Arrrgh — I just spilled red wine on the carpet
Its happened to all us right? Relaxing in the lounge with a nice glass of red wine. A perfect way to round the corners off the day. Then boom! Relaxation turns to panic. You or someone else has knocked over a glass of red wine. Worst of all, it was full and now the wine you were enjoying is slowly settling into the carpet.
Act fast!
The key is speed. You must tackle the stain straight away. Now we understand you won’t always have the luxury of time. It may be a stain you discover the morning after the night before. Either way the sooner you act, the better your chance of rescuing your carpet.
You should carry out the following steps to mitigate the risk of a permanent stain;
- Gently pour hot or boiling water over the stain to dilute the wine.
- Dab it with a cloth and regularly rinse to keep the cloth clear.
- Using dry kitchen towel further dab the area to draw out more moisture.
- Pour salt over what remains of the stain and allow to dry, this will draw out more of the stain.
- Use a vacuum cleaner to remove the salt.
More cleaning options
There are other tried and tested methods for cleaning red wine stains out of carpets. Some are considered to be urban myths. Rest assured most of these methods do actually work.
Here are a few more methods:
- Use White Vinegar — Mix a solution of white vinegar and water, its important not to use any other colour as you may add a new stain to your carpet. Mix 1 tablespoon and 2 cups of warm water. Dab the stain to loosen it. Next wet the stain with cold water, then use kitchen towel to dry it.
- Dish Soap and Hydrogen Peroxide — Mix the soap and hydrogen peroxide in a small container. Dab the stained area and let it settle and penetrate the stained fibres. Dab with clean cold water and dry with kitchen towell.
- White Wine & Baking Soda — Yes this actually works! Start by pouring a little white wine on the stain. Alternatively use vodka or even gin, this might start getting expensive if you like craft gins. Dab the area with a cloth. Mix the baking soda 1:3 parts water to make a paste. Spread the paste, cover with a weighed down towel and allow to dry before vacuuming.
Call an expert
Regardless of how fast you act there will always be a very faint residual stain after a red wine spillage. You will probably learn to live with this. However if its in clear view it will start to bug you. Calling an expert carpet cleaning company, such as ourselves, will almost always completely remove the stain.
