It’s the holiday season, and that means going to parties, hosting parties, and trying to juggle day-to-day life in between. While going to holiday parties is a treat, there’s something special about hosting all your loved ones and friends in your own home. However, all that cheer can end with something none of us want to experience – a wine spill on the carpet. Don’t worry – in this blog, we’re going to go over how to get red wine out of carpet.
How To Get a Red Wine Stain Out of Carpet
Whether you’re the one that spilled the wine, saw it spill, or it’s your house – knowing how to treat a stain like red wine is a good skill to have. Let’s go over some things to try right away.
1. Act Fast
Time is the most important thing. Getting to the red wine spill as quickly as possible will make all the difference. It can be hard, when the house is full of guests and kids running around, to get to the ground to start blotting, but it’s well worth it. The reason speed works so well is quite simple – the less time it has to absorb the fibers of the carpet, the easier it is to remove the stain.
2. Try Water First
If you’re able to get to the wine stain quickly, you will be amazed at how effective just plain water can be. You can use a wet cloth, spray bottle, or a couple of drops from a cup and blot the stain right out. One thing to be mindful of is to not over saturate the carpet all the way to the carpet pad. Once you’ve added some water, it’s time to blot.
If plain water alone isn’t doing the trick, you can try club soda or vinegar. If, however, all these options don’t work and you want to try that store-bought carpet cleaning product you got that swears to work wonders – only use a tiny amount. Many cleaners leave a residue on the carpet fibers that are incredibly hard to get out.
3. Don’t Scrub, Blot Instead
That’s right – do not scrub. While our instincts might be to scrub scrub scrub, scrubbing red wine out of carpet can do more damage than good. Scrubbing a stain on any fabric or fiber drives the stain further in, and if the friction is enough, it can heat the fibers and chemically bond the stain to the carpet. Yikes!
That’s why we suggest you blot the red wine stain from the outside in. Blotting from the edges of the stain prevents the stain from further spreading, which is precisely what you want. Again, use a spray bottle of water or a damp rag and gently blot from the outside in. Repeat this process until the stain is no longer visible
4. Cold Water Time
After you blot and think you have the majority of the red wine stain out of your carpet, pour just a couple drops of cold water over where the stain was. This will help dilute whatever is left and show you if there is any stain remaining. Now, when we say just a couple little drops, we mean it, nothing more at all. If you see a bit more stain, repeat the process and blot from the outside until the stain is gone.
How To Clean Dried Red Wine Out of Carpet
Sometimes you can’t get to the wine soon enough. You either don’t see it, are too busy even to go there, or kept trying but got pulled away. No matter the reason the red wine dried, there are a few methods you can try.
1. The Salt Method
The salt method is exactly what it sounds like: using salt to get out all that dried red wine. The key is to get the dried red wine stain wet before you apply the salt. Again, a little bit of water goes a long way; do not overdo it to the point that the water reaches the carpet pad. Once the stain has some water on it, apply a good amount of salt.
DO NOT scrub or blot the salt. Leave the salt there overnight and check on it in the morning. What you should see in the morning is crystalized salt that looks pink. Once the moisture is dry, scoop the salt up and throw it away, and then vacuum.
2. The Vinegar Method
Mix 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, one tablespoon of dish-washing liquid, and two cups of warm water and carefully apply to the dried stain. Again, make sure you don’t use the entire two cups and that you don’t over-saturate the stain. Once the dried stain is ready, begin blotting.
It helps to have a wet rag to dab with, then use a dry cloth to blot and remove the stain. Repeat this process until the stain is gone.
Spilled something other than wine? Refer to our Spot Cleaning Guide for other spills and substances that can be difficult to get out of your carpet.
Know When to Call a Professional
While all these methods have been tried, tested, and proven to work in some cases, there are always those stains that don’t want to budge. If you’re experiencing a stubborn red wine stain, or any stain for that matter, give us a call, and we can take a look.
Don’t forget! The holiday season is a great time to get your carpet cleaning scheduled. We always recommend that carpets get cleaned once a year, with a touch-up session for heavy traffic areas in between bigger cleanings.