Spills happen eventually on every carpet. Even the most careful homeowner will experience this inevitable event. One of the most concerning stains is red wine. The popular beverage leaves behind an impossible-to-ignore mark that never washes out instantly as desired. Red wine spills are challenging but removable if you know what to do. Here are the simple steps to take to get your carpet looking fresh and clean again.

Address Stains Immediately

The longer a stain sits, the further it travels down the carpet fibers. A deeply settled wine stain will cause the fibers to become matted as dust and debris drift onto the sticky spill. The weight of the dirt flattens the carpet. Immediately blot the stain with a clean white cloth. Rubbing the carpet can damage the fibers and force the wine into the material. Blot as much of the liquid as possible from the carpet.

Cover the Stain

Removing the liquid will not remove the stain. Use table salt to draw the wine out of the carpet fibers. Salt absorbs moisture. People use salt to dehydrate food for this reason. Pour a layer of salt over the stained area and leave it for several hours or overnight before vacuuming. The wine stain may disappear after this step, or a pink discoloration may remain.

Clean with Peroxide

Only use hydrogen peroxide on light or white carpets. The product may bleach the color from darker fibers. A test patch in a hidden area will enable you to see if the peroxide affects the color before you use it for the stain. Hydrogen peroxide works effectively at breaking down stains that are plant or protein-based, like red wine. Saturate a clean white cloth with peroxide and pat (never scrub) the stained area with the damp cloth for a few minutes. After allowing the peroxide to remain on the carpet for 5-10 minutes, dry the area with a clean white cloth.

Most red wine stains will disappear with this method, but some may remain regardless of what you attempt. There are endless carpet cleaning products available, but most are less effective at removing wine stains than the method listed above. A better solution is to call a carpet cleaning service. Elite Carpet Cleaning can remove the wine and make your carpet look and smell fresh and clean. Contact us today.