How To Remove Colored Vinegar Stains

By Matt Oden | Comments | Food and Drink Stains → Vinegar

While white household vinegar can be a great addition to any cleaning kit in your home, colored vinegar can wreak havoc on the surfaces of your home; however, if you know how to remove colored vinegar stains you’ll be able to confidently and effortlessly tackle any stains! The vinegar itself is less of a problem than the coloring in the vinegar. A lot of colored vinegars are red or white wine vinegars, which means that you are primarily tacking the enzymes in the wine more than the vinegars.

The good news about colored vinegar stains is that they can be removed relatively easily, so long as you have a few basics on hand. When taking the time to learn how to remove colored vinegar stains, you should be sure that you treat the stains as swiftly as possible. As with all stains, the sooner that you work on them the better your odds will be at completely removing the stains from the fabrics or other stained surfaces.

How To Remove Colored Vinegar Stains From Fabric

What You Will Need Before You Start

Club soda
Baking soda
Clean sponge
White absorbent towel

The best methods you’ll find for how to remove colored vinegar stains from fabric are very similar in nature to the methods used to remove white stains. Whether your favorite white linen tablecloth has fallen victim to red wine vinegar or your kitchen apron has suffered a splash of rice vinegar, it is somewhat straightforward to get rid of the stains.

If the stain is small pour a bit of club soda over it until it has started to diminish.
If the stain is larger however, blot at it with the clean sponge and club soda.
Lay the white absorbent towel on a flat surface and place the stained fabric item on top of it.
Create a paste with baking soda and water and completely cover the stain with the paste.
Allow the paste to sit on the stain for up to fifteen minutes.
Rinse the baking soda out thoroughly, using only cool water, and observe the stain.
If the stain is being persistent then you can try blotting at it with a bit of ammonia on a sponge. Avoid using ammonia on silks and wool, however.
Once the stain has been removed launder as per the care instructions for the fabric.

Be sure to always use cool water when treating the stains, and avoid running the fabrics through the washing machine until you’re sure that the stain has been thoroughly removed. The care instructions on the fabric’s tags should be your first thing to check before you are treating stains, just in case the garment or linen tablecloth has specific care requirements. These steps will also work well for colored vinegar stains on carpets, just be sure to clean the area thoroughly of the ammonia if you use it.

How To Remove Colored Vinegar Stains From Wooden Surfaces

What You Will Need Before You Start

Mild liquid dishwashing detergent
Ammonia
Clean wash cloths
Corn starch

Colored vinegar stains can wreak havoc on wooden surfaces, especially if the wood has not been treated with a protective varnish or stain. You may find that it is somewhat of a challenge to remove colored vinegar stains from wooden surfaces, but with swift action you may just be able to keep the wood from permanent damage.

If the spill is fresh, completely cover the stain with corn starch. The corn starch will effectively draw the moisture up out of the wood, taking the colored stain with it.
Once the corn starch has thoroughly dried, brush or vacuum it off.
Mix a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent with a quarter cup of ammonia, in a gallon of warm water.
Clean the wooden area with the sudsy solution well, taking care to work on any remaining stain from the outside in.
Thoroughly rinse the area clean of any sudsy residue and allow to dry completely.

If the stain has proven to be resistant to your efforts then you should consider refinishing the cabinets, but it is unlikely to come to that unless the stain contains another ingredient you are not aware of. Consider refinishing with a protective varnish in order to avoid stain concerns in the future.

How To Remove Colored Vinegar Stains From Grout

What You Will Need Before You Start

Corn starch
Baking soda
Mild liquid dish detergent
Clean sponge

If your counter surface grout or floor grout has not been protected with a waterproof sealant then you may find yourself with an unpleasant stain from colored vinegar. Before you take the steps to seal the grout, you will first need to know how to remove colored vinegar stains from the grout so that you aren’t sealing the stain in permanently!

Use a generous sprinkling of corn starch over fresh stains to effectively absorb the liquid from the stain. Corn starch is very good at pulling moisture out, and it is also likely to pull the coloration of the stain up at the same time.
Wipe clean or vacuum up the dried corn starch, it should take up to twenty minutes for all of the moisture to be absorbed.
Create a cleaning paste with baking soda and liquid dish detergent. Apply the cleaning paste directly to the stain using a clean sponge.
Allow the cleaning paste to sit on the stain for up to fifteen minutes and then wipe clean with cold water.
If the stain is being persistently stubborn then you can try a bit of rubbing alcohol dipped onto a sponge or cotton swab. Just be sure to rinse thoroughly with clean water.

If the grout is white then you may have great luck using a bleach pen or a bleach cleaning solution to get rid of the stain. Always avoid using harsh bleaching products on grout or other colored surfaces, however.