There’s nothing quite like a glass of red wine to take the edge off and decompress after a long and stressful day. That is until a stray elbow or inattentive pet sends that red wine flying and a carpet spill adds to your workload and worry. In most cases, a red wine stain can be removed from carpet, but there are dos and don’ts to follow to make sure you get the stain out without making it worse.
DO: Act quickly to remove the red wine stain
Time is of the essence. The longer the red wine has to seep into your carpet, the more difficult it will be to remove. Start by blotting the area with a white or light-colored cloth to remove as much of the liquid as quickly as possible. To blot, apply downward pressure with the heel of your hand to absorb as much of the red wine as possible.
DON’T: Rub the stain into the carpet
There’s a fine line between gently blotting and rubbing. Instead of pulling the red wine out of the carpet, rubbing the spill will cause it to seep further into the carpet, increasing the likelihood of irreversible damage. You also want to avoid using towels with a color or a print. The dye from the towel could transfer to your carpet leaving you with additional unintentional staining.
DO: Use high quality products intended to clean red wine carpet stains
If you’re a past Sams customer, you’ve received a free bottle of Outta Sight spot remover. There’s a reason we give this to all our customers: it works and it’s formulated to get the job done without damaging your carpet. Follow the instructions on the bottle to gently and safely remove the red wine spill from your carpet.
DON’T: Reach for readily available over-the-counter products
When standing face to face with a red wine spill, your first instinct is to take care of the mess. Sometimes that can cause you to reach for a readily available chemical in your cleaning supply stash. Resist that temptation. If you don’t have Outta Sight spot remover on hand, try using warm water in a spray bottle and blotting the stain with a white rag. Definitely don’t use any cleaning solutions that aren’t intended for use on carpets. Even the carpet cleaning chemicals you find in stores are typically low-quality, and can end up doing more harm than good.
DO: Call Sams Carpet Cleaning and Repairs
The best solution is to enlist the help of a professional. We work with carpet every day, so we understand the impact of specific spills and know how to approach the spot without damaging the carpet or leaving behind a residue that attracts additional dirt and soil.
DON’T: Take on a stubborn red wine carpet stain alone
If the safe DIY solutions we’ve suggested above don’t get the job done for you, don’t make the problem worse by trying more drastic cleanup measures. The carpet in your home is a major investment. Making the wrong move in cleaning a red wine spill could cause permanent damage leading to unnecessary cost of repair or replacement.
Accidents happen and are often unpredictable. But you don’t have to live with a permanent reminder of them. When an accidental red wine spill happens to you, you’ve got a team of experts on your side. Contact the Sams team to turn your would-be wine stain into a distant memory.
