How to Remove Apple Juice Stains From Clothes and Carpet

How to Remove Apple Juice Stains From Washable Clothes and Linens

Juice stains appear on fabrics because of tannin, a plant component that often shows as a color in the fruit. Apples, pears, and white grapes have low levels of tannin while red and purple grapes, berries, and plums are high in tannin. These stains can be removed with the following steps.

1. Blot

   Blot the juice spill immediately from the fabric with a clean white cloth or paper towels.

2. Flush the Stained Area

   Flush the stain with cold water by holding the wrong side of the fabric directly under a running faucet. This forces the apple juice out of the fibers.

3. Wash Fresh Stains

   Remove fresh stains caused by low tannin level fruits by simply washing the garment or table linens with a heavy-duty detergent (like Tide or Persil) with enough enzymes to break apart the stains in the hottest water recommended for the fabric on the care label.

   Warning

   Never use natural soap in a bar like Fels-Naptha or soap flakes to treat the stain because they can make tannin stains more difficult to remove.

4. Check the Stained Area

   Check the stained area. If the stain remains, do not machine dry the garment and move to the next step.
   

   Warning

   After any stain removal treatment, check the stained areas before placing clothes in a hot dryer. The high heat can set the stains, making them very difficult to remove.

5. Mix a Soaking Solution

   Mix a solution of warm water and oxygen-based bleach (like Clorox 2 or OxiClean) and follow package directions. Completely submerge the stained items and allow them to soak for at least four hours or overnight. If the apple juice stain is gone, wash as usual, if the mark remains, then repeat the oxygen bleach step.

   Tips

   For stains on synthetic fabrics like polyester or nylon and colored or printed clothes, color-safe oxygen bleach is a better and safer choice than chlorine bleach. 

How to Remove Apple Juice Stains on Carpet and Upholstery

The same cleaning solutions and techniques can be used for juice stains on both carpet and upholstery. Take care not to saturate the fabric on any furniture because excess moisture in the cushions can cause problems.

Before cleaning any furniture, always follow the manufacturer's care label on cleaning upholstery. This tag can be found under the sofa cushions or fabric skirt with letter codes that indicate how to clean the furniture.

1. Blot Up Liquid

   Blot up as much of the liquid as possible with a white paper towel or cloth. Keep blotting until no more moisture is transferred from the carpet to the cloth.

2. Mix a Cleaning Solution

   Mix a solution of two teaspoons of dishwashing detergent with two cups of warm water in a small bowl.

3. Apply the Cleaning Solution

   Dip a clean white cloth, sponge, or soft bristle brush in the solution. Move from the outside edge of the stain toward the center to keep it from spreading, and work the cleaning solution into the stain. Blot with a dry cloth to absorb the solution. Keep moving to a clean area of the cloth as the color of the stain is transferred. 

4. Rinse

   Dip a clean cloth in plain water to "rinse" the spot. This is especially important because any soapy residue left in the carpet will attract more soil.

5. Air-Dry and Vacuum

   Allow the stain to air dry away from direct heat. Vacuum to lift the carpet fibers.

Additional Tips for Handling Apple Juice Stains

Clothing Tip

Clothing that has older juice stains or those from a dark-colored fruit like purple grapes or cranberries that are high in tannin on them will need additional treatment. If the stains are on white cotton garments and linens, you can use chlorine bleach to remove them. Follow the product directions carefully.

Carpet and Upholstery Tip

If the stain on the carpet or upholstery is older or from a darker fruit juice, you will need the power of oxygen-based bleach.

• Mix a solution of oxygen-based bleach in cool water following package directions. 
• Dip a clean cloth into the solution and working from the outside edge of the stain toward the center, work the solution into the carpet. Do not over-wet. 
• Allow the solution to remain on the stain for at least 30 minutes before blotting away.
• Use a dry clean white cloth to blot away moisture.
• Allow it to dry completely and vacuum to restore the pile of the carpet.