First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Blot up the excess with a clean white cloth or paper towel.
- Don't rub, which can spread the stain and damage the fabric.
- Sponge the spot with water, from the back if you can.
- Keep the item out of the dryer until the stain is gone, since heat sets it.
A balsamic vinegar stain is a colored vinegar mark, and its dark pigment can look harmless right up until it sets. Balsamic vinaigrette adds oil, which turns the spot into a combination stain and one of the tougher food marks to lift. Fresh spots lift far more easily than ones older than a day, and some need more than one treatment.
On a white shirt or cotton top, the detergent pretreat and the dish soap and vinegar pad do most of the lifting. Colored clothes need a gentler plan, so check the care label before you pick a product. Stop once the dark color no longer comes off on a clean cloth.
7 items
What you'll need
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- Liquid laundry detergentPretreats the spot and goes in the wash. (opens Amazon)
- Mild liquid dish soapMakes the solution for the vinegar pad. (opens Amazon)
- White vinegarA few drops in the pad solution; white only. (opens Amazon)
- Enzyme productMakes the 30-minute soak with warm water. (opens Amazon)
- Clean white cloth or paper towelsBlot without spreading the stain and show what is lifting. (opens Amazon)
- Absorbent padsHold the solutions on the spot while they work.
- Enzyme soak (opens Amazon)
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6 steps
How to get balsamic vinegar out of clothes
Step 1 of 6
Blot off the excess
Press a clean white cloth or paper towel onto the spot to lift off the excess vinegar or dressing. Keep going with fresh cloth until nothing more transfers, then move on.
Tip. Use a white cloth so you can see what is coming off the fabric.
Step 2 of 6
Pretreat with liquid laundry detergent
Work liquid laundry detergent into the spot gently with your fingertips. If the balsamic came in an oily dressing, put the detergent on the oily part first and work outward from there.
Tip. Let the detergent sit on the spot while you mix the next solution.
Step 3 of 6
Dab on the dish soap and vinegar pad
Mix 1 teaspoon mild liquid dish soap with 1 cup warm water, then stir in a few drops of white vinegar. Dampen an absorbent pad with the solution, lay it on the spot, and flush the area with plain water when you're done.
Careful. Use white vinegar only; colored vinegar can leave a stain.
Step 4 of 630 minutes
Soak the spot in enzyme solution
Mix 1/2 teaspoon enzyme product into 1/2 cup warm water. Keep an absorbent pad soaked in it over the spot for 30 minutes, keeping the spot warm while it works, then flush it with water.
Tip. Re-wet the pad if it dries out, since a dry pad stops working.
Careful. Enzyme products are not for silk or wool, so skip this soak on those fibers.
Step 5 of 6
Wash in the hottest allowed water
Wash the item with detergent on the hottest setting the care label recommends. If the label is missing or unreadable, wash in cool water on a gentle cycle instead, because you can't tell what the fabric can take.
Step 6 of 6
Check before the item goes in the dryer
Look at the spot in good light before anything goes in the dryer. If any shadow remains, repeat the detergent pretreat and the enzyme soak, then wash again.
Tip. Hold the fabric up to a window or a bright light for the clearest view.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for balsamic vinegar
A liquid laundry detergent or enzyme pretreater is the right product type for the pretreat and soak. Oxygen-based removers are only for colorfast items, so check the fabric before using one.
Clorox 2 Laundry Stain Remover and Color Booster Powder, 49.2 Ounces
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on this fabric, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light before using any heat. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →How to tell it's working
The spot should look like the rest of the fabric once it's fully dry, with no ring left at its edge. A faint ring is the last trace to fade, so check the edges closely before the item goes anywhere near heat.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your fabric
Whites and white shirts
White cotton and other whites the care label marks as bleach-safe can take every step above, including the hottest wash the label allows. A white shirt gets the same detergent pretreat and enzyme soak as any other cotton.
If a shadow is still there after the wash, the stubborn-stain notes cover the one stronger option that suits bleach-safe whites. Skip that option on blends with spandex and on any white the label doesn't clear for bleach.
Colors and denim
Colored clothes and denim take the same steps, but wash on warm rather than the hottest setting unless the label clearly allows hot and the dye is known to hold. Test a hidden seam with the dish soap solution first, because a dye that isn't colorfast can bleed into the pad.
Skip chlorine bleach on colors, since it can strip dye, and keep rubbing alcohol out of colored items unless a seam test shows the dye holds.
