Pomegranate stains: 5 ways to remove them from clothes, chopping boards and hands

In a winter salad, as a mid-morning snack (the Swiss Znüni) or on top of a dessert: pomegranates are in season when it is cold outside. When you pop out the seeds, though, the deep red juice loves to splash onto jumpers, tablecloths and worktops. To get rid of pomegranate stains, you need to be quick and, above all, work cold – heat can set the dye in the fabric.

With simple household products such as gall soap, lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda, fresh splashes usually come out. The five methods below cover coloured and white fabrics, wooden chopping boards and stained hands.

Why pomegranate stains are so stubborn

The red colour comes from anthocyanins, natural plant pigments also found in blueberries, cherries and red wine. They quickly soak into natural fibres such as cotton and linen. On top of that, tannins bind more and more firmly to the fibre over time and with heat. The longer a stain dries and the hotter it is washed or dried, the harder it becomes to remove.

The good news: a fresh stain usually disappears completely if you follow the right order – rinse cold first, then pre-treat, and only then wash. The approach is similar to red wine, as our guide on red wine stain removal explains.

1. Act fast: blot and rinse with cold water

The first few minutes make all the difference:

1. Lift off seeds and juice with a spoon without smearing them.
2. Blot with kitchen roll or a light-coloured cloth, always from the outside towards the centre.
3. Turn the garment inside out and rinse the stain from the back under cold running water. This pushes the dye out of the fabric rather than further in.
4. No hot water, no hairdryer and no iron.
5. When you are out, dab the stain with cold water and carry on treating it as soon as you get home.

2. Coloured fabrics: work in gall soap

Gall soap is a tried-and-tested remedy for fruit and plant stains and is sold as a bar or liquid in chemists' shops and supermarkets.

1. Keep the rinsed stain wet.
2. Apply the gall soap and work it in gently with your fingers or a soft brush.
3. Leave it for 15 to 30 minutes without letting the fabric dry out.
4. Rinse with cold water and check; repeat if necessary.
5. Only then machine-wash the item according to the care label.
6. Check before drying: if a shadow remains, skip the tumble dryer and treat it again.

3. White fabrics: lemon juice and oxygen bleach

With white cotton and linen, you have more options. The Swiss consumer protection foundation lists lemon juice among the household remedies that can replace many special products.

• Lemon juice: drip freshly squeezed juice onto the damp stain, leave it for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse with cold water.
• Oxygen-based stain remover: use a stain-removing salt or oxygen bleach for whites, following the pack instructions exactly.
• No chlorine bleach: it can weaken fibres and leave yellowish patches.

For plum, peach and other fruit stains, see our guide to fruit stains.

4. Wooden chopping boards and worktops: bicarbonate and salt

Untreated wood soaks up red juice like a sponge, so deal with it right after cutting:

1. Rinse the board with cold water straight away.
2. Mix a little bicarbonate of soda with very little water to make a thick paste.
3. Spread the paste over the stain, leave it for a few minutes and scrub with a brush along the grain.
4. Alternatively, sprinkle on coarse salt and rub it in with half a lemon.
5. Rinse thoroughly and let the board dry standing upright – never in the dishwasher.

Once dry, treat the board now and then with a little cooking oil. Our guide on how to clean a wooden chopping board has all the details. On marble or limestone worktops, use neither lemon nor vinegar, as acid attacks the stone – simply wipe with water and a little washing-up liquid.

5. Hands and nails: lemon instead of scrubbing

Red fingers and stained nails are annoying but harmless:

• Rub your hands with a little lemon juice, leave it briefly, then wash with soap and water.
• Clean nails and cuticles with a nail brush and lemon juice or a little bicarbonate paste.
• Keep lemon juice away from small cuts or chapped skin, as it stings.
• Whatever is left fades on its own after a few hand washes.

Next time, thin kitchen gloves will protect your hands.

Common mistakes

• Hot water: it can set the dye instead of dissolving it.
• Rubbing: the stain spreads and sinks in deeper.
• Tumble dryer or iron too soon: after heat, a permanent shadow often remains.
• Chlorine bleach on colours: it leaves pale patches and damages the fibres.
• Several products at once: it doesn't work better and can be dangerous.

Priority Clean editorial teamOur cleaning team from Alberswil, Canton of Lucerne, shares hands-on experience from move-out, house, office and window cleaning across Central and Northwestern Switzerland.