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Let’s face it. We’ve all been there. A few too many drinks, a slip and a spill, and there you go, you’ve done the worst thing imaginable. You’ve spilled the red wine. What’s more, you’ve spilled it on the carpet. If you’re lucky, you’re in your own house. If not, you’ve just knocked over your neighbor’s best wine glass, and you’re wondering if it would be rude to make a run for the door.
How to get dried red wine out of a carpet? It might sound like a daunting task, but it can be done. A little effort and some quick thinking will soon have your carpet as good as new. So, break into the cleaning cabinet, and let’s get started!
Put the cork back on!
As always, the best type of measure is a preventative one. Never leave your wine glass or bottle on an uneven surface. Simple, careful actions will save you a lot of tedious cleaning.
Even better, it will save you a bottle of wine!
But never mind all that now, there’s no point crying over spilled milk. So let’s take a look into some solutions for getting that dried red wine out of your carpet.
Get Blotting!
Quicker is always better when it comes to getting liquid stains out of your carpet. Like with all stains, the longer it’s there, the harder it is to remove.
This is particularly the case for carpets, which are made up of highly absorbent materials.
So the faster you act, the less work you’ll have to do!
Here are a few steps for you to follow :
- Get your hands on an absorbent cloth or towel. Cotton cloths are useful for this, and a white one will let you see if you’re making any progress.
- Start gently blotting around the edges of the stain. Do this at first, and then start using more pressure as your cloth picks up more and more liquid.
- Starting at the edge, and working your way inward will stop you from spreading the stain.
- Keep doing this until the liquid stops coming up. Once the liquid has dried into the carpet, blotting won’t work.
Blotting early on can save you a lot of work once the wine is completely dried into the carpet. Never fear however, there are more steps to take to get your carpet clean again.
And remember, never, ever RUB your wine stains, it will do far more harm than good.
Apply Hot Water!
One thing that you can do if your red wine has dried into your carpet, is to add water. I’ve always been a big fan of hot water’s cleaning ability. It can do wonders when it comes to removing stains from your carpet.
Adding hot water to your dried wine stain will dilute it and loosen up the stain quite a bit. It might seem counterproductive, but hot water can really do some damage to that stain. It’s also completely harmless, so you don’t have to worry about using it.
After adding the hot water the red wine stain might seem to expand a little bit but don’t worry, that’s just all the extra water you’re putting down.
Once you feel you have enough water added to the stain, you get to start blotting again! You’ll likely get the whole stain out this time, so remember to follow the blotting steps above!
Milk!
Another thing you can try to help get the stain out is milk! Sounds very strange I know, and I’m not sure what I’d say if someone saw me pouring a carton of milk onto my carpet.
It really does have great absorbent qualities. And if you’re having no luck with hot water, or if your kettle is broken, you can always give the milk a go.
All you need to do is let it sit on top of the stain for a few minutes, and then start to blot it up. You might be running out of white cloths at this stage, so remember that any type of highly absorbent material will do the job.
Vinegar Mixture
If you have been following my writings for a while, you’ll know what a big fan of vinegar I am. In my mind, vinegar is the king of cleaning, and when you mix it up with some other helpful substance, it can do no wrong.
Here is a mixture that will really help lift that dried red wine stain out of your carpet.
- 3 cups of hot water mixed with 1/4 cup of white vinegar.
- Add a single tablespoon of ordinary, dishwashing soap. Non-caustic, of course.
- Mix it all together, in a bowl, not on your carpet, and you’re good to go!
All you need to do now is to apply it to the dried stain, and let it sit for around five minutes. The key here is to not allow it to dry into the stain, and to blot it up just before it does.
So make sure to keep an eye on that stain!
The Older Stain
Let’s imagine that, heaven forbid, the stain has been left on the carpet overnight. Perhaps you just couldn’t get around to it, or maybe you feel as if the previous steps didn’t take care of the problem fully.
Maybe you just didn’t notice the stain until you got up the next morning, and you’re fearing the worst.
There is nothing to worry about. Even the toughest stains should yield to this homemade mixture.
Of course, if you have a specialized cleaner or “OxiClean”, you might use them to save yourself the trouble. But if you’re all out, or just like to use homemade products like me, this next step is for you.
Dishwashing Liquid and Hydrogen Peroxide.
A quick warning just before we start here- Hydrogen Peroxide is a bleaching agent. You should only use this on white or lighter-colored carpets to avoid discoloring your carpet. Remember to take care when using products like this.
Apart from all that, this mixture is almost sure to lift any stain from your carpet. Here is the mix that you’ll need.
- 3 parts Hydrogen Peroxide to 1 part dishwashing liquid.
- Like in the above step, use plain, ordinary dishwashing liquid, non-caustic.
- Mix it all up in a bowl or spray bottle.
- Apply!
Once you’ve applied it to your stain, let it sit for around 20 minutes to an hour. This will allow plenty of time for it to lift the stain. Once you’ve given the mixture time to do its work, you’ll need to start blotting again. Remember, never RUB your stain.
When you’ve finished your blotting, you can give that area of the carpet a quick wash with some hot water to clean out any remaining mixture.
Voila!
That should be one clean carpet.
The End
I hope that you have found some of these tips and tricks helpful. Looking at a dried stain on your carpet, red wine or not, can be a depressing moment. Now you’ll have peace of mind knowing that no matter what you spill on your carpet, there is always a way to clean it up.
Remember, the best red wine is the one that’s in the bottle. Save yourself the trouble of cleaning up, and always make sure to keep any glasses or bottles on a raised surface off the floor, and out of the way.
Thank you for reading!
Further Reading
