First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Blot the liquid with a clean, dry white cloth or white paper towel; don't rub.
- On a fresh spill, sprinkle table salt on the stain right away to absorb some of it.
- Keep the paper away from heat, including dryers, irons and hot air.
- Don't wet it; paper can't take water, club soda or any other liquid.
Red wine on paper is a tannin stain, and paper is far less forgiving than fabric because plain water can wreck the sheet. A fresh spill can be lifted with dry methods if you act right away, but embedded stains are not something home surface cleaning will remove. Treat the page gently from the first blot onward.
A wine stain on paper calls for a different kind of care than one on fabric, so identify the paper before you touch it. Photographs and prints, and books with bound pages, each need you to keep moisture away from the image or the binding. Brittle, flaking or hand-colored paper is a case to stop on and call a conservator rather than try a home fix.
Before you start
What paper, books & photos can take
Use with care1
- Scrubbing and abrasives
Avoid5
- Water
- Hot water
- Soaking
- Solvents (alcohol, spot removers)
- Heat, once the stain is out
4 items
What you'll need
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- Clean white cloth or white paper towelsLift the wine without adding color or moisture. (opens Amazon)
- Table saltOptional on fresh spills; it absorbs some of the wine. (opens Amazon)
- Soft natural-bristle brushBrushes away loose salt gently. (opens Amazon)
- Cool, dry flat surfaceLets the paper dry without heat.
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5 steps
Step by step
Step 1 of 5
Blot up the wine
Press a clean, dry white cloth or white paper towel onto the wine and lift it away. Move to a clean section of the cloth as it soaks up liquid, and keep going until nothing more transfers.
Careful. Rubbing spreads the wine and can damage the paper fibers.
Step 2 of 5
Salt a fresh spill
If the spill is fresh, sprinkle table salt over the stain right away so it absorbs some of the wine. Leave the salt on until it has taken up the liquid, then blot again with a clean, dry cloth.
Skip this on a stain that has already dried, since the salt won't do much then.
Step 3 of 5
Brush away the salt
Brush the salt off with a soft natural-bristle brush, using light strokes that lift the grains away from the paper. Work from the outside edge toward the center so loose grains don't fall into the stain.
Step 4 of 5
Keep the paper cool and dry
Lay the paper flat in a cool, relatively dry place, away from radiators and vents. Let it dry out without adding any moisture, and don't roll or press it while it is still damp.
Step 5 of 5
Check the stain and stop
Look at the spot in good light once it is fully dry. If it is faint or gone, you're finished. If it is still clear and dark, leave it as it is and use the professional advice below.
Tip. Note what you did and when, so a conservator knows what has already been handled.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for red wine on paper, books & photos
A soft natural-bristle brush and plain table salt are the only products you need. Skip any liquid stain remover, since none of them can be used on paper.
Morton Iodized Table Salt
These are the everyday supplies the steps above use, in the versions most people buy on Amazon.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light. 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
A fresh spill should look lighter after the blotting and the salt, with less wine on the cloth each time you press. Once the mark stops changing and the page feels dry, stop handling it. A faint shadow may remain, and that is about the most dry methods can usually do.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your paper, books & photos
Books and bound pages
Put a clean white paper towel under the stained page and another between it and the facing page, so the wine can't transfer across the gutter. Keep the book open flat and support its spine rather than pressing down on it.
Don't use eraser granules in a book, because they get trapped in the gutter and can't be brushed out. If the wine has soaked through several pages, leave the book closed and have a paper conservator look at it.
Photographs and prints
Photographs and prints are the exception, because the image surface shouldn't be cleaned at home. Don't blot, salt or brush them, and never use canned air on them.
Don't freeze old photographs or negatives either. Keep the print cool and dry, and take it to a photograph conservator if it matters to you.
Brittle, flaking or hand-colored paper
Brittle paper, loose pastel, pencil or charcoal, flaking ink and hand-colored items should not be surface-cleaned at all. Even the dry steps can lift the medium, so handle them as little as possible.
If the stain is on one of these, keep the item flat and cool and ask a paper conservator what is safe. Mold shouldn't be wiped either, since it may only spread or smear.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is a wall covering, and the wet cleaning people often try on it isn't safe on paper here. The dry steps above are the limit for paper, so don't go past them.
Embedded stains aren't removed by home surface cleaning, so if the mark has gone deep, a conservator is the next step. For cleaning the wall itself, see the Walls guide.
Tape or adhesive residue
Tape residue is one of the few paper problems that needs a conservator rather than a home method. Pulling or scraping at a sticky patch can tear the sheet and spread the adhesive.
Leave the residue alone and have the item assessed before anything else touches it.
Old, dried or set-in stains
There isn't a safe home treatment for an old wine stain on paper, so leave out soaking, bleaching and any cleaning product. A stain that has been there a while has usually soaked into the fibers and dried, which limits what dry handling can lift.
Once a stain has dried, more dry blotting is the most you should try. If the item has been through a dryer or ironed, the heat has likely set the stain, and removal may now be impossible.
A mark that is still there is a job for a conservator, and some embedded stains are left as they are while the item is stored better. Be realistic: you may get a lighter stain, not a clean page.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on red wine on paper, books & photos?
Most common stain remedies don't belong on paper, because nearly all of them are liquids or cleaners the paper can't take. Paper can only take a dry blot and a little salt on a fresh spill, so skip the liquids entirely.
Works1Skip1Avoid6
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't use soap or detergent
Bar soap, dish soap and laundry detergent all make tannin stains harder to remove. Check the ingredient list of any product before it goes near the paper, since natural soap is the usual culprit.
Don't dry or iron it until the stain is gone
Heat from a dryer, iron or hot air sets tannin stains and can make them impossible to remove. Keep the paper well away from all of these until you're sure the mark has gone.
Don't add water or other liquids
Water, club soda, vinegar, peroxide and alcohol all count as liquids, and paper can't take any of them. Wet paper can spread the wine and weaken the sheet.
Don't use tape or adhesives
Self-stick tape, sticky notes and glue can be extremely difficult to remove, and they leave residue on paper. Keep them off the stain and the surrounding page.
When to call a professional
Call a paper conservator when the item is valuable, has embedded stains or tape residue, or is handled often. Find one through a professional directory for the field, and ask what they would do before you try anything else. Treatment decisions on valuable items should be made with a professional rather than at home.
Questions
Can I blot wine off paper with water?
No. Paper can't take water, and even a damp cloth can spread the wine and weaken the sheet. Blot with a clean, dry white cloth instead.
Does leaving the stain alone help?
No, waiting only gives the wine more time to soak into the fibers. Start blotting right away, while the stain is still wet and easiest to lift.
Will the stain disappear completely?
Not always. A faint mark can remain even after careful dry handling, and home methods can't promise full removal. Keep the paper cool and dry, and you'll get the best result the dry steps allow.
Can a conservator fix an old wine stain?
Sometimes, depending on the item and how deep the stain has gone. A conservator can decide what is safe, and for valuable pieces they may leave the stain and improve storage instead.
Can I rub the stain with an eraser?
Not as a rubbing tool. Block, putty and electric erasers are off-limits on paper, and eraser crumbs get trapped in the gutter of a book. Use the blotting and brushing steps instead.
Is a stain kit safe to use on paper?
Most kits are liquid cleaners, which paper can't take. Stick to the dry steps here and the salt on a fresh spill, and ask a conservator about anything more.
Red Wine on other materials
Other stains on paper, books & photos
Start from the bigger picture
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.