A glass of red on a cream carpet is one of the worst feelings in any home. The good news is that most red wine stains can be removed or dramatically reduced if you act quickly and avoid a few common mistakes.
Act fast, blot, never rub
Grab a clean white cloth or kitchen roll and blot the stain from the outside in. Rubbing pushes the wine deeper into the fibres and spreads the mark. Keep blotting with dry sections until no more wine lifts out.
What to use
- Cold water: dilute the stain and keep blotting
- Salt: pile it on a fresh spill and let it draw the wine out for a few minutes, then vacuum
- Bicarbonate of soda paste: mix with a little water, apply, let it dry, then vacuum
- A small amount of washing up liquid in cold water for stubborn marks
Always test any solution on a hidden corner of carpet first, and never use hot water on red wine because heat sets the stain.
What not to do
Avoid coloured cloths, avoid scrubbing, and be careful with supermarket stain removers on wool carpets. Some products bleach the carpet and leave a light patch that is worse than the original stain.
When to call a professional
If the stain has dried in, if the carpet is wool or another delicate fibre, or if a large area is affected, professional hot water extraction will get results that home methods cannot. A dried red wine stain that has been there for weeks can often still be lifted with the right treatment.
Need a hand? Send a photo of the job to Pepa Cleaning on WhatsApp and we will reply with a price, usually within minutes. We cover Hampton, Twickenham, Richmond, Kingston and the rest of South West London.
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