First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Blot up the liquid with a clean, dry white cloth or paper towels. Don't rub, because that spreads the stain.
- Sponge the spot with cool water, or with club soda if you have it, then blot.
- On a fresh spill, sprinkle table salt on the stain right away to soak up some of the wine.
- Keep the item away from the dryer, iron and hot air until the stain is gone.
Red wine on clothing is a tannin stain, and the plant pigment sinks into the fibers fast, which is why the first few minutes matter. A fresh spill on cotton usually lifts in one session, while wine that has sat overnight may only fade over several rounds. If the garment is dry-clean-only or silk, the label decides the whole approach, so read it before any liquid touches the spot.
Rubbing red wine out of clothes only spreads the pigment, so blot from the edge toward the center with a clean cloth. On a white cotton shirt, hydrogen peroxide is a common home try, but test a hidden seam first. If a dried red wine stain on colored clothes won't budge after a few rounds, that's the moment to call a dry cleaner.
6 items
What you'll need
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- Clean white cloth or paper towelsTo blot and catch the wine as it rinses out. (opens Amazon)
- Liquid or granular laundry detergentFor the pretreat and the vinegar soak. (opens Amazon)
- White vinegarFor the 15-minute soak. White only. (opens Amazon)
- Rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl or 90% denatured)For a spot that still shows, after a test. (opens Amazon)
- Oxygen (all-fabric) bleachFor colored clothes, in the wash. (opens Amazon)
- Chlorine bleachOnly for white cotton or linen, added last. (opens Amazon)
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7 steps
How to get red wine out of clothes
Step 1 of 7
Rinse the stain with cool water
Hold the fabric under cool running water from the back, so the wine pushes out rather than deeper in. For a large or dried spot, soak the item in cool water for about 30 minutes instead.
Tip. Keep a clean white towel under the stain to catch the wine.
Step 2 of 7
Pretreat with liquid laundry detergent
Work a liquid laundry detergent into the stain with your fingers, or make a paste of granular detergent and water and spread it over the spot. Leave it on while you set up the vinegar soak.
Step 3 of 715 minutes
Soak in the warm vinegar solution
Mix 1 quart warm water with 1/2 teaspoon detergent and 1 tablespoon white vinegar, then soak the item for 15 minutes. Rinse it thoroughly with plain water when the soak is done.
Tip. Use a bowl big enough that the stained area stays under the liquid.
Step 4 of 7
Dab on rubbing alcohol if color remains
If the stain still shows, dab rubbing alcohol onto it with a clean cloth, working from the back of the fabric. Use 70% isopropyl or 90% denatured alcohol with no added color or fragrance, then rinse the spot thoroughly with water.
Careful. Alcohol can remove fabric dye, so test an inside seam first. Never use it on acetate, triacetate, modacrylic or acrylic without diluting it, and for acetate use 2 parts water to 1 part alcohol.
Step 5 of 7
Launder in the warmest allowed water
Wash the item in the warmest water the care label allows, adding oxygen (all-fabric) bleach to the detergent. On colored clothes, oxygen bleach is the one to use, and only after a test on a hidden spot.
Tip. Wash colored items on their own unless the rest of the load is known to be colorfast.
Step 6 of 7
Add chlorine bleach to white cotton last
On white cotton or linen whose care label allows bleach, add chlorine bleach diluted to 1/2 cup bleach in 2 cups water, 5 to 6 minutes into the wash cycle. Do this only after the earlier steps are fully rinsed out.
Step 7 of 7
Check the spot before drying
Look at the spot in good light once the item is dry, and repeat the soak or wash if any color is left. Only use the dryer or iron once the stain is completely gone.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for red wine
Choose a liquid laundry detergent for pretreating or an enzyme laundry pretreater for a stubborn spot, and use only products whose labels say they're safe for your fabric.
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
Red Wine on every material
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How to tell it's working
The wine should lift onto your white cloth during the first sponge, and the spot should look lighter after each round. When the cloth stops picking up color and the spot is only a faint shadow, the garment is ready for the next step. If nothing changes after the vinegar soak and the alcohol test, the wine has likely set and needs the dried-on approach.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your fabric
Whites and white shirts
White cotton and linen can take the full sequence, so the shirt usually responds well if you stay with the steps. Once the warm vinegar soak is finished and rinsed, check the care label for bleach permission before going any further.
If a faint shadow is left after the wash, a diluted chlorine bleach can go into the final wash, about 1/2 cup of bleach to 2 cups of water added 5 to 6 minutes into the cycle. Rinse out every trace of vinegar, ammonia or alcohol first, since mixing them creates fumes. Keep bleach away from silk, wool and spandex.
Colors and denim
Colored shirts and denim follow the same first steps, but chlorine bleach is off the table because it can strip dye. Oxygen bleach is the substitute, and only once you've confirmed the fabric is colorfast.
