How to Remove Alcohol Stains From Clothes (2024)

Equipment / Tools

Materials

How to Remove Beer and Liquor Stains From Clothes

After a night out with friends, or a night in watching the game, you'll probably have splashed a little beer or liquor on your clothes. Fortunately, you can use several at-home cleaning methods to prevent the stain from sticking around.

1. Blot the Wet Stain

   Blot away as much moisture as possible with a white paper towel.

   

2. Flush With Water

   Flush the stained area with cold water. Run the water through the underside of the stain to push it outwards.

   

3. Treat With Rubbing Alcohol or Ammonia

   Sponge the stain with a bit of plain rubbing alcohol or non-sudsing regular ammonia and rinse well. When the stain is gone, wash as advised on the fabric's care label.

   

4. Treat With Laundry Detergent

   Use a bit of heavy-duty liquid laundry detergent (Tideor Persil are highly rated brands) to treat the lingering stain. These detergents contain adequate enzymes to break down any tannins in the stain. Allow the detergent to sit on the fabric for at least 15 minutes.

   

5. Wash as Usual

   Wash the fabric as you typically would, but, but be sure to check the stained area before drying. If the stain is not gone, continue with cleaning and do not dry.

   

6. Soak and Wash With Oxygen-Based Bleach

   Mix a solution ofoxygen-based bleach(OxiClean, Nellie's All-Natural Oxygen Brightener, or OxoBrite) with tepid water following package directions, and submerge the garment. Allow it to soak at least four hours or overnight, and then launder as usual.

   

Additional Tips for Handling Alcohol Stains

Plain liquor stains can usually be removed bylaundering the garment as usual in the hottest water recommended for the fabric. Do not dry stained clothing in a machine dryer until you remove the stain entirely from the material. Machine drying a stained garment will make it very difficult to remove the stain entirely. If the liquor or beer is mixed with a brightly colored mixer such ascranberry juice, it is important to treat the stain as soon as possible to remove the dye from the fabric.