It always seems to happen — friends come over, and at some point, a glass of red wine tips over onto your carpet. Instead of freaking out, gracefully fix the problem with a few steps that will have your rug looking like new in no time. And this quick DIY [1] uses basics you already have on hand and is considerably cheaper than paying for a pro to come clean the mess.
What You'll Need:
- Club soda
- Roll of paper towels
- 1 teaspoon dish soap [2]
- 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
- Vacuum cleaner
- Salt (optional)
Directions:
- The minute the stain hits your carpet, douse it with club soda or mineral water. The fizz breaks up the stain while the sodium keeps the wine from setting, making it easier to soak up.
- Toss a layer of paper towels over the stain, and either dance on it or give it a good blotting. You want to remove as much of the liquid from your carpet as possible, which means you may need several squares of paper towel to do the job.
- Mix together a cleaning solution using the dish soap [3] and hydrogen peroxide [4], and spray or squirt over the stain. The soap and hydrogen peroxide work together to really clean your carpet, completely getting rid of the wine stain.
- Once again, give the stain a serious blotting and then vacuum. Voilà! No more red wine!
It's best to tackle that wine before it dries, but if you don't feel like doing a bit of dirty work in front of guests, cover the stain with a good heap of salt, which will absorb the wine and keep the stain from setting. Then, after your friends have left, vacuum up the salt and start with step one.