If you've ever spilled a glass of wine on carpet or a tablecloth, you probably know that guilty feeling as you watch it seep in. Our America Now tipster, Zorianna Kit, has done some comparison testing with four simple remedies, most of which you can find right in your kitchen.
"Between me and my family, I've spilled many a glass of wine, and I've had to do many a load of laundry, believe me!" says Zorianna. "But there's no reason wine or juice spills should ruin the party, your couch or your tablecloth. I've decided to research the four best red wine stain removers and test them out side-by-side to see which ones work, and which ones don't."
Zorianna spills red wine over a clean, white tablecloth.
"Then I'm going to blot it, and then I'm going to use a trick that the Europeans have used for centuries, which is salt. Pour over it. Now you have to be liberal, so don't be afraid to take off the cap. The idea here is to use something that you already have handy on the dining room table."
The salt is supposed to absorb the moisture and prevent the wine from soaking in. But make sure you don't rub it in!
"Next I'm going to make another deliberate red wine spill and I'm going to blot it," continues Zorianna. "Then I'm going to take some club soda and I'm going to pour it all over the stain. Now the magic formula here that I've read is that it's in the bubbles. The carbonation acts as a barrier, and along with the baking soda in the club soda portion of the ingredients, together they're supposed to lift the red wine stain right out."
Next, Zorianna pours a third stain and puts cornstarch over it.
For her fourth stain, she opts for something a little more modern.
"It's a non-toxic, plant-based wine stain remover, and it's found in most wine stores and drugstores across the country," she says. "You just spray it on and you can see that it goes immediately to work. We're going to let all these stains sit here for about 10 minutes and we'll see which one of these stains work."
After brushing off the salt, Zorianna finds that the cloth still shows a light pink stain, as did the cornstarch. But the stain with the soda water on it was almost completely gone.
As for the wine spray remover, Zorianna says it did a "decent enough job," but still not as good as the soda water.
Depending on how clumsy you are and how many parties you have, the number one wine stain remover is soda water. It's inexpensive to buy, and chances are you already have it in your kitchen.
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