First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Blot up the spill with a dry white cloth or paper towels; don't rub.
- Sponge or rinse promptly in cool water.
- Test any remover on a hidden area first.
- Keep it out of the dryer until the stain is gone.
Beer soaked into clothing is a tannin-type stain, and the first few minutes after the spill decide how much of it you'll be dealing with. A fresh splash on cotton often lifts with cool water, but a mark that has been drying in the weave for hours may only fade, not vanish, and that's the realistic expectation to start with.
Beer stains on white shirts respond well to a prewash stain remover spray or stick before the load goes in. Check the mark is fully gone before the dryer, since heat can lock in whatever is left. If clothes still smell of beer after washing, air them out before the next wash.
7 items
What you'll need
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- Liquid laundry detergentFor the pretreatment, the wash, and the detergent in the soak. (opens Amazon)
- Granular laundry detergentMakes a paste with water if you don't have liquid detergent on hand. (opens Amazon)
- White vinegarGoes into the soak for a stain that remains. (opens Amazon)
- 70% isopropyl alcohol or 90% denatured alcoholFor the sponge after the soak, with no added color or fragrance. (opens Amazon)
- Clean white cloths or paper towelsFor blotting the spill and sponging on the alcohol. (opens Amazon)
- Measuring spoons and a 1-quart containerFor the exact amounts in the soak.
- Chlorine bleach or oxygen bleachFor the final wash, depending on what the fabric can take. (opens Amazon)
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6 steps
How to get beer out of clothes
Step 1 of 6
Rinse the stain from the back
Turn the item inside out and hold the stain under cool running water, or sponge it from the back so the beer pushes out instead of deeper into the weave. Work quickly, since every minute the stain sits gives it more time to set.
Tip. Set the item on a towel so the stain doesn't spread back through the fabric.
Step 2 of 6
Pretreat with liquid detergent
Rub liquid laundry detergent into the stain with your fingers, or work a paste of granular laundry detergent and water into it. Leave the pretreatment on the stain while you get the rest of the treatment ready.
Tip. Work from both sides of the fabric so the detergent reaches the stain.
Careful. Check the detergent label for natural soap, because soap sets tannin stains.
Step 3 of 615 minutes
Soak in vinegar if it remains
If you can still see the stain, soak the item for 15 minutes in 1 quart of warm water with 1/2 teaspoon detergent and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Rinse it well with plain water once the soak is done.
Step 4 of 6
Sponge with alcohol and rinse
Dab the stain with a clean cloth dampened with 70% isopropyl alcohol, or 90% denatured alcohol with no added color or fragrance. Rinse the item thoroughly with water before it goes into the wash.
Careful. Rubbing alcohol can remove fabric dye, so test a hidden spot first.
Step 5 of 6
Wash in the hottest safe water
Wash the item with detergent in the hottest water the care label allows. Keep it away from the dryer until the bleach wash is done.
Step 6 of 6
Finish with bleach as the last step
Once everything is rinsed out, add bleach to a wash. Use chlorine bleach on white cotton or linen that is bleach-safe, or oxygen bleach on anything else. Check the item in good light before it goes anywhere near heat.
Careful. Dilute chlorine bleach first; undiluted bleach can weaken fabric so it tears sooner.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for beer
Look for a liquid laundry detergent, an enzyme pretreater, or a prewash stain remover that's safe for colorfast items, and skip any product that lists natural soap among its ingredients.
Shout Triple-Acting Laundry Stain Remover
Puracy Laundry Stain Remover
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 →Pick what it is on
Beer on every material
No match. Try the main search for anything else.
How to tell it's working
Each blot should pull color onto the cloth, and the mark should look lighter after every pass through the vinegar and alcohol. If the cloth stays clean and the mark is still there after a full wash, the tannin has likely bonded to the fibers, so move to the old-stain section. Don't put it in the dryer while any of the mark is still visible, or you'll set what's left.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your fabric
White shirts and cotton whites
White cotton and linen tolerate the most aggressive help, so they're the easiest place to win against a beer mark. After the soak and rinse, check the label for a bleach symbol before you reach for chlorine.
If a faint shadow survives the wash, a bleach-safe white can take chlorine as a final trace treatment, but only after a thorough rinse. Skip it on any blend you're unsure of, since a white label alone doesn't tell you the fibers can handle bleach.
Colored shirts and jeans
Colored shirts and jeans get the same rinse and detergent steps, but the bleach choice changes. Chlorine can strip dye, so use an oxygen-type product only after you've confirmed the fabric is colorfast.
Test a hidden seam by dabbing the product on and blotting it with a white cloth. If any color lifts onto the cloth, stop and rely on the detergent pass alone.
Silk ties and wool
Silk and wool are where a beer mark does the most damage if you push too hard. Keep the water cool, use only a light dab, and skip every kind of bleach, since chlorine isn't safe on wool, silk or spandex.
Pat gently and never rub, because friction roughens these fibers and wool can felt under agitation. If a gentle dab doesn't lift the mark, the next move is a dry cleaner rather than a stronger product from the cabinet.
Dry-clean-only pieces
A dry-clean-only label takes water-based treatment off the table for you. Blot what you can with a white cloth, keep the piece flat, and let a cleaner handle the rest.
Bring it in quickly, since a fresh beer mark is far easier to lift than one that has been through a wash cycle or a dryer. Say it was beer, when it happened and whether it's been heated at all, so they know what to expect.
