Wine drinkers may accidentally spill red or white wine on the carpet, especially while attending parties at home. If left untreated, a wine stain can soak in it further, dry, and permanently damage the carpet fabric.

Wine stains can be both easy and difficult to remove from a carpet, depending on the wine color and the stained area size. Here, the carpet fabric, thickness, and color can also affect the successful removal of the stain.

If your carpet has suffered some wine spillage and staining, fret not. We offer a full guide to let you know how to remove wine stains from carpet and where to find a professional cleaner if needed.

How to Remove Tough Stains from Carpet?

Out of all the tough stains that can damage a carpet, wine stains are the peskiest to manage. People learned how to manually clean their rugs in the 1700s. For centuries, natural cleansers like water soda, today popularly known as club soda, helped wash away wine from carpets and tougher fabrics.

To clean wine carpet stains using a natural baking soda mix, here are the steps to follow:

• Use a dry, clean cloth to the wine stain to wipe it
• Apply club soda on the stained spot until it covers the stain
• Blot the wine stain until removed

Aside from clean cloths, you can also use sponges that absorb liquids effectively. Use a smooth brush to scrub the area once the club soda is applied. Avoid using a harsh brush in case your carpet fabric is delicate. For any leftovers, use a vacuum.

How to Remove White Wine Stains?

When cleaning white wine stains from your carpet, try avoiding scratching the carpet’s surface too hard. Because of its light color, white wine is easier to eliminate than, say, red wine. Still, it is preferred to get rid of wine stains as soon as they form. To do that, wipe away as much liquid as possible using dry towels, sponges, or clean fabric.

Also, avoid using water-soaked towels. These usually spread the stain, making it even more complicated to remove from the carpet. Warm fan heat should also be avoided when trying to remove wine carpet stains, since the warm air dries the stained area and solidifies the wine, making it impossible to ever remove the stain again.

The same process will apply to removing rose wine stains as well, though these might be trickier to remove than white wine stains.

Whether cleaning a white or a rose wine stain, remember NOT to use granulated soap or laundry detergent as they can activate the wine ingredients and further worsen the smudge.

How to Remove Red Wine Stains from Carpet?

Red wine can be removed from your carpet in various ways. For the best result, you can combine salt, white vinegar, and club soda. Namely, combine two glasses of warm water and white vinegar with a spoonful of dishwashing detergent.

Apply the mix to the stain and gently wipe the surface until the stain fades. Aside from this approach, you can also use lemon juice in the mix. Suppose club soda and salt are unavailable, or the stain is too pesky to deal with, you should turn to professionals for assistance.

How to Remove Fresh Red Wine Stains from Carpet?

Here is one of the methods you can use to get rid of fresh red wine carpet stains:

Hydrogen Method

Hydrogen peroxide is an alternative to club soda, dish soap, or white vinegar, and helps stripe away red wine stains from your carpet. Before using hydrogen peroxide on the entire stain, however, try the method on a smaller section to see if it works. Also, ensure the test area is not in plain sight.

Follow these steps to remove fresh red wine stains from your carpet with hydrogen peroxide:

• Blot the carpet with a smooth, dry cloth (dishwashing soap and hydrogen peroxide should be combined in a 2:1 ratio).
• Apply it to a tiny carpet area to test it.
• If the method works well, continue with the application across the entire stain.
• Blot away until the wine stain is removed.

How to Remove Old Red Wine Stains from Carpet?

You can apply the following methods to remove old wine stains from carpets:

White Wine

Interestingly, red wine stains on the carpet can be easily removed with white wine. White wine can be directly applied to the stain and then blotted with a dry, clean, and soft cloth. It’s a fast and straightforward technique that works wonders on old red wine stains.

Store Carpet Stain Removers

Using designated stain cleaners from the local store is another option for clearing older and tough red wine stains. Caution is advised when using these products, however, since they contain both acidic and chemical ingredients that can damage more delicate carpets.

To guarantee that your carpet’s original hue doesn’t fade or darken, always test the product beforehand. If the product has an immediate beneficial effect on the stain, follow the steps provided by the manufacturer to complete the cleaning process.

Removing Tough Stains from Carpet – Other Options

Current home cleaning technology can also be successfully employed to remove even the tougher wine stains from carpets.

Steam Carpet Cleaning Machines

Steam can be applied to the carpet fabric as a way to remove pesky stains. Using steam cleaning machines is a great way to do this since they work under high pressure and go deep into the carpet. The combination of heat and pressure here is really powerful. Steam cleaners use vacuum technology to pull the dirt from the carpet and store it in a designated tank, separate from the clean water tank.

However, humidity caused by steam cleaners might cause mold to grow where your carpet, so monitoring the cleaning process from beginning to end is critical. For the best results, hire a professional steam cleaner to remove hardcore wine stains from your carpet.

Hot Water Carpet Cleaners

Whilst frequently confused with steam cleaning machines, hot water carpet cleaners work a bit differently. For starters, steam cleaning requires higher temperatures than hot water extraction to generate steam.

Hot water extraction may be advisable for organic carpet materials since steam cleaning can damage the carpet fibers and cause them to dwindle.

Industrial Bonnet Cleaning

Wine spills and smudges can be effectively cleaned with bonnet cleaning machines. A bonnet cleaner is a powerful device with a massive metallic disk at the bottom and a stainless steel piston with locks at the upper edge. The disk, which has a circular sponge attached, rotates incredibly quickly to remove gravel and stains from your carpet. However, since this is an industrial cleaning method, it might cost more since only a professional can carry it out.

Regardless of the approach you used, once done, it is paramount you vacuum the carpet and allow the treated spot to dry off entirely. Post-cleaning, avoid placing your carpet in bright sunlight or high temperatures, as these may harm the carpet’s composites.

The Best Carpet Cleaning Service for You

Every home needs a spotless carpet but at times, doing it yourself can be tedious.
This is where Carpet Advisors steps in as the leader in providing efficient cleaning services!

Our personalized cleaning service ensures your carpet will be spotless, well-preserved, and good as new! Learn more and contact our experts today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Are wine stains permanent?

If left unhandled, wine stains might become permanent. Since wine contains tannin, a coloring ingredient, it may rapidly adsorb to the fabrics of your carpet, and result in long-lasting stains.
If untreated for a long time, some carpet materials are more delicate and might make stain removal harder.

Why are wine stains hard to get out of?

When wine ingredients come into contact with the carpet fabric, this may trigger chemical symbiosis. If that happens, it might be almost impossible to clean your wine smudge. Also, cheaper rugs and carpets are more likely to absorb stains faster. In a way, The quality of your carpet often dictates whether your red wine spill will be easily removable or not.

Will baking soda remove red wine from the carpet?

Soda and water have been the best and most natural cleaning methods for removing wine stains from carpets – be it red, rose, or white wine. Similar to salt, baking soda has the ability to eliminate wine stains. Applying baking soda as a paste might be necessary in some cases. Add three bits of water and one portion of baking soda to the stained surface. It should remove the red wine stain from your carpet.

Does vinegar remove wine stains?

Yes. Vinegar contains 20% more acid than food-grade vinegar. Using this method, you can successfully remove wine stains from your carpet. After wiping up the spilled wine, you can mix two spoonfuls of white, purified vinegar with 1/4 cup of soda. Once applied, let the vinegar-soda mix dry off, and vacuum thereafter.