Carpet Cleaning Methods for Red Wine Stains

It's easy to have a little stumble and spill a glass of your red wine. And before you realize a patch of the carpet is covered with a dark red wine stain. If you happen to have a light-colored carpet in your living room, this would probably be a scary moment not knowing how to get rid of the mess. But, no need to worry because there is a wide range of carpet stain removal options. These options can range from chemical solutions you can buy, to hiring a professional to natural remedies.

Below are some methods that utilize ingredients you can easily access from your kitchen pantry. This makes them ideal for any moment you need to remove stains off your carpet at a moment’s notice.

Salt and Vinegar Solutions

These two condiments are essential when it comes down to identifying the ways you could get rid of a wine stain from your carpet. Just follow this simple method to implement it properly.

Salt Method

When the stain is still wet, press carefully with a dry paper towel to absorb as much wine as possible. Then, then pour salt all over the stain.

After a few hours, the moisture of the red wine would have been brought up. If you have time you can let the salt sit through the night. The salt will change into a pinkish color while it absorbs the red wine. In the morning get rid of the salt with a vacuum. You should see the stain has now gone.

Vinegar Method

Making a vinegar solution is an easy process. Use two cups of heated water, add white vinegar, and a little dishwashing liquid. After stirring thoroughly, dip a clean cloth into the solution and dab it onto the carpet's stained area to loosen the stain.

Repeat this for about 10 minutes. Then you can collect excess liquid by using a dry cloth. Dab a dry cloth on the stained area repeatedly. Ensure to repeat the process until the stain is completely removed. This method might take two or three attempts to totally remove the stain.

Baking Soda Solutions and Dish Soap

Baking soda and dish soap are household items that are usually found around the kitchen. And if you don’t have them you can pick both up at any supermarket. Below are some stain removal tactics you can use for these types of methods.

Baking Soda & Vinegar Method

For stains that aren't damp such as existing red wine stains, you can pour some water on top of the stain to loosen up the stain from the carpet fibers. By using a paper towel, absorb as much of the stain that is loosened up from the water. Next, pour just enough vinegar on the stain to cover it.

After it absorbs cover the areas with baking soda. You will see the baking soda react with the vinegar. Once the reaction seems to have stopped then you can vacuum up the solution. You should see no stain. But if you do, as you had a deep stain, repeat the process and after two attempts you should have a clean carpet.

Dish Soap with Hydrogen Peroxide Method

Mix equal amounts of dish soap with some hydrogen peroxide in a bowl. Find a clean cloth to soak up some of the solutions. Carefully dab the carpet stain until the solution is applied to the whole area. Next, spray a cold soapy water solution all over the area and blot using a dry cloth. Then dab the areas with the cloth to pick up the solution.

Why does this work? Well to not get too technical, hydrogen peroxide is the active ingredient in tooth whitening toothpaste. So it can also be used to remove stains from the carpet just like it can for teeth. The dish soap amplifies the effect.

Using an Iron

Using an iron is usually not the first idea that pops up in your mind when considering a way to get rid of old stains from your carpet. Even though it sounds a bit strange, using a high steam iron is an effective method. But how do you get it to work?

Make a solution of warm water and dishwashing liquid in a small bowl and keep it close to the area. Plug in the iron near the stained area and adjust it to a high steam setting. Using a clean cloth, soak it in the solution and then squeeze it until it's damp. To loosen the stain, place the cloth flat over the stained carpet area. The iron should then be moved over the cloth from end to end. This movement should take about 10 seconds. And you will need to repeat this movement about 30 times. For large stains, you might be required to redo the steaming process two to three times.

Using Alcohol Solutions - Gin

When thinking of reducing the stain on your carpet, clear alcohols such as gin can be useful. Below is simple stain removal with Gin.

If you have an old or fresh red wine stain on your carpet, this will work either way. All that you'll need is a dry cloth and some gin. For a fresh stain, dab the stain using a dry cloth prior to applying the gin to the specific area. To remove as much moisture as possible.

Dab the stain using a clean cloth. For best results, repeat the pouring and dabbing processes for at least 20 minutes.

Hire a Carpet Cleaning Professional

If you’ve tried to get rid of a stain and it just won’t budge then it might be time to hire a professional. The difference between DIY stain removal and hiring professional carpet cleaning experts is that they use a deep steam cleaning process. This process literally shoots 200-degree steam into the carpet while extracting the stain at the same time. So, stains have no chance when it comes to deep steam cleaning. If you have a stubborn stain this is always a final go-to option.

Next time you need to get rid of that carpet stain before that dinner party or after there has been an accident why not try one of these methods above? These best stain removers can be easily accessed from your kitchen cupboards. And remember, you can always hire a professional if you can’t get out a stubborn stain.