How to Remove a Red Wine Stain from Jeans

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posted on 12 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Red wine is notorious for causing very noticeable stains, but don’t toss your jeans away just because you spilled some on them. If the spill just happened, there are a couple quick things you can do to prevent the wine from spreading and causing larger stains. Then, once you have a chance to clean them, there are a number of household liquids that can partially or even totally remove the stain. If the stain proves to be too stubborn for these, there are still a few other methods you can use to deal with tougher stains.

Steps

Preventing Wine from Spreading

Soak up the excess liquid. In the moments after a spill, grab a sponge, paper towels, or a cloth towel that you don’t mind staining. Use this to blot the affected area, working from the outside in. Be careful just to blot the wine, though, since rubbing it can spread the wine over a wider area, as well as deeper into your jeans’ denim.

Stuff your jeans with absorbent material. If you’re able to take your jeans off, do so. Grab some fresh towels or something similar. Stuff them into your jeans’ legs and/or waist, underneath the stain. Create a barrier that will stop the wine from seeping through the front of your jeans to its back, or vice versa.

Pour salt over the stain. Blotting the wine with towels will get rid of excess liquid, but expect some of the wine to have already penetrated the fabric. To deal with that, cover the stain with salt. Use that to draw as much moisture back out of the denim before it has a chance to dry.

Treating a Stain with Other Household Liquids

Neutralize the red wine with white wine. Open a bottle of white wine. Pour it liberally over the stain. Do so in order to neutralize the red wine’s pigments and possibly lift the stain out entirely.

Do the same with white vinegar. Of course, you may not have white wine on hand, or you may not be too keen to waste any more on top of what you spilled. In that case, pour distilled white vinegar over the stain instead. This will also weaken the red and purple pigments and, like the white wine, could possibly remove the stain on its own.

Pour boiling water over the stain. This may be easier to do with a partner, so ask someone for help if you can. First, boil some water. Once it’s ready, hold your jeans over the sink and pull the stained area taut between your two hands. Then have your partner pour the water onto the stain from a height of roughly 12 inches (30 cm) to wash the stain out. Wear rubber gloves while doing this so you don’t scald your hands.

Pour club soda over the stain. With sparkling water, don’t worry about boiling it as you would with plain water. Also, don’t worry if it’s gone flat and lost its carbonation. Simply pour it over your jeans to lift some or all of the stain out.

Soak large or dried stains. Pouring the liquids above works best on fresher stains, so if yours has already dried into your denim (or if you spilled a lot of wine over most of your jeans), don’t worry if that didn’t get the job all the way done. Fill a container with enough vinegar, white wine, or club soda to soak the stained area, and let your jeans sit in it until the stain fades. Don’t use boiled water to soak your jeans. Warm water can actually make the stain settle in faster if your jeans are just sitting in it.

Cleaning Stubborn Stains

Apply a baking soda paste. Mix baking soda with just enough water to turn it into a thick paste. Spread this over the stain. Let it sit until it absorbs all, most, or some of the stain. If it didn’t lift all of the stain out, wash it off and repeat as needed.

Do the same with a dish soap and hydrogen peroxide mixture. Before you use this method, be aware that hydrogen peroxide can bleach some fabrics. Be sure to test your mixture on a small, out-of-the way spot on your jeans, like behind the waistband. If it has no adverse effect, simply pour it over the stain. Let it soak in and repeat as needed until the stain fades. Because of the bleaching risk, start with a weak mixture that’s equal parts dish soap and hydrogen peroxide. If no bleaching occurs, feel free to double or triple the amount for a stronger solution.

Machine-wash and air-dry. Whether the other methods seem to have totally or only partially removed the stain, follow them up by running your jeans through their regular cycle in the washer. Use cold water in case any wine is still present, since warm water can cause it to settle in further. Air-dry them afterward for the same reason, since a machine dryer will only make any lingering stain tougher to get rid of.

Use a stain remover. If none of these home remedies are able to get rid of the stain entirely, buy a product that’s specifically designed to do so. Follow its directions regarding use. Such products include: Bac Out Stain & Odor Remover Carbona Stain Devils Ecover Stain Stick Spot Shot Wine Away