How to Clean Wine Stains from the Carpet: 4 Methods You Can Use

It can be difficult to clean wine stains from carpet. If the party is still on, try to blot as much of the wine as possible immediately by using clean paper towels. When the last guest leaves your home, you can then use the tips that will be discussed in this article to clean the stains. Read on to discover four different methods you can use to clean wine stains from your carpet.

What You Need to Know About Wine Stains

Although you can clean a red stain in the morning, it is important to attend to it as quickly as possible. Most fabrics are very porous. When the liquid gets in contact with the fibres, they are immersed into the pores of the fabric. Unlike most of the other drinks that we consume, wines (especially red wine) have natural colors. They contain chromogens (the main substance that is responsible for colors in colorful plants).

When the dye molecules in red wines are combined with the naturally-occurring tannins (an organic substance used in producing inks), then the carpet stain becomes difficult to clean. Once a fabric is stained by red wine, it starts sinking into the fibres. The liquid moves up and outward throughout the pores of the fibres.

Methods for Cleaning Wine Stains from Carpets

Baking Soda

Blot as much of the wine as possible. Then make the baking soda into a thick paste using a three to one ratio of baking soda to water. Apply the paste on the wine stain and allow it to dry. The paste will absorb the wine and also dissolve its color.

When the paste has dried, it should look and feel crusty. Remove any baking soda and wine stain that remains by using a vacuum. Apply a carpet stain remover as directed after you have removed the baking soda paste. This will remove the remains of the wine and will also help you recover the fibers.

If you’re using a commercial stain remover, you can apply it and leave it to dry. Then thoroughly vacuum it. Other stain removers like ZEP must be applied and removed immediately.

Salt

Cover the wine stain with a good amount of salt. The fine grains of the salt will absorb any liquid that’s on the fibers. If it’s a dry stain or almost dry, pour some amount of water on it to loosen up the stain. This will make the salt efficient.

The next step is to wait. This step is necessary if you’re using salt to remove wine stains. The goal here is to wait until the stain dries. This may last for about one or two hours. You may even have to leave the salt overnight in some cases depending on the amount of the stain. This won’t have any effect on your carpet, so you have nothing to worry about.

After the stain has dried, you can scoop the excess salt with a spoon. Then, thoroughly vacuum the area to remove any remains of salt in the fibers. There may be small residues of salt after vacuuming. You can easily remove this by dampening the spot and re-vacuuming it.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Mix a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and dish soap in a small container. Ensure the dish soap you use is not colored (colored dish soap can stain the carpet). With some rubber gloves on, dip a sponge in the mixture and stir thoroughly. The sponge must be wet, but it should not be dripping. Gently blot the stain using the sponge. Continue dipping the sponge in the mixture and gently blotting the stain until the stain is completely removed.

Hydrogen peroxide can discolour the carpet since it is mild bleach. So this method is recommended for white carpets or carpets with light colors. Use a clean white cloth to blot up the excess mixture. Continue blotting the spot until the stained area completely dries up.

Whenever you’re using hydrogen peroxide as the cleaning agent, use a white cloth on light-colored or white carpets. It is not advisable to use a colored cloth because hydrogen peroxide can make the color stain the carpet, thereby leading to more mess.

Vinegar

The mixture of vinegar and dish soap is used for cleaning dried stains from carpets. Mix the solution in a bowl by combining a tablespoon of vinegar with a tablespoon of dish soap. Then add two cups of warm water and stir the mixture. When you’re cleaning a carpet, don’t use apple cider vinegar because it can create stains that can be difficult to remove.

Dip a cloth in the mixture and dab it on the wine stain. The importance of warm water is to loosen the dried stains. If you want to clean a fresh stain, then you should use cold water. Get another clean cloth and use it to blot up the liquid and the stain. Fold the cloth into sections and move the section as you blot the liquid and the stain. Continue wetting cloth and blotting until you remove the stain.

Get another clean cloth and soak it in cold water. Press the wet cloth into the stain to dilute any traces of wine left in the carpet. If this is not effective, then pour some amount of cold water on the stain and blot them out.

Wrapping Up

It is a common accident to spill wine on the carpet. The tips and cleaning methods discussed in this article will guide you in getting red wine out of your carpet. I have described how you can use baking soda, salt, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar to clean wine stains from your carpet. You should find one that will work for your specific situation from these methods. Ensure you test any cleaning product on a hidden and small spot of the carpet before you use it in the cleaning process.

If after trying all these you don’t get the result you want, then you need to hire the service of the pros. Here is where Top Cleaning GB comes in. We will use advanced cleaning methods and industrial products to restore your carpet to its original condition.