It's tough to get out, and you might not get there....I have several hand towels that have been used on the dog's paws and I can't get out the grunge. They too were washed and dried, and then it was over.

That said, sometimes I've had reasonable luck with the Tide Brights + Whites Rescue pods and Tide Plus Bleach Powder (there is no chlorine bleach in it). If they work, it may take several tries.

I found the Tide Plus with Bleach Powder at Walmart this morning. When you say "boil", do you mean full rolling boil (cooking spaghetti) or bring up to a certain temp and let soak? If full rolling, how long? I have been reading on here and opinions seem to differ. I sure hope it works. I love the towels and they can't be replaced. They don't look TOO bad, but I can see it and it bothers me.

ETA: I have a top loader washer I love, but it just has a choice for cold, warm, or hot. It does not heat the water. The water heater is right next to it.

Add the towel and the detergent. Bring to a boil and turn it off. Stirr once in awhile because they will float. Let soak until cool. Than spin them out in washer and wash in hot. I've done this many times...I have only had a few out of dozens frey around the edge. If they are 100% cotton they should be fine.

I finally got around to doing the hand towels. They turned out great! All the embedded grime is gone. Thanks Julie and Mamapinky.

What did you end up doing?

I had found the Tide powder plus bleach like you suggested. I went ahead and boiled them like Mamapinky suggested. I got the water to a boil and turned the pot off. It probably set for 3 to 4 hours. Then washed them in hot in the machine.

Tide Powder plus bleach is what, exactly? Oxygen bleach added to detergent? That's the only bleach I can think of that's color safe.

This is the exact box I bought. It has NO real chlorine bleach in it.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tide-With-Bleach-Alternative-HE-Turbo-Powder-Laundry-Detergent-Original-Scent-53-loads-95-oz/21675357

Tide with Bleach powder has Sodium percarbonate (oxygen bleach) in it along with a bleach activator.

There is no detergents that contain chlorine bleach.

However its not exactly true that oxygen bleach is color safe. It can and does fade darks and colors.

Its true that oxygen bleach is different from chlorine but it will whiten whites and keep them screaming white.

I don't want to go out to the store on Christmas Eve, but these wine stained napkins are still wet and waiting for me to figure something out. So I'll try combining my regular detergent and powdered oxygen bleach. Oxygen bleach alone ( in a 7 hour soak) didn't do it.

I've actually never had an issue getting out red wine stains with a good quality detergent and a regular wash.