How to Remove Red Wine Stains from Clothes

Red wine is a tannin stain, which means it bonds quickly with fabric fibres as it dries. The most important thing you can do is act in the first few minutes. After that, it's a combination of the right chemistry and patience.

Here's exactly what works — based on what we handle at our facility every week.

Step 1: Blot immediately, don't rub

The instinct is to scrub. Don't. Scrubbing pushes the wine deeper into the weave and spreads the stain sideways. Instead, press a clean white cloth or paper towel flat against the stain and lift straight up. Repeat until you've pulled up as much liquid as you can.

Work from the outside edge toward the centre to keep the stain from spreading.

Step 2: Cold water from the back

Take the garment to a sink and hold it under cold running water — but run the water from the back of the fabric, not the front. The goal is to push the stain out of the fibres rather than forcing it deeper in.

Never use warm or hot water at this stage. Red wine contains tannins and pigments that bind permanently to fabric when heated.

Step 3: Salt or club soda for fresh spills

If the stain is still wet and you're not near a sink, pour table salt over it generously. Salt draws the moisture out of the fabric before it fully sets. Leave it for a couple of minutes, then brush off and head to the sink.

Club soda works similarly — the carbonation helps agitate the stain loose. Pour it directly onto the stained area and blot as it fizzes.

Neither salt nor club soda will fully remove the stain on their own. They buy you time.

Step 4: Oxygen bleach soak

This is the step most people skip, and it's the most important one for older or partially dried stains.

Mix oxygen bleach (OxiClean is the most widely available) with cold water according to the package directions. Submerge the stained area completely and let it soak for 30 to 60 minutes. For stains that have dried, soak overnight.

Oxygen bleach is colour-safe and works on tannin-based stains by releasing oxygen that breaks apart the stain molecules. It's not the same as chlorine bleach — don't use chlorine bleach on coloured fabrics.

Step 5: Wash cold, then check before drying

Machine wash on cold as normal. When the cycle finishes, pull the garment out and inspect it in good light — ideally daylight — before putting it anywhere near a dryer.

If you can still see the stain, retreat. Repeat the oxygen bleach soak and wash again.

This step matters more than any other. Dryer heat permanently sets tannin stains. Once it's dried in, professional treatment is the only remaining option.

When to skip home treatment

Some fabrics shouldn't be treated with water or bleach at home:

• Silk — water alone can leave permanent rings; bleach destroys the fibre
• Wool and cashmere — hot water and agitation cause irreversible shrinkage
• Structured garments — suits, blazers, and tailored pieces can lose their shape when wet
• Dry clean only labels — these exist for a reason

For any of these, blot gently and get the garment to a dry cleaner as quickly as possible. The faster you move, the better the result.

What we use at our facility

At our Maple Ridge facility, we treat incoming stains before the wash cycle with a protease-based enzyme pre-treatment. Enzyme cleaners break down organic stains — including the proteins and tannins in red wine — at a molecular level before the wash even begins.

We also do a post-wash inspection before anything goes in the dryer. If a stain isn't fully gone, it gets retreated. This is the same process whether it's a first wash or a third treatment.

If you have a wine-stained item that hasn't responded to home treatment, send it with your next pickup and note the stain in the app. We'll handle it.

The Laundry Brothers offers wash & fold pickup and delivery across Greater Vancouver, seven days a week. See our service areas →