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There are some things that are relaxing like coming home from a long days work and sitting down to sip on your favorite glass of wine. But what happens when that glass slips out of your hand and lands on the carpet like a slow motion scene from a movie.
Before you look at the floor and scream “noooooo”, realize there is hope for the carpet yet! Here are some of the best ways to remedy this problem, even how to get red wine out of carpet after it has dried!
1. First Things First – Try to Clean the Stain without Cleaning Agents
The first thing you want to do when wine is spilled on carpet is get as much liquid up as possible on fresh stains.
Using a clean cloth, preferably a clean white cloth, blot as much of the liquid away as you can. The white cloth or white paper towel will allow you to see how much of the liquid is left.
For best results, try not to use too much pressure, doing so could drive the excess liquid further into the carpet fibers. The white cloth will allow you to see how much of the liquid is left.
By getting as much of the liquid out right away, you give yourself a better chance of the stain coming out. If the wine is allowed to sit in the carpet fibers longer, the process of cleaning it will be harder.
If you reach a point where it looks like no more liquid is coming out, pour a small amount of cool water over the stain, do not use hot water at this point, it could set the fresh spill into the carpet fibers.
Continue botting the stain with a dry towel until you see no more wine in the carpet. Once the wine is gone, use paper towels to grab the water left over.
This is not a foolproof method and sometimes you will need to use other methods.
Below are some alternative methods to help you out in this situation.
2. Use White Vinegar to Clean the Stain
White vinegar is such a versatile item to have on hand in your home. It can be used as a natural stain remover in many applications, this is one of them. Here is how to use it on your red wine spill.
- The first thing you will want to do is dab up as much of the wine spill as you can with a dry towel.
- Apply white vinegar to the affected area.
- Let the vinegar soak into the stain.
- Dab the wet stain with white paper towels until the wine is removed from the carpet.
If the stain is being stubborn, you can use a little dish soap, such as Dawn, with the white vinegar. Follow the same steps as above.
3. Use Hydrogen Peroxide on White Carpets
This hydrogen peroxide method is only for cleaning stubborn wine stains out of white carpets because it acts as a bleaching agent. If used on colored carpets, a bleaching effect could happen. A spot test on the affected area would be a good place to start. Getting a wine stain out of your carpet is not worth replacing the whole thing!
- In a small bowl, mix three parts hydrogen peroxide and one part dishwashing liquid.
- Apply the mixture to the stained area with a sponge or rag. It is recommended to wear gloves while doing this.
- Clean the area until there is no visible sign of the stain left.
- Use paper towels to dry the area.
4. Use Salt or Baking Soda to Soak Up the Stain
Salt and baking soda are both items that will naturally soak up liquid. It can be a very helpful partner when cleaning a red wine spill. Here is how to use it,
- Soak as much wine up with a clean towel as you can.
- Apply the salt or baking soda to the remaining stain.
- Let the powder do its job and soak up the liquid.
- After the wine is all gone, vacuum your carpet.
5. Clean Old Red Wine Stains with Cleaning Products
If you want to stick with the more natural cleaning methods, try any of the above methods for cleaning older red wine stains. There is a slight chance they will work out for you, but the longer the stain has to set in, the harder it is to get out.
Here is how to get red wine out of carpet after it has dried.
How to Get Red Wine Out of Carpet After It Has Dried
When a wine stain has sat for many days or even weeks on your carpet, its a little harder to clean with things like baking soda or white vinegar. The longer the stain remains, the stronger the cleaning solution needs to be.
You many need to bring in the cleaning chemicals for stubborn stains. There are many on the market available including products like Oxi Clean carpet and spot stain remover and Chateau Spill Red Wine Stain Remover. They are all pretty easy to use, just follow the manufacturers instructions.
Always make sure you test out a small area of carpet before trying a new cleaning chemical on your carpet. Some may have a bleach like substance in them and could damage your carpet if not used properly.
There are several ways to take care of those pesky red wine spills that sometimes happen on your carpet. If you have one in your home, don’t fret.
If you can’t get the stain out yourself, there are always professionals willing to help you out. Carpet cleaning professional services deals with wine stains all the time and might have a better way or a more specialized chemical to get that stain right out.
The takeaway is, next time you spill your glass of wine after a long day or a guest spills some red wine at your next dinner party, don’t let that get you down.
