Pomegranates
are known for their healthy qualities. If you’ve ever tried to open one, you know that it takes skill to remove the healthy seeds without squirting the juice. The key to removing these stains is prompt removal. The longer the juice is allowed to sit on fabric, the more difficult, or impossible, it will be to remove.
Removing Pomegranate Stains from Fabric
One of our wonferful site users submitted a removal method that has been successful for many. If you have some baking soda, consider trying that method first. See the comment below by Sunshine describing the baking soda method. If you are unable to pour boiling water as described, consider putting the item directly into the water instead as another commenter did.
You Will Need:
- Cold water
- An enzyme cleaner or
- Liquid dish soap or laundry detergent
- Small bowl or dish (large enough to hold the stained portion of the fabric)
- Hydrogen peroxide (possibly)
Steps to Remove the Stain:
- Begin by running cold water through the fabric to remove as much of the juice stain as possible.
- If you have a pet enzyme cleaner, such as Nature’s Miracle or Kids ‘N’ Pets, apply it to a small hidden area of the fabric first to look for any adverse reaction. If safe, apply the cleaner to the stain following the directions on the label of your selected product. Rinse the area thoroughly and if the stain is gone, wash the item as usual. If the stain is not gone, try using the enzyme cleaner again or go on to step 3.
- If you don’t have any enzyme cleaner available, apply liquid laundry detergent or dish soap to the stained area. Work it in gently with your fingers.
- Place the detergent covered stain in a dish filled with cold water.
- Allow it to soak for 30 minutes.
- Rinse thoroughly under cold water.
- If the stain is gone, launder the piece as usual. If the stain remains, test a small area with the hydrogen peroxide. This can bleach some fabrics, so ensure it is safe for your particular fabric before applying it to the stained area.
- If safe, blot the area with the peroxide. Allow it to set for 3 minutes.
- Rinse thoroughly under cold water.
- Launder as usual.
Removing Pomegranate Stains from Carpet and Upholstery
You Will Need:
- Cold water
- An enzyme cleaner or
- Liquid dish soap
- Bowl
- Soft white cloths
- White vinegar
Steps to Remove the Stain:
- Start by scraping away as much of the pomegranate as possible from the surface.
- Blot the area with a cloth to soak up as much of the juice as possible.
- If you have a pet enzyme cleaner, such as Nature’s Miracle or Kids ‘N’ Pets, apply it to the stain following the instructions on the label of your selected product. If the stain is gone, rinse the area then wash the item as usual. If the stain is not gone, try applying the enzyme cleaner again or move on to step 4.
- Mix one cup of cold water with 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap in a small bowl or bucket.
- Moisten a sponge or soft cloth with the mixture and dab it onto the surface of the stain.
- Blot it gently to work the soapy water into the stain.
- Use a clean cloth moistened with white vinegar to blot and “rinse” the area.
- Continue blotting with the soapy water and vinegar, alternating, until the stain is removed.
- Once clean, blot the area with a clean cloth and clean water to remove any remaining residue from the soap and/or vinegar.
Additional Tips and Advice
- Additional products that have been helpful in removing pomegranate stains include lemon juice, stain removers, and baking soda with club soda. Ensure the product is safe for the fabric type before moving forward with any cleaning product.
- Pomegranate stains become increasingly difficult to remove after they are allowed to set. Treat the stains promptly for the best chance at successful removal.
- OxiClean has the same cleaning effect as hydrogen peroxide and can be used in its place to remove the stains as well.
You have to catch a stain like this really quickly to keep it from becoming permanent, but an enzyme cleaner like OxyClean will take dark fruit juice stains out better than anything else. Follow the directions on your particular cleaner very carefully so you don’t do even more damage to the stained piece of clothing.
No really, I’m serious – you do the same thing with tea stains. If it’s something like a white shirt and you can’t get the stain out, you can always get some more pomegranate juice and just dye the whole shirt to be the color of the stain. Pour the juice into a bucket – not in the sink, the juice will stain it – and then soak the stained item in the juice for a few hours. Wash the item by itself in warm water with a little detergent on a long wash cycle, then dry it the way you usually do.
The one thing that’s always worked best for me to get pomegranate stains or blueberry stains off my hands is baby wipes. You might have to use more than one or two of them, but they will get the stain off your skin. They work pretty well for removing hair dye too.
If you got the juice on something white, first pretreat the stain with detergent and let it sit for five or ten minutes. Then wash the garment in cold water with more detergent and half a cup of bleach. If some of the stain is still there, pretreat and wash the garment again. Don’t run the garment through the dryer until the stain is out; heat will set the stain permanently.
Sometimes you can scour the stains off with Comet, but if that doesn’t work, go get a Magic Eraser, I think Mr. Clean makes them. If the stain is able to be gotten off at all, the eraser will take care of it.
Cut the pomegranate in quarters and place it in bowl of cold water deep enough to cover the whole pomegranate. Let soak for 10-15 minutes, de-seed it underneath the water in the bowl, and pour it into a strainer. Easy… and no juice splattering everywhere!
There is a wonderful product on the market called Le Blanc Linen Wash; it’s a bit pricey ($32.00 for 64oz.), but it works on every kind of fabric (especially linens, cottons, silks, vintage linens) where there is a stain (new or preexisting) including pomegranate juice. And it can be used on colored or white fabrics. Very easy to use; wet the stain, put a few drops of Le Blanc Linen Wash on the stain, let it sit for 10 minutes and then put in it the washer with a cap-full of the same Le Blanc and the stain will come out. It’s a truly amazing cleaner.
You don’t need enzyme stain removers: Rinse stain, even if it is old, with cold water until it stops fading. Then rub in baking soda really well and rinse with cold water until the stain has turned a light blue. Then, boil water (you might need a lot) and pour boiling water in a stream from a couple feet above the fabric directly onto the stain so the water passes through and off the fabric. Stain should disappear completely. Works for me on whites and won’t take set colors out of your clothes.
Baby wipes might work to get stains off of your hands but they don’t work when you use them on clothes.
Just got pomegranate stains out of my daughter’s new white T-shirt using Sunshine’s baking soda/boiling water remedy. It worked PERFECTLY! Many thanks for the great advice!
This just worked on an old set-in pomegranate stain on a yellow quilted vest. I would not have thought boiling water could actually remove a stain. Way to go Sunshine!!
The baking soda/hot water trick works!!!! I swear, I was skeptical, but it came right out. Thank you!
The baking soda worked like a charm, even after the stains had set into a clean white sweater hours before. Thank you for saving my sweater!
Worked like a charm! It got the pomegranate stains out of my husband’s new shirt. I also tried it on old blackberry stains on my kitchen apron, and it worked as well. 🙂
This has really made my day! Thank you! 🙂
You saved my carpet! My kids had gotten pomegranate arrows all over our light-colored carpet. (Which of course they stepped on.) Nothing worked to get it to even fade much. The baking soda worked perfect – didn’t even need the boiling water. Thanks again!
My daughter sat on a couple of pomegranate seeds her little brother left on our dark-colored couch while wearing her khaki uniform pants and couldn’t remove the stains with Zout spray. I know Oxy-Clean is basically peroxide (H2O2) so we added peroxide and a little borax (20 Mule Team Borax) then lightly scrubbed the stains with a nail brush (what was handy and nearby) and voila!! The stain disappeared!! By the way, the stain was over a day old.
This method was absolutely amazing! My son had pomegranate juice stains all over his pants and now they are perfect. The only thing I can add is that since it was all over his pants, I boiled the pants on the stove since I could not pour directly through each stain and it worked wonderfully.
The baking soda/hot water trick actually worked! We thought the hot water would set the stain, but instead it vanished completely! You gotta have faith!
Sunshine is so right! All these people couldn’t be wrong, but I was still a little unsure. I thought, “I have nothing left to loose; my shirt is ruined.” How wrong I was. I lost the stain, completely. Thank you, thank you, thank you. How the heck did you come up with this?
Thanks so much Sunshine – it worked! Who new baking soda and hot water would do the trick?
I almost had a clothing casualty. Sunshine saved the day!
Baking soda and boiling water worked for me too!
Used the cold water and baking soda as instructed. On with the boiling water and the stains vanished immediately as if by magic. Thank you!
Thank you Sunshine. It looks like you saved this whole forum into throwing out that article of clothing we thought we had lost. You’re the best!
Carolee, did you find something for your hands? When I tried baking soda it turned the stains black. Your jelly sounds wonderful!
1. Cold water and baking soda; rub it in the cloth.
2. Rinse baking soda away with cold water.
3. Get hot water and pour it on the spot; let it go through the spot.
Sunshine’s method works, that’s all you need to know. Thank you whoever you are.
Sunshine baking soda has saved my light carpet. Thank you so much. You made my day.
Hubby decided it was a good idea to let our two-and-a-half year old open a pomegranate with him. The result was pomegranate juice splattered all over our light-colored walls.
In case anyone else finds themselves in this situation, here is a super simple way to get the stains out.
Dip a cotton ball in peroxide and wipe over the stain a few times until it looks faded. Then dip another cotton ball in vinegar and wipe over the stain a few times. Let it dry, and there will be no trace of the stain left!
I had pomegranate splashes over my kitchen walls. I made a paste with Vanish, Oxy, and water, dabbed on the wall, and presto! The stains were gone. 🙂
In spite of the positive comments about Sunshine’s method, I was still a Debby Doubter. I had to leave the teal shirt untreated for over a week; but low and behold, it worked and the stains are gone. Thank you so very much for the tip!
Use bleaching power. It really works; I gave it a try and landed up being successful.
I have a new pale green skirt, 97%cotton, 3% elastin, with pomegranate stains on it. Didn’t notice it until a week later. Washing instructions for this article is no soaking and cold water wash. I sprayed with Vanish, then washed in regular wash with detergent; didn’t remove. I sprayed again, then washed again with the powdered Vanish; still there. Any suggestions? It has faded, but is still visible.