How to Remove a Red Wine Stain from Jeans

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Powerful tips for treating wine stains on clothing

Co-authored by Safir Ali

Last Updated: January 5, 2024 References

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Red wine is notorious for causing very noticeable stains, but don’t toss your jeans away just because you spilled some on them. If the spill just happened, there are a couple quick things you can do to prevent the wine from spreading and causing larger stains. Then, once you have a chance to clean them, there are a number of household liquids that can partially or even totally remove the stain. If the stain proves to be too stubborn for these, there are still a few other methods you can use to deal with tougher stains.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preventing Wine from Spreading

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Expert Source

Safir Ali
Professional Dry Cleaner

Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.} In the moments after a spill, grab a sponge, paper towels, or a cloth towel that you don’t mind staining. Use this to blot the affected area, working from the outside in. Be careful just to blot the wine, though, since rubbing it can spread the wine over a wider area, as well as deeper into your jeans’ denim. ^{[2]
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If you’re able to take your jeans off, do so. Grab some fresh towels or something similar. Stuff them into your jeans’ legs and/or waist, underneath the stain. Create a barrier that will stop the wine from seeping through the front of your jeans to its back, or vice versa. ^{[3]
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Blotting the wine with towels will get rid of excess liquid, but expect some of the wine to have already penetrated the fabric. To deal with that, cover the stain with salt. Use that to draw as much moisture back out of the denim before it has a chance to dry. ^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Treating a Stain with Other Household Liquids

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Open a bottle of white wine. Pour it liberally over the stain. Do so in order to neutralize the red wine’s pigments and possibly lift the stain out entirely. ^{[5]
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Of course, you may not have white wine on hand, or you may not be too keen to waste any more on top of what you spilled. In that case, pour distilled white vinegar over the stain instead. This will also weaken the red and purple pigments and, like the white wine, could possibly remove the stain on its own. ^{[6]
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Pour boiling water over the stain. This may be easier to do with a partner, so ask someone for help if you can. First, boil some water. Once it’s ready, hold your jeans over the sink and pull the stained area taut between your two hands. Then have your partner pour the water onto the stain from a height of roughly 12 inches (30 cm) to wash the stain out. ^{[7]
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- Wear rubber gloves while doing this so you don’t scald your hands.
With sparkling water, don’t worry about boiling it as you would with plain water. Also, don’t worry if it’s gone flat and lost its carbonation. Simply pour it over your jeans to lift some or all of the stain out. ^{[8]
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Soak large or dried stains. ^{[9]
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Expert Source

Safir Ali
Professional Dry Cleaner

Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.} Pouring the liquids above works best on fresher stains, so if yours has already dried into your denim (or if you spilled a lot of wine over most of your jeans), don’t worry if that didn’t get the job all the way done. Fill a container with enough vinegar, white wine, or club soda to soak the stained area, and let your jeans sit in it until the stain fades. ^{[10]
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- Don’t use boiled water to soak your jeans. Warm water can actually make the stain settle in faster if your jeans are just sitting in it. ^{[11]
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