acids in salt will do their job and then you can wash the garment in the traditional way.
2. CARBONATED WATER. This is actually another great remedy that can be useful for removing stains that are a little dry. Keep in mind that the more the stain has dried, the more difficult it will be to clean. So, simply pour sparkling water over the stain and wait for it to do its job. Again, this usually needs to be left overnight. If you want to make it even more effective, it's also a good idea to use salt alongside the sparkling water. Both ingredients combined together create an effective stain removal.
3. HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. Both normal hydrogen peroxide and products containing this solution are ideal. It is very effective at dealing with coloured stains, so we recommend using it to clean red wine stains.
4. HOT WATER. If the wine has just got on the surface of the material, dealing with it won’t be very difficult. You can try using plain water, which helps fight stains. Simply rinse the stain with very hot, perhaps even boiling water. Usually, this wash will leave minimal discolouration, in which case we recommend washing at high temperature. This of course works if the structure of the material itself allows it.
5. WHITE VINEGAR + SODA. Many stains can be cleaned with vinegar and soda. These are very effective ingredients that can help to deal with very serious problems. Simply mix these two ingredients and pour them on the stain. As they are not harmful to the substance - they can also be left on for a few hours. You will certainly not get any bad effects and nothing bad will happen to the material.
All the above ingredients are also suitable if the wine has gotten on the leather material. However, in this case the rubbing must be even easier and it is important not to leave the products on the skin for a long time. They can simply burn.
If wine is spilled on the wall, the cleaning agents are also the same, but again, they must not be left on for long periods of time to avoid discolouration. At the same time, it is very important to look at the material your walls are covered with.
Removing a fresh stain
Of course, removing a fresh stain is much easier and more manageable. In addition to the tips we mentioned above, there are also a few more details to remember. We recommend that you keep all the products mentioned above for as long as possible, as they will penetrate deeply and remove any stain. If you decide to use special products that are designed to fight this type of stain, you should not store them for this long. Here, unlike the products we have mentioned, they can completely damage the fabric surface.
Removing a stubborn stain
If the stain is already mature, removing it is much more complicated. Exactly the same rule applies as in the original case. Under no circumstances should the stain be rubbed off or anything like that, as this will make it even bigger, and therefore much more difficult to remove. Hydrogen peroxide is the best way to remove hardened stains. However, it does lighten the colour slightly, so if you need to remove a wine stain from a black garment, it may cause a slight discolouration. If you want to keep the colour from being too badly damaged, we recommend using a cotton towel and pouring the peroxide over it. It will soak through fine, but the colour fading will not be as intense.
NOTE: different materials and surfaces may react differently to the cleaning agents we have mentioned. Therefore, our tips should only be used as a guidance as it's based on research. Please seek professional advice before using or mixing cleaning products for health and safety reasons.
Stay safe, stay clean
with Cleaning Queen
