How to Clean Red Wine on Carpets

7 April 2023
Est. Reading: 2 minutes
What's in This Guide?
Cleaning Items You'll Need.
Hydrogen peroxide
Protective rubber gloves
Steam iron
Microfiber towel or cotton towel
Kitchen towel
Cotton buds (q-tips)
Soft to medium brush

Introduction

“Unlike Milk, It Is Acceptable to Cry Over Spilled Wine?”

Unfortunately, wine spills can occur on any type of flooring and have happened to most of us. That inevitable moment when red wine lands on your beautiful carpet, could become a nightmare. Luckily, we have a solution for you, using a few common household items.

In this tutorial, we show you how to remove red wine stains from a carpet using peroxide. This method works whether the stain on your carpet is new or an old set-in stain. Read on to find out how you can do it.

Top Tip!
Act quickly! Red wine stains on carpets are easier to remove if you act fast after a spill and blot.

Method One - Fresh Wine Stains

Two simple steps for cleaning freshly spilled red wine.

Step One:
Extract as much wine as possible from the rug. Grab a kitchen towel, place it directly over the stain, and apply as much pressure as you can to a fresh wine spill. To absorb as much wine as possible, some people have even gone as far as to stand on a dish towel.

Step Two:
Put a little water on the towel's end and dab it across the fibres. This dilutes the wine, and you should now see the stain transferring onto your towel.

NB! Only use cold water; warm water will allow the stain to set. Never rub the stain, only dab it!

Method Two - Set-In Wine Stains

Steps to remove wine stains that have set in the fabric.

Step One:
Stains that are not lifting with the water transfer method above, mean that you will need to use some peroxide. Most likely, that area of the carpet has been recoloured by the tannins in the wine.

Step Two:
Dab the stain with water to wet the stain. In other words, you are reproducing the stain. After that, take a kitchen towel and blot to see what you can extract. The more you can remove at this point, the simpler it will be to remove the stain with peroxide.

Step Three:
Using your soft-medium brush, gently brush your carpet pile, until the fibres are separated and fluffed.

Step Four:
Fill a container with your 3% hydrogen peroxide. Dab the stain with a tiny amount of water on your towel. You should see it lift right away.

Step Five:
Absorb the excess with a paper towel.

Step Six:
Place your towel over the wine stain and pass a warm iron over it a few times. At this stage, you will notice the stain on the carpet transferring to the towel.

Step Seven:
Grab a cotton bud dipped in peroxide and lift out any remaining little spots. Remember, less is more. Lightly dab with your earbud. Be careful not to activate the dye in the carpet!

Step Eight:
Place your paper towel on this area to absorb as much as you can.

Step Nine:
With your iron, apply a little more heat, for 5 seconds or so. You do not want to do it for too long.

Step Ten:
Lift the towel and allow it to dry.

Important!
Always aim for about 95% removal, because the extra 5% is the danger zone. Where you chemically burn or cause permanent damage to your carpet.

Watch The Video

Share it with the world!
magnifiercrossarrow-right