You are on a date with a friend and somehow, red wine managed to find its way out of the glass and on to your pretty white dress.
No need to panic, it’s not the end of the white fabric, you can still redeem it and rock it some more! Red wine or food stains on white fabrics, or any other color for that matter aren’t always permanent. It can be taken care of. The secret is in prompt and immediate action, lots of cold water and carefully handling the white fabric.
All stains have a few things in common such as:
- Getting an early start in trying to remove it. The earlier you start to get rid of the stain, the better.
- Removing as much of the stain as you can, as quickly as possible by blotting the affected area with enough clean water, not rubbing.
Now that you know what stains have in common, these are simple steps you can take to redeem your precious white fabric.
The soap and water method:
Step 1
Hold the affected area(s) under running water and thoroughly rinse off the stain for 30 seconds or more, if the stain has dried up on the white fabric.
Step 2
Apply washing detergent or liquid on the wet area and with your fingers, spread it all over the stain. Dip the affected white fabric in a basin filled with cold water and wash to agitate the white fabric. Remember to be gentle when dealing with a more delicate white fabric like chiffon, silk, `etc.
Step 3
After washing, remove the white fabric from the soapy water, and rinse with cold water until all the soap is completely gone. Now, squeeze gently to remove water. Roll the affected white fabric in a clean white bath towel to remove excess water by twisting the towel around the fabric, and don’t squeeze or press the white fabric while in the towel so that unseen stains or dirt on the towel will not transfer onto the white fabric. Hang it to dry.
Step 4
When the white fabric is completely dry, examine it to see if the stains are all gone. If they are, you can wash the white fabric like you’d normally do. If they are not gone, repeat the process until all the stains are completely gone and your white fabric is back to normal!
The salt method
Step 1:
First, cover the red wine or food stain in enough salt. The salt will absorb the color of the stain and it’ll begin to turn pink.
Step 2
When the salt is all pink, soak the white fabric in cold water with strong washing detergent or liquid. You may have to soak it for a longer time if the stain had dried up on the white fabric.
Step 3
If necessary, soak the white fabric in a fresh basin of cold water, then wash as you’d normally do and hang it to dry.
After all said and done, if the red wine or food stain is still on your white fabric, you can try using hydrogen peroxide on it. Pour a teaspoon on the affected area at a time and spread it evenly with your fingers until the stain is completely gone. Rinse with cold water and dry. DO NOT use hydrogen peroxide on other colors other than white as it may damage the fabric.
There you have it! Easy and simple ways to get wine or food stains off your white fabric.
If you found this helpful, check out our post on self-service laundry. Don’t forget to like, comment and share.