Remove Red Wine Spills from Carpet

Thrills and Spills? Seems like these two go hand in hand just like white carpets and red wine! Stress less about the potentials with these tips and tricks for removing red wine from your comfy cozy rugs and get back to entertaining like the stellar host you are!

Coasters or not, there’s always going to be that guest or host that sets a glass down on the floor as they throw their head back with laughter. Before you know it, that head back laughter turns into full on belly laughter and flailing hands or feet. The uncontrollable movement becomes an innocent disaster as the glass topples over and sends wine all over your shaggy white rug. Hopefully the glass you already finished helps you to stay calm and read on.

What to do?! We got you!

Immediate reaction: Probably an open mouth sigh and face palm but lets change that! Grab a clean dry cloth and start to dab up the liquid then, pour some cold water over the spill and continue to blot. DO NOT RUB. 

Whether you prefer a natural approach or a chemical approach there are a few next steps that you can choose from now that you have done your emergency work.

Natural

Option 1.

Salt! If the spill has dried due to all the blotting, pour some more cold water on the spill, then pour the salt covering the entire area. The salt is going to absorb the wine out of the spill over a few hours.  Allow the salt to sit for a few hours or overnight, clean up the excess salt and then vacuum.  The stain should be gone or greatly diminished.  Repeat if necessary.

Option 2. Pour Club Soda on the stain, the carbonation will help lift the stain from the fibers of the carpet.  And use a dry cloth to blot and dry.  Repeat if necessary.

Option 3. Pour white wine on the stain then blot with a thick towel. The white wine will help neutralize the red wine and make it easier to lift out the color, although you do not want to use a Moscato, or sweet white wine as the sugars are going to make a larger mess.  If you can still see the stain use the salt or soda method to continue lifting out the pigment.

Chemical

Option 1. Oxyclean! In a spray bottle, add one part water and two parts Oxyclean, spray on the stained area, then blot clean with a dry towel remembering not to rub.

Option 2. Wine Away! This is a product that you can purchase on Amazon, at your local Walmart or Home Depot and any Wine stores.  The directions are simple, Saturate the stain. Let sit for 1- 5 minutes. Blot the area until stain disappears.

Option 3. Chateau Spill. This is also a product that you can purchase on Amazon, at your local Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, and World Market. For best performance, especially on dry stains, pre-dampen the stain with water. Apply Chateau Spill directly to the affected area.

Now that we have covered the natural and chemical approaches, lets explore a mixture of both…..

Option 1. Vinegar and Laundry Detergent! Go ahead and soak the stain with vinegar, then put a thick amount of laundry detergent over the top of vinegar.  Let it sit for three minutes.  Then soak with clean water to rinse away, you will want to use clean dry towels to soak up the suds and liquid.

Option 2. Using one part clear dish soap and two parts of the Hydrogen Peroxide, dab solution on the stain and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes.  Use a clean cloth to dip in clean water to blot up the soapy residue. 

Now that you and your party guests have become stain fighting heroes, you can raise a glass and get back to entertainment!

Sources: 

• The Star
• The Spruce
• The Spruce Eats
• Wiki How