The Day-After Christmas Stain Rescue

It's December 26. The house is quiet. The coffee is hot.

And in the gentle morning light, you can see it all: the red wine ring on the couch cushion where Uncle Ray "set his glass down for one second."

The gravy drip on the rug. The candle wax on the dining table. Pine sap on the sleeve of your good sweater, from wrestling the tree into the stand. And an eggnog splash on the ottoman that nobody will admit to. You were busy last night. Hosting. Celebrating. Definitely not scrubbing.

And that's fine, because almost every Christmas stain still comes out the next day. Set-in stains just need a little more patience.

Here's the day-after-Christmas stain rescue: how to get red wine, gravy, candle wax, tree sap and the rest of the holiday out of your carpet, couch and clothes.

The Rules of the Rescue

1. Know your surface. Check the care label on clothes and the cleaning code on the couch tag before you treat anything.
2. Test first. Try every cleaner on a hidden spot, like a seam, the back of a cushion or carpet inside a closet.
3. Blot, never rub. Rubbing spreads the stain and frays the fibers.
4. Cold water first. Hot water sets protein stains like eggnog and gravy. Start cold, every time.
5. No dryer until it's gone. Heat makes a stain permanent. Air-dry, check, and treat again if you see even a shadow.
6. Never mix cleaners. Bleach plus ammonia or vinegar makes toxic fumes. One product at a time, and rinse between them.

Your Stain Rescue Kit

• Clean white cloths or paper towels
• Clear dish soap
• An enzyme laundry stain remover
• Oxygen bleach powder
• 3% hydrogen peroxide
• Rubbing alcohol
• Cornstarch or baking soda
• A bag of ice cubes
• A dull knife or plastic scraper
• Brown paper bags and an iron

For carpet and washable upholstery, mix up the go-to cleaner: a quarter teaspoon of clear dish soap in a cup of lukewarm water.

Christmas Stains at a Glance

How to Get Red Wine Out the Next Day

Dried red wine looks scary, but it's mostly dye, and dye can be coaxed out.

On Clothes and Washable Fabric

1. Rinse the stain with cold water from the back of the fabric.
2. White or colorfast fabric: Mix one part dish soap with two parts 3% hydrogen peroxide. Dab it on, let it sit for 30 minutes, then rinse. Test a hidden spot first, because peroxide can lighten colors.
3. Colored fabric: Soak it overnight in cool water with oxygen bleach, following the package directions.
4. Wash, and air-dry until you're sure the stain is gone.

On Carpet

1. Dampen the spot with cold water and blot to loosen the dried wine.
2. Blot with the dish soap solution, working from the outside in.
3. Still pink on a light, synthetic carpet? Dab on a little 3% hydrogen peroxide (test first), wait 10 minutes, and blot. Skip peroxide on wool or dark carpet.
4. Rinse by blotting with plain water, then lay a towel weighted with books over the spot to dry it.

On the Couch

Check the cleaning code first. A "W" or "W/S" couch can usually handle the dish soap solution, blotted on with a white cloth and rinsed with a cloth dampened in plain water. An "S" code means solvent cleaner only, no water. An "X" code means vacuum only, so call a professional. Here's how to read the tags: deciphering upholstery cleaning codes.

Red wine on the tablecloth? Here's the full plan for linens: The Thanksgiving Table Stain Guide. It works just as well in December.

How to Get Out a Set-In Gravy Stain

Gravy is grease plus meat juices, which makes it a two-part stain. Fresh gravy loves cornstarch, but a dried stain needs a little more help.

• Clothes and napkins: Scrape off any crust. Work clear dish soap into the stain with your fingers and let it sit for 15 minutes to break up the grease. Then apply an enzyme stain remover for the meat juices, let it sit as the label directs, and wash in the warmest water the care label allows. More here: how to remove grease stains.
• Carpet: Scrape up the dried gravy and vacuum the crumbs. Blot with the dish soap solution, let it sit for 5 minutes, then blot with plain water. Repeat until no more comes up.
• Couch cushions: Follow the cleaning code. On a "W" or "W/S" couch, use the dish soap solution and blot. Don't remove the cushion covers to wash them unless the tag says you can, since they can shrink.

How to Get Candle Wax Off (Quick Version)

1. Freeze it with a bag of ice until it's hard.
2. Scrape it off with a dull knife or plastic scraper. On wood, use only plastic.
3. Lift the rest with heat: On fabric and carpet, press a warm, dry iron over a brown paper bag until the wax melts into the paper. Keep the iron on low for carpet. On wood, warm it with a hair dryer on low and wipe.
4. Treat the color with rubbing alcohol on a white cloth, after testing.

For every surface, from the menorah to the dining table, see how to get candle wax off anything.

