The Best Way to Get Wine Out of Clothes, According to Laundry Experts

There’s nothing quite like a cozy wine night at home with friends. The conversation and the wine are flowing, and the charcuterie is a smash hit. But suddenly, tragedy strikes: you’ve spilled half of your glass of Pinot Noir onto your favorite pants. Fortunately, they can be saved.

We chatted with laundry experts who divulged their top methods for bidding farewell to stubborn wine stains, as well as common mistakes to avoid during their removal.

The First Steps to Take After a Wine Spill

It’s critical to act quickly to successfully lift wine stains. First, you'll want to blot the stain to soak up excess wine, says Tom Ceconi, president of Heritage Park Laundry Essentials. “Don't rub,” he warns. “This is a big no-no because rubbing can drive the stain deeper and wider into the fabric.”

Next, you’ll want to check the clothing’s care tag. For pieces that aren’t machine washable or are made from wool, cashmere, silk, or leather, our experts recommend taking them directly to a dry cleaner. For clothing that is machine washable, Mary Gagliardi, in-house scientist and cleaning expert at Clorox, suggests using club soda or water to rinse the stain before proceeding.

When to Go to the Dry Cleaner's

If you’ve checked the clothing’s care tag and it says dry-clean only, it’s important to seek professional assistance.

Additionally, if you’ve attempted to remove the stain once or twice yourself and the wine hasn’t budged, it’s also best to take the piece to a professional, says cleaning and laundry expert Alicia Sokolowski. She also recommends leaving anything that is “expensive, sentimental, or structured” to professionals. 

How to Treat Wine Stains by Fabric Type

“You can use the same approach for white wine stains as you would for red wine stains whenever it’s necessary,” Gagliardi says. Where your cleaning method will differ, however, is by fabric typic.

After blotting and rinsing your garment, refer to the stain-removal instructions for its specific fabric type below.

For Most Machine-Washable Clothing (Including Cotton, Polyester, Spandex, and Nylon)

For durable, machine-washable clothes (think cotton pants or a polyester top), Ceconi shares his go-to method for wine stain removal. 

1. Lay the stained item of clothing flat, and cover the stain with salt.
2. Pour club soda on top of the salted stain. 
3. Let the mixture sit on the item for an hour. Then, brush off the salt.
4. Use an enzyme-based stain removal stick or treatment, applying it to the stained area.
5. Soak the clothing item in warm water with a capful of dish detergent and a tablespoon of white vinegar.
6. Ceconi stresses against the use of chlorine bleach for its harsh chemical makeup. Instead, and if the garment's care label permits, soak the item in oxygen bleach to further lift the stain.
7. After allowing the item to soak, wash the item in warm water with a mild laundry detergent. Post-wash, inspect the item thoroughly to ensure the stain has lifted. If it hasn’t, repeat the process. 

For White, Bleach-Safe Clothing

Gagliardi says to always avoid bleaching clothing made from materials like wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex—even if the item is white. But for other white, bleach-safe clothing, she shares her preferred treatment method.

1. Mix ¼ of a cup of chlorine bleach with ¾ cup of water in a bowl.
2. Next, Gagliardi says to apply the chlorine bleach and water mixture to the stain.
3. Place the item in the washing machine and launder using the warmest water recommended on the care tag. Gagliardi says to add “a good detergent and ⅓ cup of bleach.”
4. After the item has been washed, inspect it thoroughly to ensure you’ve successfully removed the stain. If you haven’t, repeat the process a second time before drying. (The high heat from your dryer can further set the stain.)

For Rayon and Acrylic Clothing

Amanda Abraham, laundry expert at Maytag Laundry, recommends this method for clothing made from rayon or acrylic fibers.

1. Fill up a sink or basin with cool water. Add a small amount of mild detergent.
2. Soak the stained garment in the mixture. Use your hands to agitate the soapy water through the garment.
3. Based on the item’s care tag, wash the clothing in the warmest water it can tolerate.
4. Before drying, evaluate the item to see if the wine stain has completely lifted. If stains persist, repeat the above process a second time. For stains that still haven’t budged, take the item to a professional dry cleaner. 

5 Wine Stain Removal Dos and Don'ts

In your efforts to remove wine stains, take care not to make these mistakes that can damage fabrics or set the stain further into fibers.

• ALWAYS treat the stain ASAP. It can be tempting to deal with the stain tomorrow, but you may risk ‘baking’ the wine into the fabric. Working quickly gives you a greater chance of fully removing the stain.
• NEVER rinse a dry-clean only piece. Gagliardi says your best course of action here is to simply blot up as much of the stain as possible and get the item to a dry cleaner for professional treatment.
• NEVER rub the stain. This drives the stain deeper into the fabric, our experts explain. Blot up liquid instead.
• ALWAYS review the item’s care tag. To avoid potentially ruining a piece of clothing, it’s important to read the manufacturer’s care tag and follow the prescribed directions. 
• NEVER apply heat before the stain is gone. Avoid laundering with hot water or machine drying until the stain has completely lifted. "Once heat is applied to a wine stain, the pigments chemically bond to the fibers," Sokolowski explains. "At that point, even professionals may not be able to save it."