Nathaniel Fried
Do you often relax with a glass of Cabernet while you binge on your favorite show after work?
If so, no worries; you’re not alone. Thousands of gallons of wine are consumed all around the world each year by people with a similar mindset. Wine is the perfect beverage for winding down. At least that’s true until you accidentally spill some of the rich, burgundy liquid onto your spotless carpet.
If this happens to you, relax. You won’t need to tear up the ugly, stained carpet. You don’t have to resort to staring at the embarrassing red spot for years to come, either.
There’s a third choice: Get rid of the stain. Try one of the following tips to make your carpet look like-new again.
1. Blot the Stain with Club Soda
Do you have club soda in your fridge?
If not, make sure to grab a bottle or two during your next grocery run. Even if you’re not a fan of downing this flavorless carbonated drink, you can use it to clean almost any stained fabric. Adding this trick to your cleaning toolkit might send your maid scurrying in search of new housekeeping jobs.
Be sure to purchase actual club soda as opposed to seltzer or tonic, however. Club soda is the only one of the three made with useful minerals (such as sodium and potassium) that can dissolve stains.
When you spill your red wine, blot it up immediately with a cloth or paper towel. Press the towel against the carpet to soak up the wine; don’t rub across the stain.
After sopping up the excess wine, pour a little bit of club soda over the stain. Then, blot with a paper towel or cloth again. Continue dabbing at the spot with the club soda for a few minutes until the stain disappears.
2. Use Vodka and Baking Soda
If you have pure rubbing alcohol, pour some of it on to the stain. You can even use white wine for this trick.
While it might seem counterintuitive to pour more whine or alcohol over your carpet, as long as it’s white or clear, the alcohol can fight the stain. Make sure that the alcohol you use for this contains no sugar. Sweet white wine will leave your carpet sticky and messy.
Use a dry sponge to dab at the alcohol-covered stain. Dab very lightly so as not to press the red color into the looped fabric.
- In a small container, add three spoons of water to one spoon of baking soda.
- Let the two ingredients bind to create a paste.
- Pour the paste over the stain.
- Cover the spot with a thick cloth and weigh it down with a hardcover book.
You can leave the covered baking soda paste to do its job overnight.
In a few hours, the paste will absorb the spilled whine, and the stain will be gone. Simply vacuum up the baking soda clumps from the carpet in the morning, and your stain saga will be over.
3. Pour Salt on The Stain
Did you know that salt absorbs liquid almost like a sponge?
In the case of spilled red wine, salt can be your savior. Since it is an ionic compound, salt attracts liquid as well as vapor.
When that dreaded red stain forms on your rug, quickly blot the spilled wine with a paper towel. Then, pour a generous amount of salt over the spot. Leave it there for a few minutes to soak up the wine that seeped into the carpet. Finally, simply clean it up with a vacuum. This method yields result without much effort on your part.
4. Blend Hydrogen Peroxide and Dish Detergent
Does your carpet happen to be white?
If so, the red stain probably horrifies you more than it would on any other surface. Fret not, though. Your carpet can be spotless again, thanks to some hydrogen peroxide and dish soap.
In a small cup, add several drops of dish detergent to a small amount of peroxide. Then, stir the mixture gently to combine. You only need about a half cup of the solution.
Since hydrogen peroxide is a mild bleaching agent, this solution works best on light or white carpets. That said, it might work on a darker carpet as long as you test it first.
- Dip a sponge into your solution and gently blot the entire stain.
- Then, leave the hydrogen peroxide solution to sit on the stain for a few minutes.
- In a spray bottle, combine some cold water with a few drops of detergent.
- Spritz the stained spot with the water and soap solution.
- Then, wipe off the soapy mess with some pure cold water.
- Finally, blot with a cloth or towel until the spot is dry and stain-free.
This method is a little labor-intensive. If your cleaning lady is around when you spill your wine, perhaps have her try this tip on your behalf.
5. Use Vinegar and Baking Soda
It’s a well-known fact that vinegar and baking soda react to each other. This makes for a great all-purpose cleaning solution. And you guessed it — You can use it to get rid of that offensive red-carpet stain.
Immediately after spilling the wine, sop it up with a cloth or paper towel. Then, simply pour some baking soda over the stain. Cover it with a weighed-down paper towel for a couple of minutes.
Remove the paper towel and pour some vinegar over the baking soda. Remember, you can only use white vinegar. Any other type of vinegar will make the stain worse.
Once the vinegar and baking soda react to each other, mop the mess up with a dry cloth. If you find clumps of baking soda rooted in your carpet, run through the spot with a vacuum. At this point, your red stain should be gone.
Conclusion
Red stains are usually the stuff of nightmares for anyone who likes to keep a clean home. However, you can carry on with your habit of red wine paired with a good movie. Now that you can clean your living room carpet with the above expert tips, there’s no need to worry about lingering stains.
