How to Clean Champagne Stains
Champagne is a common but persistent household stain. Use tried-and-true basic cleansing techniques to remove it from home surfaces.
Though most sparkling wines are clear or light in color, when the wine dries on an object or clothing, an oxidation reaction can leave an unsightly stain. If you end up with splotches on your party dress or favorite sofa after New Year's Eve, learn how to do a quick damage control.
Things You Will Need
- Lukewarm water
- Mild dish soap
- White napkin, cloth or towel
- Rubbing alcohol
- Bristle brush
- Club soda
- Isopropyl rubbing alcohol
- Olive oil
- White vinegar
- Melamine foam eraser
Champagne and Fabric
Wine stains in formal attire can be frustrating, because they may not appear immediately after wear. Storage in a damp area, dry cleaning or simple contact with air over time can make the wine's sugars turn yellow or brown. However, treatment of brand-new or freshly appeared stains is basically the same process. With a white lint-free cloth, blot the stain with lukewarm water and a gentle dish soap solution. Rinse through with more water. Avoid very hot water and heat from a dryer, especially for older marks, as heat can set the stain.
Tip
- Baby shampoo is a good substitute for a mild dish soap. * Be gentle when blotting: Intense rubbing can damage the textile, and pressure forces the tannins from the wine further into fabric.
Preserve Your Furniture
Treat slipcover stains as you would a dress: Dilute the stain as much as possible with water or club soda; then flush it out with warm water and a soapy solution. Be patient. It may take several sessions to remove a stain completely. Prepare for bigger challenges with high-end furniture fabrics like leather or microfiber. A mixture of olive oil and vinegar is a natural cleaner for leather furniture. Use a diluted rubbing alcohol spray -- it may seem counterintuitive, but rubbing alcohol doesn't have sugar in it, so it doesn't have the same staining power as wine -- to pick up stains from a microfiber couch.
Tip
After your microfiber couch dries, use a bristle brush to "fluff" its nap.
Watch Your Walls
After a really wild party, look at your walls: Stains may appear on wallpaper or painted surfaces. A 10-to-1 solution of water to soap will generally remove wine stains from home interior surfaces. In the kitchen or in a room with neutral walls, a melamine foam eraser may draw out any embedded markings.
Warning
Test any wall cleaner in an inconspicuous place -- for example, behind the refrigerator -- before using it on a major stain.
Writer Bio
Kat Stromquist received a master's in creative writing from the University of New Orleans. She writes about interior design and lifestyle issues for a variety of print and web outlets.
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