Glass of wine on clean wooden floor

Red Wine Spills & Stains

Don’t Whine Over Spilt Wine: Getting Fresh Wine Stains Out of Carpet & Furniture

Perhaps you’re the type who, after a long and hectic day at work, you want to wind down when you get home. You turn on the television to your favorite show, whip up some quick dinner, and pour yourself a glass of rich and relaxing red wine. You’re enjoying the peace and quiet, and all seems right with the world – the kids are even happily playing together in the other room! You decide to change the channel and continue your peaceful evening, but when you reach for the remote…CRASH! Your hand bumps the glass and red wine goes everywhere.

We’ve all spilt a beverage or two at some point, but not all spills are as disheartening as spilling red wine on light-colored carpet or couches. Still, these things can be salvaged if the spill is taken care of quickly and properly. Here are some tips if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

  1. Blot up the stain quickly. Try not to spread it to other areas.
  2. DIY time! Mix two cups of cold water and one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid.
  3. Use a clean cloth, dip it in the solution, and “sponge” the stain. In other words, get it very wet and watery.
  4. Blot the stain until the liquid is absorbed.
  5. Repeat Step 4 about 3 or 4 times until the stain is completely soaked up.
  6. Wet a new cleaning cloth with water and repeat Steps 3 and 4 until the cleaning solution you made also gets soaked up.
  7. Blot area dry.

This is one method of wine removal for both carpet and furniture upholstery (be careful though with how wet you get furniture – only get it as wet as needed to blot up the stain!), but there are several other methods and products that people swear by. OxiClean is a popular one, but there are also wine-specific cleaners out there too. Gonzo Wine Out and Wine-Away are two well-known ones.

If you’re reading this article days, weeks, or months after having spilled your wine, you may be wondering how to get out an old wine stain. The products mentioned in the previous paragraph – especially Wine-Away  are all reported to help with both fresh and old stains, but if you’re looking for an at-home remedy, try the following steps. (Always be sure to first check the fabric’s cleaning instructions!)

  1. Vacuum the stain. This helps suck up any loose particles, and can help to lighten the stain surprisingly well.
  2. Get some steam! Especially if the fabric or piece of furniture in question can be cleaned with water, grab out your iron and use its steam setting. Like vacuuming, this can also help to pull out loose particles and may help the stain react better to the a