With day-to-day living, our carpets/rugs are bound to get stained from time-to-time. Here’s some handy whatvacuum.com advice to help remove those dreaded stains.

Red wine is one of the worst offenders. A glass of red wine spilt accidentally on your carpet can ruin the best of parties and spoil your living room. That red wine stain can be permanent. Getting rid of it can be very difficult, leaving you with a headache of a different kind! If spilt drink is allowed to soak into the fibres your carpet can be damaged. Carpet fibres become stained, right through to the back of the carpet. If left, the stain becomes almost impossible to clean and remove. Surface cleaning fluids and quick-fix spot and stain sprays won’t always work effectively.

There are solutions – just follow these stain-busting tips:

The Don’ts

  • Never pour salt on red wine, the liquid might be absorbed, but it will permanently set off tannin pigments (same for tea, coffee, cola).

  • Don’t rub soap into a red wine stain (or tea/coffee). It may set the stains with tannin pigments.

  • Do not over-wet with water/stain remover. Small, repeated applications work best.

  • Never use very hot water on fresh stain. It can permanently set it.

  • Never mix cleaning solutions on a particular stain. It could damage your carpet.

The Do’s

Before treating any stain firstly:

  • With a spoon/spatula, gently scrape up semi-solids
  • Do not use a sharp knife as this could damage the carpet/upholstery
  • Blot-up liquids with absorbent cloth/paper towels

  • Use white materials. Certain dyes may ‘bleed’ and make the stain worse

  • Remove remaining semi-solids/residue with a vacuum cleaner

  • If you are using a spot removal solution, just test it first perhaps on an inconspicuous area of carpet, some cleaning solutions might damage/discolour different dyes/materials.

  • If so, try a different solution or call a cleaning specialist.

  • Brushing-up the carpet pile as this helps the carpet regain appearance as it dries out.

The Carpet Foundation recommends giving spills immediate attention. The longer a red wine spillage is left the harder its removal becomes.

Regular cleaning of your carpet is a must, helping to prolong the carpet’s life – and beauty.

Carpet first aid kit

Keep a small stain removal kit readily to hand for prompt use when required – white tissues, household towels, small brush, spoon, sponge and a good cleaning solution.