Don't Buy It Before We Try It: Red Wine Stain Remover

We've all been there.  You're out for dinner or at a friend's house enjoying a glass of red wine when you spill it on yourself, or even worse, someone else.  So we decided to test what claims to be one of the best red wine stain removers on the market.

Chateau Spill Red Wine Stain Remover calls itself, "the one bottle no wine lover should be without."  We bought it on Amazon for about $8.00.

To test the product, we started by spilling some red wine on a white t-shirt, and following the instructions on the bottle.  The directions say that for best results, we needed to treat the stain as quickly as possible.  We removed the excess liquid, moistened the shirt with water, then applied Chateau Spill to the affected areas within minutes.  Almost immediately the remover began to lift the stain.  The purple was gone very quickly, but a dull, tan stain remained.

Next, it was time to put the shirt in the laundry.  Unfortunately, because we conducted the test at work, we weren't able to wash the shirt right away.  Hours later when it was washed, the stain still remained.  Even after using the wine remover and washing again, the stain was still there.

Because the stain was still there, but it was much lighter, we gave Chateau Spill two out of five stars.  It is important to note that other tests under other conditions might yield different results.  We'd be interested to see what happens when you're able to wash the shirt more quickly.