No one wants to spill red wine on their carpet, especially a carpet that is light in color. However, accidents do happen. If red wine has been spilled onto a carpet, don’t think that you have to cover the stain with a plant, rearrange your furniture, or buy a new carpet. Red wine stains are difficult to get out, but it is not an impossible task. The following are some steps to help you learn how to remove red wine from a carpet.
Removing Red Wine Stains From Carpet
To start with, one should start blotting at the spill or stain using a clean cloth or clean paper towels. One should not scrub at the stain because this can cause the wine to work its way even further into the carpet’s fibers. Each blot should be done with a clean section of the material. Thus, you may need a number of cloths or towels if the spill or stain is quite large. The blotting should be done until the material no longer picks up wine. And of course, the quicker you get the stain, the better the likelihood of success.
If you can not immediately clean the red wine up, you should put some salt on the stain, especially if it is still wet. The salt’s job is to absorb as much of the wine as possible so that when the stain is dry, the salt can be vacuumed up before you add further treatments.
Now, you will want to take some club soda that is unflavored and apply it to the stain using a sponge. The carbonation and sodium of club soda make it a much better home solution than using plain water. Again, be sure to blot and not scrub.
Next, you should take some dish detergent and dilute it with water. You want this solution to be weak so that you do not stain the carpet. Using a clean material, blot the detergent solution on the stain. If the stain is still present, you may want to try and add a bit of hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide should be added sparingly and should be blotted.
Even if the stain still remains, it should be much less visible. If the stain is still noticeable, you can now try and invest in some oxygen bleach products meant for carpets. They may very well be able to get the rest of the stain out. Additionally, thee are some carpet shampoos that are designed for this very stain, so after you have gone through your home remedies, it may be time to make such an investment.
With a little bit of time, effort, and creativity, red wine can most certainly be removed from nearly any carpet. The key is to get to the stain as soon as possible and to blot away the stain instead of scrubbing at the floor. With a combination of home solutions and professional cleaning products, your carpet will end up looking good as new.
Resources: About.com,
