It finally happened – red wine has been spilled directly on your expensive white, wool carpet. You instantly regret ever choosing white with all the wine parties you host, and the embarrassment from that deep red stain is becoming overwhelming. Don’t panic! Chaumette is here to help you with 6 fast-acting methods for removing carpet wine stains. Read quickly, however, because you don’t want it to dry!

Blot, Blot, Blot

Let’s start by saying that you never want to wipe wine stains. Think about it – wiping will only spread the mess around instead of picking it up. That’s where the blotting method comes into action. Try to soak up as much of the wine as possible by pushing a cloth onto the stain, lifting it back up, and rotating it as you go. For the best outcome, and to see how much wine is being soaked up, use a white cloth.

Just Add Cold Water

Depending on the color of spilt wine, blotting alone may not be enough. Just add cold water and keep on blotting until you no longer see the stain. By introducing water, the wine itself will lose some of its concentration, become thinner, and come out easier. The carpet should look better at this point, but if not, try our next technique.

Apply a Stain Remover

Simply put, this is what stain removers were made for. There are a number of brands that cater specifically to wine like Wine Away, so choose which you think might work best. Using this after the previously mentioned methods could eliminate even the toughest of stains. You may even want to clean your carpet in full to match the freshly polished portion.

If you don’t have stain remover on hand, try the following:

Sprinkle a Bit of Salt

While salt is known to be a tasty seasoning, it can also be an effective way to absorb the remaining wine stains. Sprinkle in a bit of salt and let it sit for a couple hours. It’s important to do this sooner rather than later, as salt does not work well with dry stains. When you think you’ve waited long enough, vacuum and check for results.

Break Out the Baking Soda

Another item commonly found in the kitchen, baking soda is a great alternative to salt. Essentially, you’ll want to mix it with water to create more of a paste. Place this mixture to the affected area and wait for it to dry. Lastly, just like with the salt, vacuum up all the remaining baking soda to see how it did.

Mix Vinegar and Dish Soap

For a more DIY kind of approach, combine vinegar and dish soap to make your own stain remover. Utilize the same blotting practice we described previously until the stain disappears. IMPORTANT NOTE: Use distilled white vinegar to avoid creating more of a mess like you would if you used malt vinegar.

Avoid the Mess Altogether

At Chaumette, we truly care for our customers’ wine drinking experiences. To completely avoid the possibility of spilling a glass of our fine product on your carpet, join us for a night in Ste. Genevieve. Our premier wine resort includes private villas with a seasonal pool and a full-service restaurant. Don’t forget to check out our wine tasting room! Call us today at (573) 747-1000 or visit our website at www.chaumette.com/visit.