It’s every home owner’s worst nightmare: spilling red wine on your precious flooring. So what’s the best way to tackle the biggest floor fear of the party season?
A good home insurance policy will cover you for accidental damage – and one-off incidents like a shiraz spillage is usually included in that. Check with your home insurance provider and if your policy doesn’t cover this, think about whether it’s worth switching to a home insurance policy that does.
If your carpet’s been the victim of a red wine spill, act quickly to avoid staining. Blot it with a clean cloth to get rid of as much liquid as you can, starting at the edge of the stain and working your way in so that it doesn’t spread. Lay the cloth over the top of your carpet rather than using it to scrub it as you could work the stain into the fibres and make things worse. The old myth about throwing white wine on top of red to prevent staining does hold some truth as it can help to neutralise it and make the color easier to lift out.
Raid the cupboard for carpet shampoo or stain remover and follow the instructions carefully. If you don’t have anything to hand, you can use salt to stop the stain from taking hold while you decide what to do next – or run to the shops!
There are several products you may already have in the home that can help to remove carpet stains such as red wine. Soda water can be great at lifting the colour out so that it doesn’t stain. You could use a household detergent as long as it’s mild, especially if you have a coloured carpet as anything stronger could bleach it and show up as an uneven patch later.
Some people recommend hydrogen peroxide as a stain remover, but that can leave a lighter patch too. A more gentle alternative is to mix a tablespoon of detergent with one tablespoon of white vinegar and add two cups of lukewarm water. Apply it with a clean cloth and blot as you go.
If all else fails and you can’t get the stain out, call in the professionals. An expert cleaner should be able to use a stain remover and professional equipment to achieve a real improvement and may be able to banish the stain altogether.
Company Profile:
John Lewis Insurance offers a range of insurance services selected by the John Lewis Partnership. These include car, life, travel, wedding, event, pet, home and contents insurance products.
For more information about John Lewis Home Insurance please visit the website here – www.johnlewis-insurance.com/homepage/home-insurance.html.
John Lewis Insurance is a trading name of John Lewis plc. John Lewis plc is an appointed representative of AXA Insurance UK plc which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
Terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions and eligibility criteria apply. A full copy of the policy wording and the insurance complaints procedure are available on request.
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Thanks for the cleaning tips. I’ve always stained some of my bed sheets, carpet, and many more. I didn’t know how to remove the stains until I read your post. I wonder about the connection of the insurance company below?
Thanks for the post though!
-Amy
Amy F. recently posted..female psychology
mix 1 teaspoon carpet shampoo (or dish soap, like Dawn) and 1 cup hydrogen peroxide in a bowl. Soak a clean sponge in the mixture, squeeze it halfway dry, then gently blot the stain. repeat until the stain is gone, the rinse with warm water, and blot with a towel till its a dry, just dont leave it wet…
Sheryl recently posted..How to kill silverfish
Great tips for carpet cleaning… I treasure this because this is one of my problem, my daughter always stain our carpet. Thanks for the immediate tips, this will help me a lot.
Catherine67 recently posted..cures for tinnitus
I hope this can really help me…Great job!!Thanks a lot for the awesome post!!
Carrie recently posted..Trevista Singapore
You may do well to bring in a professional carpet cleaner if you’re dealing with a heavily soiled carpet. They really aren’t that expensive, and they charge by the room, not by the stain, you’ll save yourself a lot of work.
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Hi Valentine,
Stained carpets are nightmare to us mothers! Cleaning it before is like climbing mount Everest. This tips of yours really helps us a lot! Thanks for sharing this.
Bethel R. Cox recently posted..Criminal Attorney
Very useful tips! I’ve been having this kind of problems all the time. This would help me clean my old carpets. Please post other tips like this.
Thanks for the tips.
Anya Ty
Anya Ty recently posted..internet dating tips
Its so hard to remove the stain specially in the carpet..Thanks for the tips..
Catherine recently posted..solar panels
We are not using carpet in our house because its so hard to remove the stain..Thanks for sharing some tips..I can use this someday..
Nancy recently posted..vision without glasses book
Oh really, the soda water can is okay with lifting the colour out so that it doesn’t stain? I better try it the moment I’ll have that issue with my carpet.
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