We explain how you can best remove red wine stains.
Also suitable for white wine, rosé, champagne, asti, etc.
Do you want to remove red wine stains?
A red wine stain is usually easy to remove if you know what to do. These types of stains, like white wine, rosé, and champagne, are often easy to get rid of. Even the age of the stain doesn’t matter much for the James products. Removing an old red wine stain is no problem, as long as you haven’t used any other, possibly incorrect, products or methods in the meantime. This means that even with a red wine stain that’s, for example, 2 years old, you have a very good chance of removing it successfully and effortlessly (let the product do the work) with James Vlekkenwonder.
It’s actually the well-known “grandma’s tips” that are the most dangerous. For example, it’s important not to use salt or pour white wine on a red wine stain. These methods never lead to a satisfying result and can even cause permanent damage to your carpet or upholstery. Salt fixes colors, so you risk setting the red wine color, making it impossible to remove. Often, the result is an even darker red stain. White wine contains sugars that cause re-soiling. Sugars are sticky residues (just like soap, which you should also never use). These residues attract dirt more quickly, and over time, this leads to black stains. For even more information about red wine stains, read further down this page.
Follow the instructions to safely and easily remove red wine stains, among others, from your carpet, rug, upholstery, or clothes. Use the instructions below for the best results.
Treating the wine or other stain with James Vlekkenwonder
Test on an inconspicuous area for color and material fastness: apply, let dry, and assess.
- Let the surface dry thoroughly.
- Apply James Vlekkenwonder to the dry stain by holding the bottle upside down, placing the opening on the stain, and treating the entire area.
- The product works for 12 hours, so the effect may not be immediately visible.*
If the stain isn’t completely gone after treatment but has improved, feel free to repeat the process.
* For wool: In the vast majority of cases, James Vlekkenwonder does not cause discoloration. You’ve already checked this by testing the product on an inconspicuous spot as described above. In that case, you don’t need to perform the following step. If there is any (slight) discoloration, you should neutralize James Vlekkenwonder as soon as the stain has disappeared. In that case, immediately place a damp terry towel on the spot where the stain was and let it dry like this.
Myths & Facts about removing red wine stains
Myth: You should sprinkle salt on a wine stain so the salt absorbs the stain.
Fact: Salt fixes colors. There’s a big risk that the salt will set the red color in your carpet or upholstery. If this happens, the stain can no longer be removed! The result of using salt is usually an even darker red stain that remains. So don’t do it. However, trying James Vlekkenwonder is always worth it, because no one can know in advance whether the stain has been fixed by the salt or not.
Myth: Pour white wine directly onto the red wine stain so it disappears.
Fact: What you’re actually doing is diluting the red wine. You could just as well have used water. The problem is, besides the fact that it’s a waste of white wine, that it contains sugars. Sugars are a sticky component that attract dirt more quickly, which will eventually cause black stains in your carpet. Rinsing with water is not a solution, because you can never remove all the sugars.
Myth: Milk, beer, gin, etc. on the red wine stain will make it disappear.
Fact: You’re trying to fight one stain by making a new one. On clothing, that might not be a problem since it can go in the washing machine. But that’s not the case for your carpet or furniture. Plus, the result is far from optimal.
Myth: Remove a red wine stain with vinegar.
Fact: With vinegar, you run the unnecessary risk of fixing the red color in the fibers. Vinegar is also an aggressive substance that can damage many carpets over time. It also has a very low pH value, which can cause discoloration.
Myth: You can remove many stains, including red wine, with a steam cleaner.
Fact: A steam cleaner works at temperatures of 90°C. This is also the temperature at which colors are set in fibers. So here too, you risk setting the red color in the fibers. If this happens, the damage cannot be undone. A steam cleaner, despite what the manufacturer may claim on the packaging or in advertisements, is not suitable for cleaning carpet or upholstery.
