Removing a Couch Wine Stain

Enjoying red wine can be like playing with fire when you live in a house with light-colored carpeting and furniture. One wrong move and your sofa cushions could turn into a crime scene—splatters of red, horrified faces, and maybe even some broken glass. Probably not what you expected when you sat down to relax with your glass of wine. Shocking as it may look, if you act fast and use the right tools, that couch wine stain will be gone in no time.

First, acting very quickly (because every second is precious when you’re dealing with a stain), grab a paper towel or a clean cloth. Don’t rub the towel on the stain because that might press it further into the upholstery. Instead, gently blot the stain so that the wine is absorbed into the towel. Use different parts of the towel as you move over different areas of the stain so that you’re not pressing already-absorbed wine back into the couch.

Once you’ve gotten as much of the stain up as possible, it’s time to grab some tools. Because I’m not sure what you’ve got stashed in your pantry and fridge already, I’m going to give you several options and you’re free to use whatever you have on hand. All of these items will help dilute the wine before it has a chance to set in.