Advice on getting red wine stains out of a cotton quilt

When our guests left last night they really left it very clean, removed all their garbage, the stove was spotless (they did a lot of cooking) all dishes were done and put away, strip the sheets. The quilt however was thrown upside in a pile. Not a problem, I just picked it up and put it over the railing.
This morning I went out to get it ready for the next guest and saw red wine or maybe blackberry stains on the top of the quilt.
Any ideas how to clean - it’s 100% cotton with a cotton batting.
I’m also wondering if I should email him to ask what the stains are. This was his 1st time using Airbnb, I was planning on giving a great review but now I’m a bit stumped as to what to say.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Judy

Vodka removes dry red wine stains, but if you get to it still wet, then salt works too.
I’d take a picture before you try and fix it just in case you need to raise it with air.

That sucks, I mean why wouldn’t he just leave you $40 bucks to replace it?

Yes ,politely email the guest and ask what the stain is as you are attempting to try to remove it. That way, if it doesn’t come out then guest has already admitted to damage. Well hopefully…unless they deny it and act like they have no idea what you are talking about.

Hi,
Thanks for the vodka tip! Darn, I didn’t think to take a picture first. t googled it and tried Dawn mixed with hydrogen peroxide and then washed it in the machine. It removed all but 1 stain and there were lots of them all over.
Gee, where do you get a quilt for $40??? This one was on sale but it was almost $200. (Can.)

Great idea Cabinhost, thanks!

Sorry, sorry!

I’m not from the US, I was thinking of a comforter? (doona)

Not a quilt.

You could try a spot treatment on the remaining stain?

What do you mean by a quilt? a feather duvet? or one of those top blankets? Duvets you can pop in the wash at 40 degrees Celsius (105ish F) with Napisan or Vanish stain removal stuff (not sure what it would be called in the states

Hi Kirsty Jane,
Thanks for the reply. It’s a queen size quilt, cotton on both sides with cotton batting between.
The Dawn hydrogen peroxide mixture took out all but 1 stain. After many more tries at it with that mixture and a bar of homemade soap it is now almost completely gone. Thankfully it is still useable!

when red wine spills on anything if still wet sprinkle LOTS of baking soda --sucks it right up --even on a white rug.
if stain is dry --re wet it and do the same…lots of baking soda…use a sieve to make the powder more fine if you like. Let soak up scrape up and do it again until stain is gone.

Thanks taratree, that is really useful information!

You’re welcome…if there is ANY red residue after a while (on cloth, not on a rug) then use VERY diluted bleach (apply with a cotton swab…and then rince rince rince…bleach not completely rinsed out keeps working and deteriorates the fibers.

Judy, glad you got the spots out but in the future, you must confront the guest and don’t be shy. They damaged your property. Take photos and also research online how much it would be to replace it so you have that info ready. You will need it to file a claim.

I would have filed a claim on their deposit. You shouldn’t have to be put through trying to stress about getting a wine stain off. And the extra work, expense and worry of removing a stain that you should have been informed of. Sorry but unless they were completely trollied (not the sign of a nice guest either) then they knew about it and tried to hide it from you. They folded it up, tried to hide it from you, hoping you wouldn’t notice, did not report the damage. etc. Bad bad guest. Don’t deserve a good review at all. I might leave a bad one for the guest in fact. Wait until the last minute so they cannot respond back (midnight in their time zone on the last day) and write it up honestly. They damaged your linens, tried to hide or cover the damage and didn’t tell you. I would not rent to a guest like that.

Thanks konaconutz! Great info to file away, hopefully I won’t have to use it but it’s good to know!
Thank goodness there are forums here to help us a newbies!

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I found the best red wine remover the other day for my son’s white shirt. The stains had been there a while and he had washed and dried the shirt 3 times. Baking soda with white vinegar didn’t work so I sprayed on Exit Mould (normally used in the shower or on any mould) and the stains vanished instantly without any rubbing. Possibly any bleach would do the trick. If the red wine stain is still fresh, white wine generally works or bottled soda water, on carpet as well.

Pour boiling water over a stain too, to unset it. My son slipped chile all over his new white shirt and I immediately doused it in the hottest water I could and scrubbed it with hand soap (laundry version is available in most grocery stores). He still doesn’t understand the art of spot treating and would have thrown it into the laundry like that and would have had spots all over his Bernie 2016 campaign shirt. :slight_smile: