Removing wine stains

[balmagowry]

The version I use de-emphasizes the soap, using only a drop or two per cup of peroxide, as a surfactant. More to the point, it also includes 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp baking soda per cup of peroxide. Do NOT store this formula in a closed jar - I'm no chemist, so I'm not sure just how volatile it really is, but I don't care to find out. Supposedly the chemical reaction which is the only thing I know that will kill the stink of mercaptans (i.e. ancient decomposing critter urine) in a carpet is also the one that will make a nice little explosion if sealed up.

BTW, that mixture is only warranted to kill smell, not stain; I'll have to try your version for stains next time there are any. Which there aren't right now in the carpet in question because I just tested another homespun remedy for that and to my utter astonishment it really does work: aerosol shaving cream.

Also BTW, my cousin Jenny (Wine and Rosen; column currently appears weekly in the Rocky Mountain News) frequently complains that though she has written many witty and substantive columns on wine, the most popular one, the one that has garnered by far the most fan mail over the years, is the one that deals with such homebrew stain remedies. Apparently it includes all the above and then some. Guess I'd better go back to the archive and read it. Guess I should have done that before posting this, but when did I ever do anything in proper order?

EDIT: OK, so here's the link to that column, and guess what? a cursory glance tells me that she too endorses the Dawn/peroxide (1:2 ratio, in her case) mix as the hands-down winner for wine stains. Hmmmm. If my dog and cat peed wine, maybe I'd have tried this by now. Course, if my dog and cat peed wine it'd be a whole different ball game anyway.

Edited July 24, 2004 by balmagowry (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Didn't Carson explore this on QEFSG?

Since I just checked the Bravo website, I'll answer my own question. On the Holiday episode Carson recommended the 2:1 ratio of Hydrogen peroxide and Dawn to remove stains caused by some clown bumping into you at a party with a full wine glass.

Of course he prefaced it by saying, "This either makes a bomb or takes out stains, I don't remember which..."

[Pickles]

I assume that the peroxide solution is being used on white table cloths only? It'll leave large bleached out rings on colored cloth. I know you can pour white wine on a red wine stain, and it'll "disappear" it.

[Rebel Rose]

Yes, white wine works like a charm, but it must be poured on immediately, then thoroughly rinsed out with water. The white wine prevents the pigments and proteins in the red from 'setting.'

When tasters here at the winery spill on themselves I hand them a small dixie cup with a little white wine, with instructions to rinse the spot with wine and then water (in the bathroom of course . . .). It always works, but leaves me with the perpetually unasked question: "Why did you wear white?"

Edited July 25, 2004 by DoverCanyon (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

(bumping this topic up for spring holidays like Passover and Easter)

Has anyone ever tried this product to deal with spilled wine on table linens?

Winemagic

Proven effective to remove almost any wine stain:

-All Wines: Red, Rosé, White, Dessert (port, etc.)

-Also effective on Grape Juice, Dark Beer and Cola

-New, Set-In, and even most Old Stains

Safe for almost any surface:

-Color Safe for almost all fabrics

-Use on Clothes, Upholstery, Carpet, Table Cloths, Etc.

[Smithy]

This is the first I've heard of it, and I wish I'd heard of it 2 years ago. Gracie Mu (see my avatar) was a kitten then. She kept climbing on my lap, then onto the desk, and I kept pulling her off. When she grabbed the mouse pad and I pulled her back into my lap, I realized just a split-second too late that my glass of zinfandel was on the pad. Did you know that a glass of wine that lands on the carpet can bounce? The carpet and the room paint are all an off-white, natch. I was scrubbing for hours...the carpet, the walls, the bedspread. The next morning I looked up and realized that there was wine on the ceiling. I never have quite gotten those to go away.

[Kent Wang]

Anyone try Oxiclean?

[snowangel]

OK. I'm desperate. It's a vintage, appliqued tablecloth. It's my least favorite of the dozen I own, so if it's toast, it's toast.

But, all I could do as the last of the 100 left last night was stick it in a plastic bag in the freezer.

HELP!

[Nyleve Baar]

Best thing(s) ever for wine: Wine Out (that's the name of the product) or Gonzo. Both work like absolute magic. I keep a bottle of either one of them in the dining room at all times. You can get them (one or the other anyway) at places like Linens and Things and Bed, Bath and Beyond. In the cleaning section.

You just squirt some of the stuff on the wine spot and it instantly turns blue, then washes out. Seriously indispensable at my house.

[slbunge]

OK.  I'm desperate.  It's a vintage, appliqued tablecloth.  It's my least favorite of the dozen I own, so if it's toast, it's toast.

But, all I could do as the last of the 100 left last night was stick it in a plastic bag in the freezer.

HELP!

←

Not sure where you'd find it in the Twin Cities but I swear by Carbona Stain Devils. They come in small yellow plastic bottles and are specific to various stains. Check the 'stain removal' aisle of a large grocery store any you may be able to find it. I've never had a problem with it damaging the fabric but a test would be a good idea.

Their website has some more information.

No two stains are the same. A coffee stain is different from a chocolate stain. A butter stain is different from an ice cream stain. And even though they're both red, a pizza stain is very different from a stain made by red wine. So you can't expect a single all-purpose stain remover or pre-wash to get all of them all the way out.

That's why we created Carbona Stain Devils - 9 powerful formulas made to get out different types of stains. Stain Devils are safe and effective on washable and water-safe fabrics, excluding silk, acetate, carpeting or upholstery. And every formula is dermatologically tested to be safe for your hands - and environmentally friendly for disposal.

[joiei]

I use a product that I can only get at Publix supermarkets. I have to have it shipped in. It is called S-32. I was turned on to it by the chief steward on the boss's boat. I tried to buy it directly from the manufacturer, but they do no retail sales and only make this for Publix. It sucks when there is not one handy. But the product works.

[etalanian]

We had a holiday party and one of our friendly but tipsy guests spilled a glass of cabernet on one of our oriental rugs, but failed to tell us. We found it after the last guests left, and my husband poured seltzer on it right away, but the stain didn't come up.

THE NEXT DAY - and I say that, because I always thought these things needed to be taken care of right away - I bought a product called Wine Away at Linens and things or Bed Bath and Beyond. I went home and used it, according to the directions, and the stain disappeared. I've since used it on tablecloths, napkins, clothing, and furniture. It's great stuff.

Eileen

[snowangel]

Update. My cousin called me and told me before she stuck the affected tablecloth in the freezer in a plastic bag that she coated it with Dawn dishwashing detergent. It is fresh from a run through my front loader, ironed and rollied up and I have to tell you, this thing looks better than it ever did.

Reminder to self. Those old linens are pretty sturdy and Dawn is a good thing to have around. I confered with an aunt after the party and that tablecloth is some 75 years old.

The one thing I learned. These vintage linens long to be used and loved. If folded and stashed away, they develop yellow lines along the folds.

Bring them out folks. Use them. As I ironed the tablecloth today, I realized that whoever embroidered and appliqued the thing intended for the item to be loved and used. And yesterday, it was!

[LaurieB]

Oxyclean is a miracle. A friend at dinner knocked over a full glass of red, which was mopped up with a bunch of cloth napkins. I dumped them (the next day) into a tub of water & Oxyclean and WATCHED the stains disappear.

Several of my chef friends swear by it for their whites, too.