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See why.Red Wine Stain Removers
We rounded up three red-wine-stain-removal products and put them to the test.
Published Jan. 1, 2014. Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 2014, America's Test Kitchen TV Season 15: Mahogany Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
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What You Need To Know
Embarrassing as it is to spill a glass of red wine, that’s a minor concern compared with getting the stain out of clothes, a tablecloth, or a carpet. We rounded up three red-wine-stain-removal products and used them to treat stains on khakis, white dish towels, and a beige carpet made of synthetic shag fibers. All the products got full tablespoons of red wine out of the khakis and towels, first turning the stains a grayish green that disappeared after one laundry cycle. The shag carpet sample required more work with each of the products—a few more spritzes, plus some blotting, drying, and reapplying. One product’s representative advised us to use a grease-cutting dishwashing liquid to aid in stain removal; the other representatives did not. Only one product completely erased the red wine from the carpet all by itself. Company representatives for all three products said that the formulas used to make the stain removers are proprietary, but we learned that all use plant-based enzymes and acids that are nontoxic. Note that the products are not formulated to remove other kinds of stains, such as chocolate.
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 3 stars out of 3.
A few spritzes of this citrus-smelling liquid lightened stains on khakis and dish towels to a pale grayish green that came out completely after one laundry cycle. Ridding shag carpeting of the stain required a dozen spritzes, plus blotting and reapplying, but the extra effort eventually worked.
Recommended
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 2.5 stars out of 3.
Instead of being sprayed to thoroughly saturate the soiled area, this soap-scented product is a fluid that you pour onto stains. It completely removed stains from khakis and dish towels after one laundry cycle but left a wide grayish blemish on the carpet. The company advised us to rub the remaining stain with a diluted mixture of grease-cutting dishwashing liquid. This eliminated the stain but left a sticky residue that then needed to be rinsed with plain water.
Recommended with reservations
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 2 stars out of 3.
After laundering, this spritz-on liquid completely removed red wine stains from khakis and dish towels but needed repeated spraying on shag carpeting. The company advised our tester to blot the stain with water and reapply the product, which did not work completely: A gray shadow of the stain remained. The product had a soapy, slightly alcohol-y scent and left a faint residue on the carpet.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
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