How to Remove Wine Stains From Wood Floors

Enjoying a mellow glass of cabernet in front of the fire or celebrating a special occasion by toasting with a Pinot noir may lead to a wine stain on your wood floor. Don't panic. Learn how to remove wine stains through the approaches below, and you can continue enjoying your evening.

You don't have to resort to a harsh chemical to remove a wine stain, even if it's red. Solving the problem starts with safe, natural materials that only escalate to refinishing your floors in worst-case scenarios.

A NATURAL METHOD

Take some table salt from your kitchen and pour a generous amount over the stain. Let the salt rest on the stain for up to 10 minutes. This salt will absorb some of the wine and ultimately lift it out of the wood grain. Remove all of the salt and mix a solution of two parts grated pumice and one part baking soda. Mix it with a quarter cup of lemon oil. The result should look like a paste. Work this mixture into the wine stain and let it rest on the area for up to another 10 minutes. Wipe the mixture away, and then continue applying the mixture onto the stain until it's gone.

TAKE TWO

Another friendly solution for removing wine stains is white wine vinegar. Soak a cloth with vinegar and water and lay it over the wine stain, allowing the vinegar to soak up the red wine. Keep your eye on the area, lifting the cloth every so often to see if the wine stain is lightening. Soak a new cloth with a vinegar and water solution and gently scrub the area. You can sometimes remove a wine stain by using white wine to soak up the red liquid.

REFINISHING

It is possible to refinish the area when the wine stain leaves a permanent mark, and all of your efforts to remove the stain fail. You'll need to first sand down the area, removing the finish. Then, carefully apply some standard bleach to purify the area, and adeptly apply a new layer of stain or finish to cover up the spot.

Spills happen suddenly, and your instinct may be to slide your table out of the way when it happens. Use furniture pads so you don't do further damage. With these tips on how to remove wine stains, however, you can enjoy your wood floors and never worry about rearranging the room or using rough synthetics to clean up the blemish.

This article was brought to you by Colgate-Palmolive Company, the makers of Murphy® Oil Soap. The views and opinions expressed by the author do not reflect the position of the Colgate-Palmolive Company.