Red wine spills leave stubborn stains, and the smell can seep deep into the fibers of your carpet, leaving a foul odor. The team at Stanley Steemer has developed an easy guide to removing red wine stains using household items. You can follow along with the video we’ve provided.

You’ll need the following items for this tutorial on removing red wine stains:

• Several clean, white towels
• A vacuum
• A clean spray bottle
• Baking soda
• Plastic or metal spoon
• Cold water
• Liquid dish soap
• Hydrogen peroxide

When you spill red wine, blot the area with clean white towels and remove as much of the liquid as you can. It’s important to use white towels because this prevents dye from the towel from staining your carpet further.  If the wine stain you’re trying to remove is older and already dry, you can skip this step entirely.

Next, sprinkle some baking soda on the stain. Using your spoon, press the baking soda into the carpet. As the baking soda absorbs the wine, it will clump up and turn red. When it seems like the baking soda has absorbed as much red wine as it can, use a vacuum cleaner to clean up the baking soda.

Fill a clean spray bottle with a solution of two cups of cold water and one tablespoon of dish soap. Spray the stain then press the solution into the carpet with a spoon. Leave the area alone for two minutes, then blot the area with a towel. It is important to use a white or lightly colored towel so you can see how much of the red wine is being absorbed. Continue blotting the area until no more of the stain can be lifted from the carpet.

Pour cold water onto the stain then dry the carpet with a new towel. Afterwards, spray some hydrogen peroxide onto the affected area and let it air dry. This step should remove any remaining color from your carpet. If the stain or odor persists, call Stanley Steemer. Whether we’re removing red wine stains, or any other kind of mark, your carpets will look good as new.