How To Remove Old Wine Stains

Wine-stains-2-640x240Photo from here.

I just had to share this with you my friends, this story of a little Purim miracle that occurred in my home the night before Purim, and that may very well be of great use to you after the Passover seder! It goes like this: my husband has a traditional Moroccan robe that he bought last year to wear on Purim. One of our beloved guests spilled wine all over the front of the garment, and given that it’s creamy yellow stripes and of unknown fabric content I just didn’t know what to do! So not so surprisingly, that robe sat in the closet for a full year, until I got up the courage to look for a solution. And low and behold, I found it! Yes indeed, I was able to successfully remove all of the wine stains, and now know how to remove the new stains that happened this year. Honestly I couldn’t believe it myself!

You’ll Need:

  • hydrogen peroxide (mai chamsan in Hebrew), available in Israel at your local pharmacy in small bottles, about 10 shekels a bottle
  • liquid dish soap
  • a spray bottle
  • an old toothbrush

How To:

Fill your spray bottle with a solution of 1 cup water with 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide, and then add a little bit of liquid dish soap. Spray the solution directly on the stain, and stand by as the stain disappears. Use an old toothbrush to gently scrub the stain if necessary. Depending on the type of fabric and size of stain, you may have to spray and wait several times, even over the course of several hours, but do keep an eye on the garment to make sure the hydrogen peroxide isn’t acting as a bleaching agent.  I did not have this problem, but it can happen, so don’t leave your garment unattended! And incidentally, after treating and removing the spots, wash your garments immediately.

Apparently, this process doesn’t actually remove the wine from your garment, rather it removes the color from the wine such that the stain becomes invisible! And I read that this formula works well on any organic stains, so try it on coffee stains, chocolate stains, tea stains, you name it. I have some clothes with mold stains on them (don’t ask….) so I’m going to try this method for that too!

And last of all, one of the really great things about this little tip is that if someone spills wine at your next party you don’t have to be a frantic hostess and worry about treating the stain immediately. That does seem like a sure way to make everyone a little uncomfortable don’t you think? Just smile and say “don’t worry, I’ll take care of it later!” I do wish there were more simple solutions to all of life’s little spills, don’t you?


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Comments

10 responses to “How To Remove Old Wine Stains”

  1. Eleanor Levie Avatar

    Oh, creative Jewish mom: ideas for rescuing fabric problems is always welcome!! Thanks!

  2. Sara Rivka Avatar

    Youre so welcome Eleanor, and if youre ever interested on guest posting on my blog with a quilting DIY, Id love to discuss it with you!

  3. martine Avatar
    martine

    hi, thanks so much for this. I went out and bought some peroxide today and they asked what strength I wanted! I got some 9% strength peroxide. Do you think you could let us know please, which strength you are thinking of? I think it comes in 3% 6 % and 9%.
    thanks

  4. Sara Rivka Avatar

    Hi Martine, I really dont know what strength I used, since its only sold in one strength here, but Id go with the 3% to be on the safe side, so as not to risk discoloring the fabric. All the best!

  5. Linda Berk Avatar
    Linda Berk

    I love this stain removal tip!! Thank you. Tried it on blood stains and grass stains and it worked beautifully. Yes, patience as more than one treatment may be necessary. Linda B

  6. Sara Rivka Avatar

    Thanks Linda, Ive used it again this year to remove old wine stains, huge puddles really, and it worked like a charm!

  7. Katie Avatar
    Katie

    This didn’t work for me. Maybe I have the wrong peroxide. Any ideas what one to use?

  8. Howard Avatar
    Howard

    Thank you so much. I searched the internet on several occasions looking for just such a solution and almost resigned myself to getting new carpet. The 18+ month old red wine stains disappeared in a jiffy. After letting the carpet dry I noticed I needed a second application and then it was perfect. I’m not sure why this solution was so hard to find but I’m glad I found it. Rav todot!

  9. Sara Rivka Avatar

    You are very welcome, so glad you found the solution! And just remember, it supposedly also works on any stain that is organic, including rust!

  10. josh Avatar

    thanks should try this

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