Polyester and other synthetics
Polyester and other synthetics take cool or warm water and a soak, but they can't take hot water or high heat, so the wash and drying steps change. Keep the item out of the dryer and off the iron until the stain is gone, since synthetics can melt under high heat.
Chlorine and oxygen bleach are both allowed on synthetics only if the label permits, so test a hidden seam before using either. Ties are often polyester or silk, so check the label before you choose the wash. If you can't tell what the fiber is, stick to cool water and detergent.
Old, dried or set-in stains
An old beer stain, one you noticed days later, needs more time than a fresh one. Start by soaking the item in cool water, then pretreat with a product containing enzymes. For a stubborn spot, make a pad of 1/2 teaspoon enzyme product in 1/2 cup warm water, keep it on the stain for 30 minutes, then flush with water.
If the stain has dried, keep it damp and don't apply heat, since drying is what makes tannin stains stick. Repeat the soak and the alcohol sponge once, rinsing well between each remover.
If the stain went through the dryer or an iron, it may not come out fully, because heat makes it more permanent. For the final try, use bleach on bleach-safe white cotton or linen, or oxygen bleach on colorfast items, after everything is rinsed out. If a faint mark remains, that's a realistic result, and a dry cleaner can look at it next.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on beer?
Plenty of kitchen remedies get suggested for beer stains, but only a few belong on clothes. Start with a cool rinse and liquid detergent, and save vinegar and alcohol for a stain that stays.
Works3Helps4Skip1
Chemical safety
Never mix these
Some products in this guide react dangerously with each other. Use them one at a time and rinse with water in between.
Chlorine bleach + Vinegar
Vinegar is an acid, and acid mixed with bleach gives off toxic chlorine gas.
Chlorine bleach + Oxygen bleach (OxiClean)
Both makers advise against combining them: OxiClean says not to mix it with chlorine bleach, and Clorox says the two bleaches cancel each other out.
Chlorine bleach + Hydrogen peroxide (3%)
Washington State's health department says bleach reacts with hydrogen peroxide, and Clorox says not to mix bleach with other household chemicals.
Oxygen bleach (OxiClean) + Vinegar
OxiClean's maker says it should not be mixed with household chemicals other than detergent in the wash.
If they mix by accident: Stop and add nothing else; leave the area for fresh air, open windows and keep children and pets away; call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, or 911 if anyone has trouble breathing.
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't let it dry on the fabric
Beer that dries becomes much harder to lift, and heat from a dryer or iron locks in whatever is left. Rinse or sponge the spill as soon as you can, even if the wash has to wait.
Don't use colored vinegar in the soak
Only white vinegar belongs in the soak, because colored vinegar can leave its own stain on the fabric. Check the bottle label before you pour it into the water.
Don't wash it before checking the care label
The label decides whether you can use hot water, chlorine bleach or a dryer, and guessing wrong can ruin the item. If you can't find a label or identify the fiber, use cool water and skip the bleach until you know what it's made of.
Don't rub the beer into the weave
Rubbing pushes the liquid deeper between the threads and spreads it past the edge of the mark. Press a dry white cloth or paper towel onto the stain and lift it straight up instead.
Don't skip the alcohol test
Rubbing alcohol is useful on this stain, but it can pull dye out of colored or printed shirts. Dab a hidden seam first and make sure the cloth stays clean before you treat the visible mark.
Don't reach for chlorine on colored clothes
Chlorine bleach can strip color from anything that isn't colorfast, and a bright shirt can end up with a pale patch where the beer was. Check the care label and a hidden seam before you use it on anything other than white cotton or linen.
When to call a professional
A dry cleaner is the better route for any piece marked dry-clean only, and for silk, wool or a tie you care about. If a washable item still shows a mark after two careful rounds, hand it over too. Mention the beer, when it happened, and whether you used vinegar or alcohol, since that changes what they can safely use.
Questions
Does beer stain clothes, shirts, jeans, or fabric?
Yes, beer is a tannin-type stain, and it marks shirts, jeans and other fabrics. A fresh spill usually comes out completely when you treat it right away. The longer it dries, the harder it is to lift.
Can you get beer out of a white shirt?
Usually, yes, if you treat it quickly. Rinse it from the back, pretreat with liquid detergent, and wash in the hottest water the care label allows. A white cotton or linen shirt can also take the bleach in the last step.
How do I get the beer smell out?
The smell usually goes when the stain does, so treat the stain fully rather than stopping at the first rinse. If the item still smells of beer after washing, repeat the wash rather than drying it, since the dryer sets anything left behind.
Which beer stain remover should I use?
A liquid laundry detergent or an enzyme pretreater is the right starting point for beer on clothes. For stubborn stains, reach for an oxygen bleach, but only on colorfast items.
Can I get beer out of a silk tie or polyester?
Yes, but the fiber decides how you do it. Silk and wool need gentle handling, and polyester can take cool water and a soak but never heat. If you can't tell what the tie is made of, use cool water and detergent only, and ask a dry cleaner before going further.
Can I use bleach on a beer stain?
Only as the last step, and only on fabric that can take it. Chlorine bleach works on white cotton or linen that is bleach-safe, and oxygen bleach is the alternative for everything else.
What if the beer stain has already dried?
Dried beer is harder to lift, but it's still worth treating. Work through the soak and alcohol steps, then wash, and use the set-in options if the stain is still visible.
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.