Try the product on an inside seam first, pressing a white cloth to the spot. If any dye lifts onto the cloth, stop, skip the bleach and repeat the detergent wash alone.
Silk, wool and delicates
Silk and wool are the most fragile fabrics in this group, so the approach gets gentler, not stronger. Use cool water and a white cloth, and keep chlorine bleach away from both fibers, since it damages them. Repeating a plain-water rinse is the right move if the first pass doesn't lift the spot.
Avoid rubbing, because a scrubbed silk surface roughs up and wool can felt when it's agitated. If a gentle rinse doesn't lift the stain, a dry cleaner is a safer choice than any stronger product. Keep heat away too, since heat sets stains.
Dry-clean-only items
When the label says dry-clean-only, water-based steps are out, so limit yourself to blotting with a clean dry white cloth. Hold the cloth on the wine and let it draw up what it can, without adding any liquid.
Take it in while the spot is fresh, since a recent spill is far easier for a cleaner than a dried one. Note whether the wine had milk, cream or sugar in it, and mention every product you already tried on it.
Cotton and linen
Cotton and linen handle water, soaks and oxygen bleach well, so the steps above work as written. The care label decides whether the chlorine step applies.
Blends and synthetics are more sensitive to heat, so stay with the warm water the label allows and let the vinegar soak do the lifting.
White pants and jeans
White pants and jeans follow the same steps as white cotton. Work the spot from the back of the fabric so the wine pushes out instead of spreading.
Check the inseam and pocket lining after treatment, since wine can seep through to those layers and show up later.
Old, dried or set-in stains
An older red wine stain can respond to a product containing enzymes, so pretreat the spot with it or soak the item in it, then launder. For a stubborn stain, repeat the enzyme pretreat and then the warm vinegar soak once more before you launder.
A stain that has dried can still be treated, so go back to the cool-water rinse and work through the steps again. Old tannin stains may need bleaching for more complete removal, but only on white cotton or linen that the care label allows.
Once a dryer has heated the stain, removal may be impossible, so the realistic goal is to lighten it rather than erase it. If it still shows after all of that, accept that some set-in wine won't come out completely, and stop before repeated harsh treatments damage the fabric.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on red wine?
Most home remedies for red wine either duplicate what works best or are a weaker stand-in for it. On clothes, the cool rinse, liquid laundry detergent and warm vinegar soak are enough, so the others add little.
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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 use colored vinegar in the soak
Colored vinegar can leave its own stain on the fabric, which means two stains to treat. Use plain white vinegar only.
Don't pour bleach on at full strength
Undiluted bleach can weaken the fabric so it tears or wears out sooner. Dilute it first, as the final bleach wash describes.
Don't wait for the wine to dry
Once red wine dries into the fibers, it takes more rounds and sometimes never lifts completely. Sponge the spot with cool water or club soda as soon as you can, then blot with a dry white cloth so the liquid lifts out instead of spreading.
Don't judge the spot while it's wet
A stain often looks lighter when the fabric is soaked, then reappears as the garment dries. Check it in good light with a white cloth pressed on the spot, and if it still shows, repeat the soak rather than moving on.
Don't test rubbing alcohol on colors blind
Rubbing alcohol is the last resort for stubborn wine, and it can pull dye out of colored fabric. Try it on an inside seam first, and if any color shows up on the cloth, skip the alcohol and rely on the soak.
When to call a professional
Take it to a dry cleaner when the label says dry-clean-only, or when the garment is silk or wool and cool water alone hasn't lifted the wine. Get it there while the stain is still fresh, since cleaners have a much easier time with a recent spill. Mention whether you used detergent or vinegar, because those products change what they try next.
Questions
Does red wine stain, and do wine stains come out?
Yes, red wine stains clothes easily. A fresh spill has the best chance of coming out completely if you start with cool water and follow the steps here, while old or heat-dried stains are much harder.
Can dry cleaners remove red wine stains?
A dry cleaner can try to treat a wine stain, which is the right call for dry-clean-only items these steps shouldn't touch. Tell them it's red wine and how long it has been there.
Can I use bleach on red wine on a white shirt?
Yes, on white cotton or linen whose care label allows bleach, you can add chlorine bleach in the final wash. Add it last, after everything from the earlier steps is rinsed out.
Does red wine come out of colored clothes?
It can, but colors carry more risk, so start with the cool-water and detergent soak. Use the oxygen bleach only if the fabric is colorfast.
Can I use hydrogen peroxide on red wine stains?
Yes, the mild drugstore antiseptic version can lift wine, so use it as an extra if color stays. Skip the stronger strength sold for bleaching hair.
Is oxygen bleach enough for red wine stains?
Not on its own. It works best in the wash after the pretreat and vinegar soak, and it needs colorfast fabric.
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.