You are dancing and having fun at a party, and suddenly you spill a perfectly good glass of red wine onto your or, even worst, someone else’s precious carpet.
That turned into a nightmare pretty soon, huh? Do not worry! If you have committed this sin, then this guide on how to get red wine out of the carpet is just the savior that you need.
In this guide, we have covered plenty of DIY methods and shared some tips that will help you in getting rid of the pesky little stain.
DIY Method
Red wine stains, if not dealt with quickly, can leave a permanent stain on your precious carpets.
And so before you start treating either a red wine stain or a tough BBQ sauce stain from your carpet, it is important to act on it as soon as possible even if it is a minuscule ketchup stain.
These methods are also effective in removing rigid stains like pet pee or removing automotive grease from the carpet.
You should take some paper towels and blot the area to absorb as much wine as possible. Do not scrub the area, simply blot it before you begin cleaning it with one of the following DIY methods:
1. Baking Soda
Requirement
Baking Soda & Water
Stepwise process
1. As mentioned above, the first step is to blot the wine-affected area with a dry paper towel to soak in as much wine as possible.
2. Now add a small amount of cold water to the area and blot again. This will help in diluting the stain.
3. Now mix three parts of baking soda and one part of water to form a paste.
4. Now apply this paste generously to the wine stain and let it sit for about 20 minutes or until the paste dries out completely.
5. After drying, vacuum the baking soda off the carpet, and the stain will be removed.
2. Vinegar
Requirement
Warm water, vinegar, cloth rag, dish soap
Stepwise process
1. Start by dabbing the stain with a paper towel.
2. Take two cups of warm water and add one tablespoon of white vinegar to create a diluted mixture.
3. Now dip a cloth rag into this mixture and start dabbing the stain with it.
4. Keep dabbing until the stain dissolves completely.
5. Once the wine stain is removed, dab the area using a rag cloth dipped in dish soap. This will help in getting rid of the pungent vinegar smell.
6. Finally, finish it off by blotting the area with a damp rag to remove the dish soap residue.
3. Salt
Requirement
Salt, water, paper towel
Stepwise process
1. If the wine stain had dried out before you began treating it, then this method could help you.
2. First, apply a little amount of cold water on the stain and dab it with a paper towel to soak up the wine.
3. Now cover the red wine stain with salt until you are not able to see the stain.
4. Let the salt sit on the carpet overnight. The salt will absorb the wine and will have a pinkish hue in the morning.
5. In the morning, vacuum away the salt from the carpet, and your stain will be gone.
4. Dish Soap/Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide
Requirement
Hydrogen Peroxide, dish soap or baking soda, paper cloth
Stepwise process
1. Note: Hydrogen Peroxide can lead to discoloring of the carpet as it is a mild bleach agent. So, make sure to test a small area of your carpet before you start with this process.
2. Blot the red wine stain with a paper cloth.
3. Now, create a mixture by combining one part of dishwashing soap and two parts of hydrogen peroxide.
4. Now apply the mixture to the stain and blot the area again.
5. If the stain is not gone, then apply the mixture again, let it sit for 20 minutes to an hour, and blot it again.
6. You can also use baking soda instead of dishwashing soap to get rid of the stain.
7. For this, spray Hydrogen Peroxide on the stain and cover it with baking soda generously.
8. Now let the mixture sit for about five minutes or until it dries out.
9. Next, vacuum away the mixture and blot the area with a damp cloth.
10. Lastly, let the spot air dry.
5. Club Soda
Requirement
Club soda, water, paper cloth
Stepwise process
1. If you some club soda in your refrigerator, then you could use it to treat the red wine stain on your carpet.
2. First, blot the area with a paper cloth until the stain dries.
3. Now, apply a small amount of club soda to the stain and blot it again.
4. Repeat the process till the stain disappears. The carbonation of club soda would help dissolve the wine’s pigment and stain.
