We offer a simple tip for everything from home renovation to cleaning to home buying in this space every month.  

Today’s tip: Removing wine stains from tablecloths

It’s almost a given: serve red wine during a fancy dinner party and someone is bound to spill it all over your pristine white tablecloth. After you grit your teeth and promise the offending guest that “it’s nothing,” follow this advice from MarthaStewart.com: For delicate fabrics, soak the spot with denatured alcohol then pour white vinegar over it until the stain dissolves. For more sturdy fabrics, cover the stain with salt; let it stand for five minutes, then pour boiling water over the stain “from a height of at least a foot.” The stain will quickly be forgotten—even if the moment that glass tipped over onto your perfect white linen is seared into your brain for eternity.