How to Get Table Linen Stains Out Fast With Just Dish Soap and Hydrogen Peroxide

Have you ever cleaned up after a dinner party only to notice a glaring wine or food stain on your tablecloth? Or worse, noticed a stain on a placemat linen days later? Luckily, cleaning experts have a solution for this common problem, and the best part is that it only takes two ingredients you probably have around your home and a couple of minutes.

Here’s your guide to removing table linen stains using only hydrogen peroxide and dish soap. 

Why Use Hydrogen Peroxide and Dish Soap?

Hydrogen peroxide is a mild, oxygen-based bleach, making it an excellent product to lift out the colors in the stain, without damaging the fabric like chlorine bleach. 

“[Hydrogen peroxide] is especially good for things like wine, coffee, or grass stains,” Lina DaSilva, founder of Toronto Shine Cleaning, says.

Dish soap is a degreaser and easily breaks down any oils in the stain. It’s a household workhorse for cleaning just about anything, from windows to rugs to toilets. 

Together, the two products create a cleaning solution that can cut through almost any food, grease, or beverage stain plaguing your table linens. 

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How to Remove Table Linen Stains with Hydrogen Peroxide and Dish Soap

Here is an expert-approved guide to remove your set-in stains with these two ingredients.

Step 1: Mix the Cleaning Solution

In a small bowl, mix 1 part dish soap with 2 parts hydrogen peroxide. If you have a brightly-colored linen and are concerned about the hydrogen peroxide bleaching the fabric, mix in 1 part water as well.

Step 2: Lightly Scrub the Stain

Dip a cloth into the solution and lightly scrub at the stain on the linen to work the residue out of the fabric.

Stroud suggests starting with a gentle scrub, such as a microfiber cloth, but you can progress to stronger scrubbers, like a toothbrush or horsehair brush, if the table linen can tolerate it. Continue dipping the cloth or brush into the solution and scrubbing at the stain until most of it is gone.

Step 3: Blot the Stain Dry

Next, soak up the solution and any remaining residue with a clean, dry cloth. Blot at the area until it’s mostly dry. 

If the stain remains, repeat steps one through three. Otherwise, continue on to the next step. 

Step 4: Rinse the Linen and Air Dry

After the stain has been broken up with scrubbing, rinse the stained area with cool, clean water to remove any remaining soap. While it sounds like extra work, Stroud says you should not skip this step. 

“You’ve just worked soap into your table linen,” Stroud says. “When the soap dries, it will become sticky and attract more dirt to that area if you don’t rinse it out.”

Once the linen is rinsed thoroughly with water, hang it to air dry. Experts caution against using your dryer to speed things up.

“If you dry it and the stain is still there, the heat will set it permanently,” DaSilva says.