6. Club Soda and Salt
Requirement
Club soda, salt, water, and paper cloth
Stepwise process
1. Follow the above-mentioned steps.
2. If the stain does not go away, then apply club soda to the stain and then cover the area with salt on top of it.
3. Let the soda and salt solution sit for twenty minutes or till the mixture dries out.
4. Vacuum away the dried salt and soda mixture to clean the stain.
7. White Wine
Requirement
White wine, paper towel, salt, or vinegar (if needed).
Stepwise process
1. You didn’t see that coming, did you? Yes, white wine can help neutralize red wine’s pigment and in removing the stain.
2. After blotting, pour a small amount of white wine on the red wine stain and blot it using a paper towel till the stain disappears.
3. If you still see a bit of a stain mark, then try adding baking soda or salt on top of the wine and let it dry.
4. Now follow it up by cleaning the affected area with a vacuum cleaner.
5. Once the stain is gone, spot the area with dishwashing soap and then with a damp cloth to get rid of soapy residue.
6. Now let the area air dry.
8. Milk
Requirement
Milk, paper towel, dish wash soap & water
Stepwise process
1. Blot the stain with a paper towel first.
2. Now apply milk on the red wine stain to cover it completely.
3. Let the milk sit on the stain for a minute or two. The milk will absorb the stain.
4. Now blot the milk using a paper towel. Keep blotting till the stain is removed.
9. Stain Removal Products
Requirement
Your choice of stain removal product, paper towel, and anything else mentioned in the instruction manual of the product.
Stepwise process
- You can use stain removal products to get rid of wine stains from your carpets too. However, make sure to check a small area of your carpet before you begin using it.
- Simply follow the instructions on the back of the packet, in this case, to clean the red wine stain.
Professional
While the above-mentioned methods are tried and tested, there might be instances where the stain is too stubborn to get removed completely.
If you have tried everything to get rid of the red wine stain and the result has been fruitless, then it is best to hire a professional.
There are many professional carpet cleaning companies that you can find online in your area.
This will cost you more than going for a DIY method, but professionals will be able to clean the red wine stain from your carpet without damaging it.
Verdict
A spill accident can happen to anyone, and there is no need to panic.
As long as you are quick to act, blot the area to soak up the red wine stain as much as possible, and do not scrub the stain, your carpets are safe. And if you want to opt for chemical products which will help you do the job quickly, then you can clean the carpet with OxiClean.
You can follow any of the above-mentioned methods as they are tried and tested on how to get rid of red wine stains on the carpet.
FAQs
Can red wine stain a carpet permanently?
If you have let the red wine sit on your carpet for too long and it had dried out before you began treating it.
Then chances are it would be very difficult or even impossible to get rid of the stain.
You can try out one of the methods shared in the guide above. If nothing works, then you can hire a professional.
What is the easiest and fastest way to get rid of red wine stain from carpets?
You can use Hydrogen Peroxide solution with baking soda or dish soap (steps are shared above) as it is a very effective and fast way to get rid of the red wine stain.
However, make sure to do a patch test before you begin.
How do carpet cleaning professionals deal with stains?
Professionals rely on steam cleaning or hot water extraction method to clean stains from your carpet.
This method uses hot water steam to extract dirt and stain from your carpets.
Can lemon remove red wine stain?
You can use lemon to get rid of red wine stains from your carpet. For this:
- Blot the stain with a paper towel.
- Now pour lemon juice on the stain. You can even mix dish soap with it.
- Let the solution sit for 15 minutes, and follow up by blotting the area till it dries out and gets cleaned.
What stains stay on the carpet permanently?
If not dealt with immediately, wine, coffee, tea stains, etc., can be very hard to remove, and some can even stay permanently on your carpet.
Daleyza knows a lot about carpets! She has worked with carpets for over 7 years and can help with things like putting them in, keeping them clean, and replacing them. She really likes carpets and spends most of her time learning about new ways to work with them. When she’s not learning about carpets, she enjoys reading books. She’s really good at helping people choose the right carpet for their homes and making sure they’re happy with it. If you want to know more about carpets, Daleyza is the person to talk to!