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If you’re like many homeowners, no doubt you’ve had to do at least one online search for how to clean red wine from carpet! Even if you’re extra careful when enjoying your favorite vintage in a carpeted room, it’s easy to knock over a glass accidentally or lose track of an energetic pet or child, only to suffer a sudden, unsightly wine stain on the room’s flooring.
The good news is that you can often remove wine stains with household products and a bit of “elbow grease,” but it’s vital that you act quickly and ensure you use the right tools and techniques. Improper cleaning methods can spread the stain and make it worse, and allowing wine to dry can also mean a tougher cleaning job. Note a few tips on how to clean wine from carpet and ensure you call a carpet cleaning professional if any of these don’t work the first time around.
There are a few different methods for cleaning red wine from carpets, so consider a few basic ones here. Try one for your carpeting, depending on the materials you have on hand; if one doesn’t work, don’t simply move on to another but call a carpet cleaning professional instead.
If these simple tricks don’t work, avoid using more product and water as this can only spread the stain and lead to damp carpets, increasing the risk of mildew growth under carpet padding. Call a professional carpet cleaner instead, as he or she will know the right tools and products to use for cleaning.
Baking soda is an excellent product for picking up a number of food stains without damaging fibers and dyes. To use baking soda on red wine stains, first blot as much of the wine itself, using clean, dry paper towels. Next, add some cold water to the stain and blot some more, as this will help loosen even more of the wine and make it easier to clean.
Mix one part baking soda to three parts water until this forms a paste and then dab that onto any remaining stain. Gently blot it into the carpet and then let it dry; once dry, vacuum it away. If the stain remains, try a mixture of two tablespoons of white vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda and blot this into the stain gently. The mixture should begin bubbling, lifting the stain as it works. Blot the area dry.
Salt absorbs moisture, which is why it’s used on snowy roads and other spills. It can also be used on red wine stains in the home, if you address that stain quickly enough. Use a clean towel to blot up as much of the wine as possible and then gently push salt into the stain; allow it to dry and then vacuum those crystals.
This trick is an excellent way to address a stain quickly but without much-needed cleaning. If you have guests visiting, for example, and someone spills wine on your carpet, you can quickly blot it and then apply salt, and get back to your party while that salt dries!
White wine has a certain enzyme that can break up red wine and make it easier to remove from your home’s carpet. To give this process a try, pour some white wine onto the red wine until the stain is soaked. Use a clean, white cloth to blot the stain from the carpeting.
If the stain doesn’t come out with just white wine, use a small bit of laundry detergent while the spot is still damp. Blot the detergent into the stain and use a damp cloth to blot again, removing as much of the stain as possible.
Hot water may actually set a red wine stain into a carpet, and hot water fades dyes and colors very easily! If you’ve spilled red wine on carpeting or any fabric, soak that fabric in cold water until the stain fades. You can then use any suggestions above for removing residual wine from the carpet or other fabrics.
OxiClean uses oxygenated bleach, which helps loosen stains while also neutralizing the enzymes that leave stains behind. To use OxiClean on red wine, saturate the area thoroughly with full-strength cleaner and rub it into the stain. Wait for a few minutes so it can work as needed and then blot it out of the carpeting.
When using OxiClean to remove red wine stains, ensure you don’t let the solution dry on the carpeting as this can set the stain into the fabric permanently! Add water to the area if needed but keep blotting the stain until it comes clean.
Vanish might be a bit difficult to find on store shelves as it’s now a sub-brand of Scrubbing Bubbles, but if you’re a regular patron of the brand, you can use it to get out red wine stains from carpeting and other fabrics. First start by adding salt to the stain and rubbing it in slightly, then blotting it away, to remove as much liquid as possible.
Next, add Vanish to the stain directly and ensure you soak the area. Use clean, white cloths and blot the area as much as possible and this should remove the stain completely.
Club soda is carbonated so it bubbles; those bubbles can trap red wine stains and lift them from carpet fibers, making it easier to blot them away. Try club soda alone on stains, blotting it dry after application. If this doesn’t get out the stain, add more club soda and then salt on top of the stain; once the salt is dry, vacuum it up and this might lift that stain away.
If you don’t have liquid carpet cleaner on hand, first blot the stain as much as possible. If it’s already dried, add some water until the area soaks through and then blot, as this will help remove the wine and residual staining.
Next, mix a quarter cup of white vinegar with a tablespoon of dishwashing detergent, and add these to a spray bottle. Fill with two cups of cold water and shake to mix, then spray the area vigorously. Let this mixture soak for 10 minutes and then blot it with a clean, white towel.
Depending on carpeting material, red wine stains can become permanent if left too long and especially if heated, since heat “sets” colors in carpet fibers. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that older stains are permanent and that it’s time to replace carpeting.
A professional carpet cleaning company will often have access to cleansers meant for deep, set-in stains, and will know the right techniques to use for red wine, grease, tomato sauce, and other such tough stains. In many cases, using a steam cleaner can loosen food debris and residues, while specialty scrub brushes then help pull those enzymes from carpet fibers.
A carpet cleaning contractor will also ensure carpets are protected from damage during the cleaning process. Proper extraction ensures fibers are not matted down from staining or cleaning, so your carpet is restored to its original, like-new condition.
A homeowner would also do well to avoid DIY carpet cleaning, as even simple mistakes can mean damaging those rugs. Using too much detergent can strip the carpet of its color, while not extracting all cleaning solutions and water risk mold and mildew underneath carpet backing and padding. A homeowner might also use heavy scrub brushes, mistakenly thinking this will get out old, set-in stains when they often just damage carpet fibers instead.
Watertown Carpet Cleaners is happy to provide this information to our readers and we hope it helped with suggestions on how to clean red wine from carpets. If your home still needs red wine stain removal, or if your carpets are looking dull and dingy, give us a call! We provide a wide range of carpet cleaning services sure to fit your needs and budget. We also offer FREE quotes and guarantee your satisfaction.
