by Wendy Loft

Created on: November 25, 2006   Last Updated: September 27, 2011

OPPOSITES ATTRACT! for removing red wine stains, You are probably scratching your head, frowning, and thinking, "Huh?" Read onward...

To prevent a wine spill from turning into a stain, QUICK ACTION is the best prevention. However, during celebrations of Christmas, Thanksgiving, occasions during which you have large groups of people gathering to share in festiviites, there are also multiple distractions, and so the likelihood of being able to act quickly on a wine stain might be less.

For RED WINE stains on carpeting or fabric, if you can give it quick attention,

1. Immediately sprinkle the spill with lots of salt to prevent the stain from setting.

2. *This is where "OPPOSITES ATTRACT." Pour some white wine on top of the red wine; this will help to remove the red colouring (the sugars will still have to be removed but this can be done with the later attention you give it).

3. Blot with a clean dry terry cloth, from the outside in, to prevent the stain from spreading.

4. Pour club soda onto the stain; this will activate the stain, causing it to bubble up out of the carpet or fabric. Blot with the clean, dry, terry cloth. Repeat this step until there is no colour transferring from the stain to the terry cloth during blotting.

5. Apply a mildly warm detergent/water mix to the stain (this will remove the sugars left behind from the wine, as well as the club soda). Be sure that the detergent does NOT contain bleach; you don't need that additional problem.
*For carpets, do NOT rub the stain, just blot the detergent into the stain and blot up from outside to centre with a sponge or clean terry towel.

6. As a final step, cover the spot with a clean towel and place a heavy book on top of it (this is for a carpet or upholstery on furniture). When the towel becomes damp replace it with a dry one.

NOTE: Salt is excellent, when added generously to a stain and left to sit, for absorbing the wine and preventing the stain from "setting." Be generous with the salt, applying it until the red wine is no longer being absorbed! You can even leave it sitting overnight and then vacuum it up in the morning. Most of the time, the stain will be gone.

For WHITE WINE spills and stains,

1. Clothing - Pour cold water from the "back" side of the stain to rinse it out of the clothing article. Rub into the stain, dish/laundry detergent (TIDE or SUNLIGHT work well), let sit for 5 minutes and rinse, or if the stain is stubborn, after rubbing in the detergent, let it soak in cold water for -an-hour,

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