You’ve
been there... I’ve been there. We’ve all done
it.
You
were sipping red wine at a friends house feeling pretty
good about the selection you chose to bring. Feeling proud
and somewhat sophisticated, you take another sip.
Just
then, your friend says something funny and that’s
when it happened. Slosh. Splash. Red wine stain on your
friend’s white carpet.
Not
feeling so svelte after all… So what does one do to
remove such a dirty mark on one’s reputation?
Help
is out there. The Washington Post ran an article in July
2004 by staff writer Leef Smith who found herself desperate
and reeling over a red wine stain on her brand new beige
sofa.
The
Post story follows her Internet search for the best wine
stain removal system. In the weeks that followed the Post
story, Smith’s article was reprinted in the South
Bend Tribune, the Modesto Bee, the Duluth News Tribune,
the Winnipeg Free Press, and the Contra Costa Times —
to name a few. Hmmm, seems fumbling red wine is a national
problem.
Whatever
the case may be, Ms. Smith “Googled” up the
issue and happened to stumble upon the better of the red
wine stain removal systems for both two-minute and 24-hour
stains, even according to a 2001 study overseen by Andrew
L. Waterhouse, professor of enology at the University of
California, Davis.
The
study’s researcher used several fabric types and tested
out all the most talked about red wine stain remover systems
on the market, in home remedy books, and off the Internet.
So
what secret potion will remove your stain of humiliation?
Well, it’s a homemade miracle from none other than
“Patty S.” who heard from “Nancy O.”
Patty
S. randomly posted it on a wine, gardening, and arts web
site about four years ago, and the site got rave reviews
on the simple household staple mix.
To
whip up the super solvent, all you have to do is stir up
nearly equal parts of plain old hydrogen peroxide and Dawn
dishwashing soap (or Patti recommends using a soap that’s
suitable for the fabric; i.e., carpet cleaner for carpets,
Woolite for wools, dish soap for washables, etc.). Then
apply it to the red wine stain.
Nancy
O. via Patty S.’s simple recipe for red wine stain
removal:
A
little suitable soap
A
little hydrogen peroxide
You
must use BOTH ingredients
Spray,
pour, or dab the mixture on the stain
One
warning: Since peroxide is a bleaching
agent, the remedy could potentially bleach some colored
fabrics. Always test a small patch before going hog wild
with this miracle recipe!
Try
it on:
Clothing
Carpet
Tablecloths
And
more!
Other
red wine stain removal systems such as the age-old “add
white wine to red wine” miracle method only seem to
make matters worse.
The
Patty S. miracle juice really works. UC Davis believes in
it, and it worked for Leef Smith. Plus, this red wine stain
remover is being touted nationally in the media and internationally
on the Internet.
More
on Patty S.’s concoction can be found at Strat's
Place, a fine web site for wine aficionados.
Watch
This Video on Wine Stain Removal!
Two
More Solutions!
If
you are concerned about the hydrogen peroxide bleaching
out your color, here are some other solutions. They are
products designed specifically for red wine stain removal:
