How to Remove Fruit Punch Stains

Madison asked, “What can I use to clean fruit punch out of the carpet in my car?”

Table of Contents:

Removing Fruit Punch Stains from Clothing
Removing Fruit Punch Stains from Carpet or Upholstery
Additional Tips and Advice
Sources

Most commercial fruit punch drinks are dyed bright red which leaves a bright red stain. Thankfully, red is the most easy to remove of all dye stains. Select the section below for your stain location, then use the information in the steps to remove the stain. Always test a cleaning solution on a hidden area first to check for any adverse reaction.

Removing Fruit Punch Stains from Clothing

You Will Need:

Club soda
A cloth
Laundry detergent
Ammonia
Rubbing alcohol
White vinegar

Steps to Remove the Stain:

Blot up as much of the excess liquid as possible with paper towels.¹
Hold the garment over a sink and pour club soda over the stain. If possible, let the club soda run through the fabric, but make sure that the back of the shirt is held out of the way to prevent the fruit punch stain from transferring.²
Pour a quart of cold water into a bowl or bucket, then add ½ teaspoon laundry detergent and 2 tablespoons ammonia. Soak the stain in the solution for about 45 minutes.¹
If any stain remains, blot it with rubbing alcohol until it is removed.³
Another option is to use white vinegar. Mix 1 part white vinegar with 4 parts water and blot the solution onto the stain with a cloth, then let the solution dry.¹
When the stain is removed, wash the garment as usual.
Let the garment air dry until you are certain that no traces of the stain remain, as heat may cause the stain to set.

Removing Fruit Punch Stains from Carpet or Upholstery

You Will Need:

Club soda
A cloth
Dish liquid
White vinegar
Rubbing alcohol
A dry towel
A hair dryer

Steps to Remove the Stain:

Blot up as much of the excess liquid as possible with paper towels.¹
Soak a cloth with the club soda and blot the stain until it is removed.²
Combine 1 tablespoon white vinegar and 1 tablespoon mild non-bleach dish liquid into 2 cups of cold water. Blot the solution onto the stain and let it sit for about 30 minutes, reapplying the solution every few minutes.³
If any stain remains, blot it with rubbing alcohol.³
When the stain is gone, sponge the area with water to rinse off any residue from the cleaning solutions.
Blot the area to remove excess water.
If the stain was on upholstery, use a hair dryer on the cool setting to finish drying the area so as to prevent any water stains.

Additional Tips and Advice

If the stain is from Koolaid, see the article How to Remove Kool-Aid Stains for stains on clothing, or How to Remove Kool-Aid Stains from Carpet.
If you drink red fruit punch often, you may want to consider investing in Red Erase, a stain remover made specifically for red stains.⁴ Other commercial products that work well on red stains are Wine Away² and Juice Out.¹
Always follow proper safety precautions when working with ammonia, such as by ventilating the area and wearing gloves. For more information, see Wikipedia.