Silk, wool and delicates
Silk, wool and other delicate fibers can't take the enzyme soak, the dish soap pad or any rubbing, so those steps come out. Sponge the spot with cool water only, and if you need more, use a small amount of liquid detergent with no enzymes.
Never use chlorine bleach on these fibers, and let them air dry flat rather than in a dryer. Velvet marked S-coded needs dry cleaning or a solvent-based cleaner only, so take it to a dry cleaner.
Dry-clean-only items
A dry-clean-only item shouldn't go through the washer or dryer, so skip the wash steps entirely. Blot the spot lightly with a clean white cloth, then take the item to a dry cleaner and say it's a balsamic vinegar stain.
Don't add household detergent or oxygen bleach yourself, since those products aren't meant for dry-clean-only fabric. Fresh stains are easier to lift, so don't let it wait.
Old, dried or set-in stains
An old balsamic stain is harder than a fresh one, and it may need more than one pass before it lifts. Some stains are so strong that they won't respond to any effort, so aim for a lighter result rather than a perfect one.
If the spot has dried, pretreat it again with liquid detergent and go through the soak and wash before you decide it's set. Repeat the pretreatment whenever any shadow of the stain remains before the next wash.
If the item has been through the dryer, the stain is set and you should expect a faint mark rather than a perfect result. On white cotton only, rubbing alcohol can lift what's left, using 70% isopropyl or 90% denatured alcohol with no added color or fragrance.
Then, for bleach-safe white cotton only, add diluted chlorine bleach, 1/2 cup bleach in 2 cups water, 5 to 6 minutes into the wash after everything else is rinsed out. If you spot-treat with it, keep it on for no more than 2 minutes.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on balsamic vinegar?
Many common remedies are meant for other stains or are hard on some fabrics, so most aren't worth trying. The ones that do appear are used exactly as the steps and the old-stain notes describe.
Works2Skip4
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't use bar or natural soap
Natural soap makes tannin-type stains harder to remove, and colored vinegar falls in that group. Liquid detergent and the dish soap pad are the right choices here.
Don't iron the spot to check it
Heat from an iron sets the stain the same way a dryer does, so keep it off until the stain is gone. On synthetic fabric, machine drying or ironing over an oil stain can make removal extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Don't mix chlorine bleach with other products
Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia, vinegar, other acids or rubbing alcohol. Rinse each product out with plain water before you move on to the next one.
Don't use rubbing alcohol without testing it
Alcohol can remove fabric dye, so try it on a hidden seam first. Skip it on colored fabric with untested dye, on silk and on acetate.
When to call a professional
If the spot is still visible after two or three full rounds of this, or the item is dry-clean-only or valuable, take it to a professional cleaner. Tell them it's balsamic vinegar and how long it sat, since older stains need a different approach.
Questions
How do you get balsamic vinegar out of carpet?
For carpet, the safe move is to blot up what you can with a clean white cloth and a little plain water, without rubbing. Don't use strong household cleaners on carpet, since they can damage the fibers. If a shadow stays, a professional carpet cleaner is the safer choice than trying stronger products yourself.
Can you mix balsamic vinegar and lemon juice to clean it?
No, leave the lemon juice out. No, skip the lemon juice. Use the detergent pretreat, the dish soap pad, the enzyme soak and a wash in the hottest water the label allows.
Does balsamic vinegar stain clothes?
Yes, it does, because balsamic is a colored vinegar and its dark color can set into fabric. Oil-based dressings are among the tougher food stains, so act on a fresh spot quickly.
Can you use bleach on a balsamic vinegar stain?
Only on bleach-safe white cotton, and only as the final step after everything else has been rinsed out, always diluted. Keep chlorine off wool, silk, spandex, colored items and anything the label doesn't clear for bleach.
How long can a balsamic stain sit before it sets?
Treat it as soon as you can, since fresh stains come out much more easily than ones over 24 hours old. Heat from the dryer sets whatever is left, so keep the item out of it until the stain is gone.
Does a thick glaze or white balsamic need a different method?
No. A thick glaze or white balsamic doesn't change the method, so use the same steps. Blot the thick part first, then pretreat the sticky spot with detergent.
Do I need a special balsamic vinegar stain remover?
Usually not. Liquid detergent handles the pretreat, and the dish soap and enzyme soaks are the only other products needed.
Related
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.