3 Tips for Removing Wine Stains from Your Rugs

Wine stains are a major headache. Wine is one of the hardest liquids to clean off of textiles. In light of this, cleaning spilled wine before it dries, or at least treating the spot to clean it later, is crucial. Today, we have three tips for you to help you remove red wine stains from rugs.

You won’t believe that the trick lies in everyday products that you have laying around at home. And if you’re not a fan of homemade solutions, we’ll also recommend a great product that’s also economical. Read on to discover how you can remove wine stains from your rugs.

1. Removing wine stains: white wine to save the day

More wine can be the solution for wine stains. Yes, you read that right: wine can be both your problem and solution. This trick works best for small stains that haven’t been fully absorbed by the textile yet.

In such cases, you won’t need to wash your entire rug. You just need to pour a little white wine onto the red wine stain. Make sure to pour it on right after the spill while it’s still wet.

As you pour the white wine onto the stain, you’ll see an immediate change in color. The red will lighten and become less noticeable. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then use a rag to lightly dab out the stain. Never rub; rubbing a wet stain will only make it worse.

2. Salt, super effective against wine stains

Another homemade stain solution for wine is salt. It doesn’t have to be a special kind, just use your regular cooking salt. Just as we saw with the white wine, you need to pour on the salt while the spill is still wet. If you try it after it’s already dried, the salt won’t work.

To remove the stain, pour a generous amount of salt onto the spilled wine. Don’t be conservative with the amount of salt, especially if you’re treating a bigger stain.

Leave the salt to absorb the wine for a few minutes. You’ll start to notice the salt turning a reddish color. Next, carefully remove the salt. Don’t spill the grains on the rug or you’ll make the stain bigger.

Salt doesn’t usually remove stains in their entirety. But it lightens them, making them easier to clean afterward.

It’s a great solution for spills that happen during dinners with family or friends. In the middle of a dinner, you don’t have time to remove the rug and do a deep clean. But pouring on some salt is easy and will allow you to remove the stain afterward.

3. Removing wine stains with foam rug cleaners

If home solutions don’t convince you, you can try a commercial option instead. You can find cleaning products that are designed for rugs at any supermarket. They usually start at about 5 euros, making them an economical option that’ll be handy to keep in your cleaning cupboard.

To remove the stain, apply a generous amount of foam onto your rug. Leave the product on as indicated by the manufacturer. Remove the foam without spreading it around, wash off with water and let dry. For a deeper clean, vacuum the area as well.

Foam cleaners are very effective, which is why we recommend always keeping one in your kitchen. It’ll definitely come in handy one day.