No Party Fouls Here! How to clean up wine spills and other mess on carpets and area rugs.

Published by AshleyK on December 27, 2017

How to Clean Wine Spills and Mess for Carpets and Area Rugs.

It’s that time of year for celebration! So Celebrate responsibility! Clean wine spills and other mess with these tips and tricks.

Wine Spills: The First Response.

Then take a clean cloth of paper towel and dab/blot the spill. Get the excess wine up and out of the carpet or clothing fibers ASAP. Once you have the majority of the spill blotted up, use these methods below! To begin, you can take your favorite carpet shampoo and clean as you would if the wine stain were a bit of dirt on the carpet or rug. Depending on what you have on hand, you can remove a wine stain based on what you have available. An arsenal of everyday red wine stain removers includes hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, soda ash, vinegar, club soda, salt, white wine and Scotchgard’s Oxy Carpet Cleaner.

Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda

-When red wine hits a white shirt, tablecloth or light colored carpet, try to blot up as much of the wine as possible and then spray hydrogen peroxide on the stain, followed by a hefty sprinkle of baking soda.

-Make sure that the peroxide and soda fully cover the stained area and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Then rinse with water. This method and the product, “Wine Away” are my go to for quickly and completely removing red wine stains.

White Wine for Red Wine Stains??

-Yes! When red wine is spilled onto your carpet or clothes, white wine can be your best friend. White wine will help neutralize red wine and will make it easier to lift the color off of carpet. Simply pour white wine over the stained area and very gently blot the liquid up with a thick clean towel. Careful not to rub as this will force the stain into the carpet fibers. If the stain is still visible… you can add salt or soda to continue lifting out pigment.

Club Soda and Wine Stains

-Club soda can be poured on the stain. The carbonation will help to lift the stain from the carpet fibers while the salt acts as a buffer. This keeps the stain from setting in.

Vinegar and Soap or Soda

-Vinegar does a nice job of neutralizing the purple pigments. It can be combined with the stain-fighting force of either laundry soap (dye free is best) or soda. Apply laundry soap or washing soda directly over the vinegar and give it a few minutes to soak in, then rinse and wash with a clean towel.

Oxy Carpet Cleaner

-Scotchgard’s Oxy Carpet Cleaner works well. It lifts stains and provides a stain protector to the area of the carpet it was used to clean. It is available at places like Target or Walmart for around $6.