Cranberry Sauce Stains

One of Thanksgiving’s classic dishes is cranberry sauce – the perfect tart complement to turkey or savory vegetable dishes, rife with all the fresh savor of Autumn. However, despite its magnificent deliciousness, cranberry sauce is a notorious carpet stainer, perhaps only rivaled by the dastardly beet. Here’s Aladdin’s guide for carpet cranberry sauce stain removal, so you can remain calm, confident, and really enjoy your family get together this Thanksgiving.

First, scoop up the majority of the sauce with a knife, being careful not to press it down into the carpet fibers (if it’s the more solid, gelatinous kind or has whole cranberries,) then blot the area with a clean cloth or paper towel to absorb as much of it as possible. Then wet a small towel with water, and continue blotting away.
Cranberry sauce produces a stain due to it’s tannins – these stains can be removed easily with detergent and hot water.
Don’t use natural soap for this, as natural soap make tannins harder to remove from carpets. Make sure, if you’re using bleach, that you use color safe bleach.
If the stains don’t come off, repeat the above steps. Just don’t use heat to dry it, as it will set the stain in.
If the Cranberry sauce isn’t 100% natural and has food coloring, use an oxygen based color safe bleach like OXO Brite-in or OxiClean according to package directions. Dip a clean rag into the solution and work from the outside edge of the stain inwards in order to prevent spreading it around. Don’t’ get it too wet. Let the solution stay on the stain for at least a half an hour before blotting it up.
Use a clean white rag to blot away any moisture, but don’t rinse it. Oxygen bleach usually turns into water within a couple hours – simply let it air dry away from direct sunlight or heat. Then vacuum to restore the pile of the carpet.
It’s essential to remember not to get the fabric of the carpet too wet with the cleaning solution as it can cause mildew.
If none of these steps work, contact a licensed carpet professional, like those at Aladdin!

Cranberry sauce produces a stain due to it’s tannins – these stains can be removed easily with detergent and hot water.

Don’t use natural soap for this, as natural soap make tannins harder to remove from carpets. Make sure, if you’re using bleach, that you use color safe bleach.

If the stains don’t come off, repeat the above steps. Just don’t use heat to dry it, as it will set the stain in.

Use a clean white rag to blot away any moisture, but don’t rinse it. Oxygen bleach usually turns into water within a couple hours – simply let it air dry away from direct sunlight or heat. Then vacuum to restore the pile of the carpet.

It’s essential to remember not to get the fabric of the carpet too wet with the cleaning solution as it can cause mildew.

If none of these steps work, contact a licensed carpet professional, like those at Aladdin!

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