DEAR DAME EVELYN , We had some friends over for dinner the other night. Everyone got drunk and had a good time and ate like there was no tomorrow and, wouldn't you know it, when I stripped my heirloom tablecloth (it had been my mother's) from the table the next morning, I found several huge red-wine stains. I think they are probably zinfandel, or maybe petite syrah. Does it matter? I sprayed the spots with Spray-and-Wash before putting the tablecloth in the laundry, but it doesn't seem to have made any difference. The stains are still there. Is my mother's tablecloth ruined? What am I going to do the next time she comes to dinner and I have to use a different tablecloth?

Sackcloth

Ashes, And I thought you were going to ask me about blood stains! There, too, I claim some expertise, as Sir Evelyn can attest, or could, if he were still with us.... But no matter. I gather your mother is a fastidious woman who somehow neglected to communicate to you the number-one rule of red-wine-stain removing, which is to strike while the stain is still damp. Pour salt on it, let the salt absorb the wine, and start dabbing it up with a clean cloth. I realize that, for you, this is already water, or wine, under the bridge. Red-wine stains that have been allowed to dry are a trickier matter. One possible remedy is to rewet the stain with white wine, then apply what is basically a poultice of baking soda mixed with just enough water to make a paste. If that doesn't work, try a blend of hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing liquid; I use about equal proportions. (This formula, incidentally, with some baking soda added, can help kill skunk stench if your pet is unlucky enough to get popped, as Dame Evelyn's have been over the years.) Or try borax, the tried-and-true cleaning powder. Dame Evelyn has never actually found borax at the hardware store, which apparently is the place to look for it, but then Dame Evelyn doesn't spend much time in hardware stores and is fairly fastidious to boot, thus minimizing the need. Not to criticize, needless to say.

Spotlessly,

E. G.-S.