One of the most dreaded scenarios when having a party with friends is a spilled glass of wine, especially red wine. More often than not, the spill lands on clothing, fabric furniture or carpet – never the hard tile surface where wine stains mean nothing. If the worst has happened, then relax as removing wine stains is possible, even red wine stains.
After the initial shock, control your panic and apply the first rule of cleaning red wine spills which is to remove the excess spillage. If the wine has been spilled on a couch or carpet take an absorbent cloth or paper towel and blot the excess wine.
Avoid Rubbing Wine Stain
Do not under any circumstances rub in any way as the reason for blotting it to remove the wine without working it further into the fabric. Apply the same technique if the wine has been spilled on an item of clothing.
When the excess wine has been removed the next critical step is to rinse the carpet, furniture or clothing with water so as to dilute the remaining wine before it has a chance to set in. For clothing and other items that are easily removed, pour cold water from the backside of the fabric. For items which cannot be removed such as carpets and sofas, pour the water directly onto the stain and again blot with an absorbent cloth or paper towel.
While the above approach gives a good chance of getting the stain out completely, there may be times when a carpet or furniture cleaner may need to be used as well. In this case, follow the manufacturer’s directions for use of the product.
In extreme cases, even with best efforts applied, the red wine stain may be so stubborn that you need to get professional assistance. For carpets and furniture it may be just a dry clean but it is still best to remove as much of the wine stains as possible while still wet as this makes it easier for the professionals to remove the wine stain remnants.
It is important to remember that the key to ensuring effective removal of wine stains is time. Never let a stain remain untreated for days or longer before trying to remove it because by then it could have become a permanent fixture. This applies to furniture and clothing alike – action needs to be taken immediately to guarantee wine stains are removed.
There is no easy way to prevent spills and possible wine stains apart from using slip-covers (which can be somewhat impractical) or not serving red wine at social events (which is impossible!).
So in summary, when a spill does occur remember to stay calm, work quickly and to blot and you offer the best chance of removing dreaded red wine stains.
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