How to Remove Stains from Wool: Woolmark's Steps for Wine, Coffee, Grease, Ink and More

Wool is naturally stain resistant. Woolmark, the body behind the wool industry's certification mark, says Merino wool fibres have a natural protective outer layer that helps prevent stains from being absorbed. That protection buys you time, but it does not make a sweater/jumper stain-proof, and Woolmark maintains its own step-by-step instructions for the stain types it lists on its care hub.

Several of Woolmark's recipes follow the same pattern: dab or blot rather than scrub, work with the right solvent from the edge of the stain where the recipe says so, and finish by washing according to the garment's care claim with a Woolmark-approved detergent. The steps below are Woolmark's own, as given on its care hub at the time of reading. Its stain guide lists more types than covered here — grass, chocolate, white coffee and tea, and beer, spirits and cider among them — so check the page directly for a stain not treated below, and follow your garment's care label where it goes further.

Red wine, fruit and juice

• Rinse as much of the drink as possible with clean water, then apply a dilute solution of Woolmark-approved detergent in tepid water.
• If the stain persists, mix 3 parts surgical spirit or rubbing alcohol with 1 part cold water, dab the stain with the mixture and blot the excess liquid.

Black coffee

• Ideally immediately, rinse under cold running water to dilute the coffee.
• If the coffee stain has already dried, mix 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with 1 cup tepid water, soak a lint-free cloth in the solution and lightly dab the stained area, then press gently with an absorbent cloth.
• If the stain persists, apply a solution of 3 parts surgical spirit or rubbing alcohol plus 1 part cold water and press gently with an absorbent cloth.

Blood

• Remove excess blood immediately with an absorbent towel.
• Gently dab the area with undiluted white vinegar.
• Finish by gently dabbing the stain with cold water.
• Woolmark's first step is 'immediately', so treat blood right away where the garment allows.

Ink and egg or milk

• For ballpoint pen ink, dab gently with a lint-free cloth (not paper towel) soaked in surgical spirit or rubbing alcohol, then press gently with an absorbent cloth or towel to soak up excess solvent — the page says do not allow the solvent to dry.
• For egg or milk, mix half a teaspoon of salt into one cup tepid water, dab the stain with the solution, rinse well and blot up excess water.
• If an egg or milk stain persists, apply one teaspoon of biological detergent in a cup of warm water, wait 15 minutes, rinse well with clean water, then repeat the action with a cloth soaked in diluted white vinegar to neutralize the biological detergent.

Grease, makeup and shoe polish

• If a greasy mark forms, first scrape the surface of the stain with a spoon or blunt knife to remove any excess oil.
• Use a hot iron over layers of tissue to soak up the excess oil or grease.
• If required, soak a lint-free cloth in proprietary grease remover or white spirit, gently dab the area while blotting the solvent as much as possible, and repeat if necessary, then allow to dry.
• For lipstick, makeup or shoe polish, gently dab from the edge of the stain with a cloth soaked with white spirit or spot-cleaning spray, then press gently with an absorbent cloth or towel to soak up excess solvent and allow to dry.

Two notes that go beyond the Woolmark page and are the editors' own precautions, not part of the official method: surgical spirit and white spirit give off strong fumes, so hypothetically work somewhere ventilated, for example near an open window; and before applying any solvent, spot-test it on an unnoticeable area of the same fabric, for example hypothetically a hem or seam allowance.

Woolmark's own closing step in each recipe is to wash the garment according to its care claim with a Woolmark-approved detergent, and by Woolmark's account wool actually requires less washing than other fibres — so a treated spot may not always call for a full wash.

How to check the steps yourself

• Open Woolmark's care hub and use the stain selector under its care tool to pick your stain type, then compare the steps shown with your garment's care label.
• Detergents should carry the Woolmark approval the page describes; check the bottle — approved-product lists and availability change, and the page guidance is what Woolmark published at the time of reading.
• For stain types this article does not cover, use the selector's full list on the page.