Imagine you're at a rooftop get-together in your favorite white top, someone bumps your elbow, and a full glass of red wine lands right on you. You probably start panicking because most people know how hard it is to get a wine stain out once it's dried. Luckily, there is a solution and it does not involve bleach or rushing to the dry cleaners. According to a stain-removal guide published by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, a certain household recipe can help remove most of the stain from the fabric before it sets for good.
Why wine stains are so stubborn on fabric
It is a good idea to know what makes it difficult to deal with a wine spill before attempting to clean it up. Wine's dark red color is due to anthocyanins, naturally occurring plant pigments which can be found in various fruits and vegetables, such as berries, grapes, and red cabbage. A 2021 study in Molecules, ‘Optimization of a Sustainable Protocol for the Extraction of Anthocyanins as Textile Dyes from Plant Materials,’ describes anthocyanins as water-soluble pigments responsible for coloring fruits and flowers, and notes they're effective enough as natural colorants that researchers have used them to dye wool yarn. These pigments are water-soluble in nature, so time matters when dealing with them: the longer they linger, the more strongly they bind to fabric fibers. In simpler terms, it is the same chemistry of anthocyanins that makes them useful as dyes for fabrics that causes the wine stain to be so difficult to remove.
The first move that matters
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension guide recommends starting as soon as the spill occurs and not once the fabric dries. Pour salt on the stain to help absorb some of the liquid before it spreads. Then, sponge the area immediately with cold water or club soda, depending on what you have. Do not rub the stain, but dab it since rubbing can make the pigment go deeper into the fabric. Blot the area, let the fabric air-dry, and then move on to the next step.
