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Picture this: you’re relaxing at home, enjoying a glass of red wine on the couch – allowing yourself to decompress after a long workday or busy weekend – when the worst happens. You slip. A noise startles you. You trip. The important thing is that the glass slips out of your grib, and it’s almost like it’s happening in slow motion – you watch, dejected, as a giant red stain appears on your perfect, (formerly) immaculate carpet.
What should you do? What emergency measures should you take? Should you be reaching for the bleach? Does cold water take out stains… or is it hot water? Try not to panic. It may look like dire circumstances but you can absolutely remedy the situation. Here’s the steps to follow so you can do that.
Soak up all the excess wine
Before you reach for any other cleaning solutions, grab an absorbent cloth and start blotting the stain, using a fresh (not absorbed yet) area of the cloth each time you blot down – the goal is to absorb as much liquid as you possibly can from the carpet. After you’ve absorbed as much liquid as you can, pour some clean water on the stain, and continue blotting it. Repeat this a few times – but you don’t want to completely saturate the couch with water, rather make sure that as much of the surface stain transfers onto the blotting cloth as possible. This will make the entire cleanup process much more effective.
Test all cleaners before final use
If you have a dark colored carpet, or a delicate antique rug, you don’t want to be using a harsh or intense cleaning solution that could degrade or abrade the fabric, damaging it. We recommend testing a small hidden spot of the fabrics reaction the solution before using it on the rest of it – this makes sure that the quality and color of the carpet won’t be affected by it – which could be irreversible.
Choose your Weapon
Carpet Stain Remover
The directions for this plan varies based on whatever brand you’re using – we recommend simply following the directions on the label if you don’t want to encounter any accidents.
Baking Soda
Mix baking soda and water on a 3:1 ratio until it’s a paste, and pat some of the paste into the stain completely. Once dry, vacuum off; keep in mind that for extra power try mixing baking soda with hydrogen peroxide.
Club Soda
The internal carbonation in a bottle of club soda helps it remove stains efficiently – we recommend using it when you’re blotting (instead of water.)
Vinegar
Vinegar works great on red wine stains – mix it with a bit of water and blot the stain – when you’ve done all that you can, blot afterwards with a bit of dish soap.
Dish Soap
Mix soap and hydrogen peroxide, apply it to the stain, allow it to rest and penetrate the stain and then blot it away.
Salt
Poar a huge amount of salt onto the stain and give it some time as it absorbs the time – this should be a fantastic immediate post-stain therapy – simply vacuum to finish up.
See what you’ve done
If you were not able to get rid of the entire stain (as many people are) it’s wise to call in professional assistance. The expert cleaners at Aladdin are prepared with top-of-the-line equipment to clean up all stains – including red wine. Although nothing beats a professional carpet cleaning, these tips should do you well in the event of an emergency, It’s wise to keep these items around the house.
