How To Remove Red Wine Stains From Your Carpet
A red wine stain can be devastating, especially if it occurs in an area that you've only just recently carpeted. Fortunately, you can learn how to remove red wine stains from your carpet by using simple ingredients that you alreday use in your household cleaning.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when addressing any spill in their carpets is to aggressively dry the area. Although you want to get as much of the spill up as you possibly can, pressing down on the area with a large, absorbent cloth or towel is hardly the right idea. This can lead to a very stubborn stain that will keep bleeding back up through to the surface due to damage done to the underlying padding. When you press down firm on a spill, you are mostly pushing the moisture down into a whole other section of your flooring, which is foamy, thick and very much prone to retaining moisture. It is because of the potential to makee the situation worse that many homeowners contact professional carpet cleaners to deliver a lasting and effective solution.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when addressing any spill in their carpets is to aggressively dry the area. Although you want to get as much of the spill up as you possibly can, pressing down on the area with a large, absorbent cloth or towel is hardly the right idea. This can lead to a very stubborn stain that will keep bleeding back up through to the surface due to damage done to the underlying padding. When you press down firm on a spill, you are mostly pushing the moisture down into a whole other section of your flooring, which is foamy, thick and very much prone to retaining moisture. It is because of the potential to makee the situation worse that many homeowners contact professional carpet cleaners to deliver a lasting and effective solution.
Instead, grab a few lightweight paper towels and gently use these to blot the stain up. Move the paper towel up and down rather than side to side, so that you are never smashing or pressing the wetness deeper in. At best, you want to leave the carpet fibres lightly damp. The goal isn't to get as much liquid up as you can, but to dry the area without causing the stain to set deeply into the floor.
Next, take a spray bottle and fill it with cold water. Warm water will cause the stain to be made permanent. You can even add one or two ice cubes to your spray bottle to keep the water cool. Mist the air so that it is wet and then liberally apply table salt. Do not attempt to pat the salt into the area. This will absorb the moisture and the staining agent or wine, thereby drawing more water up from the root of the carpet fibres.
Once this salt has been saturated, you will need to remove it and then restart the entire process by rewetting the carpet with your spray bottle of cool water. To get the salt up, use a spoon or a card to gently scrape it off the surface of the carpeting. The same idea applies. You do not want to risk pushing any moisture down closer to the padding and should thus, maintain a very light touch.
This is a method that can require a lot of patience and numerous applications. You shouldn't get frustrated if you don't see it working right away. Make sure that you are giving the salt plenty of time in-between applications to work its magic. During the first several rounds, the salt should be very discoloured, especially if you happened to be drinking a very dark purple wine when the spill occurred. Try waiting for at least thirty minutes to one full hour. Be mindful that no one steps on the area. If you are seeking to get the spill up while hosting a party, make sure to rope or partition the area off.
Something else you can do is to use baking soda instead of salt. This is also inexpensive and more than likely to be in your pantry. It is best to use baking soda only after several applications of table salt. Salt is a bit preferable while the carpet is still very wet given that it is less likely to stick. If you start dumping baking soda onto the spill early on, you will have major problems with it clumping up and you'll also find it much harder to scrape the saturated powder away, without pressing liquids further down.
If you are struggling, and thinking "I want someone to clean my carpet for me", call the professionals. Even when salt and water applications have failed, carpet cleaning companies can still have some strategies and solutions that can be made to lift stains out and make the affected area look brand new. Best of all companies like these also have solutions that they can apply to carpeting that will prevent staining agents from having any impact on these surfaces whatsoever. They may also protect against pet hair in your carpet and other problems. These act as invisible barriers that can extend the lifetime and aesthetics of these investments for many years to come. Finally, before any stains have the opportunity to occur on your new flooring, always visit the website of your carpeting manufacturer to know which special cleaning and maintenance instructions should be implemented in situations like these.
Next, take a spray bottle and fill it with cold water. Warm water will cause the stain to be made permanent. You can even add one or two ice cubes to your spray bottle to keep the water cool. Mist the air so that it is wet and then liberally apply table salt. Do not attempt to pat the salt into the area. This will absorb the moisture and the staining agent or wine, thereby drawing more water up from the root of the carpet fibres.
Once this salt has been saturated, you will need to remove it and then restart the entire process by rewetting the carpet with your spray bottle of cool water. To get the salt up, use a spoon or a card to gently scrape it off the surface of the carpeting. The same idea applies. You do not want to risk pushing any moisture down closer to the padding and should thus, maintain a very light touch.
This is a method that can require a lot of patience and numerous applications. You shouldn't get frustrated if you don't see it working right away. Make sure that you are giving the salt plenty of time in-between applications to work its magic. During the first several rounds, the salt should be very discoloured, especially if you happened to be drinking a very dark purple wine when the spill occurred. Try waiting for at least thirty minutes to one full hour. Be mindful that no one steps on the area. If you are seeking to get the spill up while hosting a party, make sure to rope or partition the area off.
Something else you can do is to use baking soda instead of salt. This is also inexpensive and more than likely to be in your pantry. It is best to use baking soda only after several applications of table salt. Salt is a bit preferable while the carpet is still very wet given that it is less likely to stick. If you start dumping baking soda onto the spill early on, you will have major problems with it clumping up and you'll also find it much harder to scrape the saturated powder away, without pressing liquids further down.
If you are struggling, and thinking "I want someone to clean my carpet for me", call the professionals. Even when salt and water applications have failed, carpet cleaning companies can still have some strategies and solutions that can be made to lift stains out and make the affected area look brand new. Best of all companies like these also have solutions that they can apply to carpeting that will prevent staining agents from having any impact on these surfaces whatsoever. They may also protect against pet hair in your carpet and other problems. These act as invisible barriers that can extend the lifetime and aesthetics of these investments for many years to come. Finally, before any stains have the opportunity to occur on your new flooring, always visit the website of your carpeting manufacturer to know which special cleaning and maintenance instructions should be implemented in situations like these.