How to Get Tree Sap Out of Everything

Getting the tree into the stand is a contact sport, and sap is the bruise. It's sticky, it's stubborn, and water alone just makes it stickier. The secret is alcohol. Rubbing alcohol dissolves sap.

Clothes

1. Scrape off any thick sap with a dull knife. If it's gooey, harden it with ice first.
2. Dab rubbing alcohol (or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer) onto the spot with a white cloth. Test first on a hidden seam.
3. Let it sit for a few minutes, then blot. Repeat until the sap dissolves.
4. Pretreat with a laundry stain remover and wash in the warmest water the care label allows.
5. Air-dry and check before using the dryer.

Carpet and Rugs

Scrape off what you can, then blot with rubbing alcohol on a white cloth, after testing in a closet. Follow with the dish soap solution, then plain water to rinse. Skip alcohol on wool, and call a pro instead.

Wood Floors and Furniture

Harden the sap with a bag of ice and pop it off with a plastic scraper. Wipe away any residue with a dab of mineral oil on a soft cloth, then clean the spot with your usual wood cleaner. Skip the rubbing alcohol on wood, since it can damage some finishes.

Hands, Pets and Cars

• Hands: Rub with hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol or a little cooking oil, then wash with soap and water.
• Pet fur: Work in a little vegetable oil to loosen the sap, then wash with pet shampoo. Never use rubbing alcohol on a pet.
• The car seat you brought the tree home on: Blot with rubbing alcohol on a cloth (test first), then wipe with a damp cloth.

The Rest of Christmas

• Eggnog: It's dairy and egg, so it's a protein stain. Rinse with cold water only, since hot water cooks the egg into the fibers. Then pretreat with an enzyme stain remover and wash in cool water.
• Chocolate: Scrape off the solids, then pretreat and wash. Full instructions here: how to remove chocolate stains.
• Candy canes and red frosting: The sugar rinses out in warm water, and the red dye usually follows with a little dish soap. For stubborn pink, soak in oxygen bleach.
• Cranberry sauce: Rinse with cold water from the back of the fabric, pretreat, and soak in oxygen bleach.
• Glitter: Not a stain, just a lifestyle. Pick it up with a lint roller or packing tape, then vacuum. You'll find the last of it in July.
• Mystery stains: Can't tell what it is? Here's how to remove unknown stains.

Turn December 26 Into Stain Rescue Day

Don't treat stains one at a time over a week. Batch them:

1. Gather every stained thing: napkins, tablecloths, sweaters, kids' pajamas and dish towels.
2. Pretreat each stain using the methods above.
3. Soak the colorfast washables overnight in a tub of cool water with oxygen bleach.
4. Wash in the next morning's laundry.
5. Air-dry and check before anything goes in the dryer.

Then tackle the carpet and the couch while the laundry soaks. You'll be done before the leftovers are.

When to Call a Pro

Some things are worth handing off: silk, wool, cashmere and anything labeled "dry clean only." Heirloom linens and antique rugs. Couches with an "X" cleaning code. And any stain that's survived two rounds of treatment. Point out each stain and tell the cleaner what it is. Here's how to choose a carpet cleaning service.

Christmas Stain Removal: Quick Answers

Can you get red wine out after it dries?

Usually, yes. On white fabric, use a mix of dish soap and hydrogen peroxide. On colored fabric, soak it overnight in oxygen bleach. On carpet, blot with a dish soap solution, then peroxide on light-colored synthetic carpet after testing.

How do you get tree sap out of clothes?

Dab the sap with rubbing alcohol or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer until it dissolves, then pretreat with a laundry stain remover and wash. Air-dry and check before using the dryer.

How do you get a gravy stain out of a couch?

Check the cleaning code first. On a "W" or "W/S" couch, scrape off the gravy, blot with a quarter teaspoon of dish soap in a cup of lukewarm water, then blot with plain water to rinse.

How do you remove an eggnog stain?

Rinse with cold water, never hot, which sets the egg. Pretreat with an enzyme stain remover, then wash in cool water.

Keep Going

Clean up after the holidays the easy way with these related guides:

• The Thanksgiving Table Stain Guide: Gravy, cranberry, red wine and candle wax on linens.
• How to Get Candle Wax Off Anything: Tablecloths, carpet, wood and menorahs.
• The Christmas Morning Cleanup Plan: Wrapping paper, recycling and pine needles.
• After-Holiday Cleaning: An easy green cleanup guide.
• Laundry Stain Removal Guide: How to remove 16 common stains.
• How to Remove Chocolate Stains: Clothes, carpet and couch.
• Deciphering Upholstery Cleaning Codes: What the tag on your couch means.
• Carpet Care and Cleaning Tips: Keep carpets looking new.