How To Remove Wine Stains

Whites & Bleach-Safe Fabrics Colored Clothing & Fabrics Carpet & Upholstery

How to remove wine stains using Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach with CLOROMAX®

One

Blot

Use a cloth to blot from the edges of the stain to keep the stain from spreading.

Two

Pretreat

Before you wash, apply a small amount of Clorox 2^® for Colors Stain Remover & Color Brightener to the stain. Gently rub in the liquid and wait 5–10 minutes, making sure not to let it dry.
For larger stains or stains that cover an entire piece of clothing or fabric, soak the wine-stained areas in 1 quart of water mixed with 1 full cup of Clorox 2^® for Colors for up to 60 minutes.

Three

Add

For High Efficiency (HE) machines, pour 1/3 cup (or fill to maximum level) of Clorox^® Disinfecting Bleach with CLOROMAX^® into the bleach dispenser.
For standard washing machines, add 1/3 cup of Clorox^® Disinfecting Bleach with CLOROMAX^® directly into the washing machine.

Four

Wash

Pour the recommended amount of detergent. Add item and start wash on the hottest recommended water setting.

Five

Check

Check to make sure the stain is gone. If the stain is still present, repeat the process.

FAQs

Q. Does white wine stain?
A. Yes, white wine can leave a stain, though it may not be obvious until later. However, you can remove the stain if you pretreat it using the same techniques for red wine.

Q. Are there any tips for removing old wine stains?
A. Any stain that’s been sitting around for a while will likely need multiple treatments to get it out completely. And don’t forget the club soda pretreatment step — it still helps, even on older stains.

Q. How do you get wine smell out of carpet?
A. If you’ve removed a wine stain, but the carpet still smells, you may have missed some of the stain. You should be able to remove the rest of the stain if you go over the entire area with a steam cleaner.

Some wine may have also absorbed into the carpet pad under the carpet. Pull up the carpet where the spill was. You may need to replace part of a stained carpet pad because foam carpet pads can’t be cleaned. You can also spray the underside of the carpet with Clorox^® Urine Remover to eliminate the smell. Make sure the underside of the carpet dries completely before retacking it down.

Tip: Try blotting the wine stain with club soda.

This will lighten the stain considerably and make it easier to remove later when you can wash the item.

DO use the hottest water you can when washing—the hotter, the better. Remember to refer to the item’s care label.

DON'T tumble dry an item that had a wine stain without making sure you’ve completely removed the stain.

DON'T use laundry products to treat red wine stains on carpet or upholstery. They are too difficult to rinse completely without getting them overly wet.