People love red wine. People like lighter carpets in their homes. People spill food and drink. Red wine is one of the more common spills that are difficult to remove especially when it gets deep into a carpet. 

So, what can you do?

Things Not to Do

Scrubbing
If you rub or scrub with a wet towel, you’ll make it worse. You will see a slight lightening of the dark red stain but it will definitely spread over a larger area of carpet.

Oversaturate with Home Cleaning Product
If you use a home cleaning product, the stain color will change but not disappear.

Over Wet
The more water you apply to try to remove the stain, the worse it will get.

Things to Do

Blot Immediately
Act quickly because the longer the wine sits, the harder it will be to clean it. Blot the spill as much as possible with a white towel pressing all of your weight on the stain. Do not scrub or rub. Check the color of the towel to see if the wine color has transferred to the towel. Once the color has stopped transferring, use a clean towel with a tiny bit of cold water and continue to blot for several minutes. This will help dilute the remaining stain.

Get another clean dry towel and place on top of the stain. Weigh it down with something heavy for several hours.

Assess the stain to see if you want to use any of the other methods available.

Other Methods
If any of the color still remains, there are several methods involving chemical reactions that you can use but remember, at this point, you may be permanently changing your carpet color and possibly lifespan. It can also make it more difficult for a professional to remove the stain.

First recommendation is to call a professional carpet cleaner to help you assess the damage and to give you recommendations to solve the problem.

The other methods include:

  • Using salt
  • Using a vinegar solution
  • Make your own cleaning solution
  • Using hydrogen peroxide with dish soap
  • Using white wine and baking soda

Remember, your carpet could react poorly to any of these “chemical” solutions and make matters much worse.

No Risk Quote

Before attempting any home “DIY” emergency stain removal, give Auburn Carpet Specialists a call. They will evaluate your situation and give you a recommended course of action. In most cases, stains should be inspected and tested in person using techniques and procedures specific to your stain removal.  Upon inspection and testing, they are happy to provide a written “No Risk” price quote to remove the stain. If they are unable to remove it completely, you will not be charged!

Auburn Carpet Specialists are the area’s premier carpet cleaning service company, family owned and operated, that has earned a solid reputation for premium quality service and customer satisfaction. With more than 20 years of experience, we can truly call ourselves ‘Auburn Carpet Specialists’. We are located in Auburn, Georgia. Contact us today for a FREE Inspection and Estimate or call at 770-867-7541.