Getting red wine out of carpet

Red wine is a tannin stain with a dye component, and how it comes out depends almost entirely on what happens in the first ten minutes. Blot with a white cloth or paper towel, pressing straight down. Do not rub, which pushes the wine deeper and frays the fiber. Keep blotting until the towel comes up clean.

Then dilute. Pour a small amount of cold water onto the spot and blot again. Repeat until nothing more transfers. A splash of club soda does the same thing; the carbonation is not doing anything magical, it is just water. Do not pour salt on it. Salt absorbs a little liquid and then leaves a gritty residue that is hard to get out and can attract moisture.

If the spot has dried

Dried wine has bonded to the fiber and needs an oxidizer. A solution of one part hydrogen peroxide to two parts water with a drop of dish soap, applied and left to sit, lightens most dried wine on synthetic carpet. Test in a closet first because peroxide can lighten some dyes. Wool carpet should not get peroxide at all; call us instead.

When to call

If the stain is on wool, if it has been through a hot cycle in a rental machine, or if you have tried twice and it is still pink, a professional tannin remover and a proper rinse will usually finish it. We see a lot of wine spills in the week after Thanksgiving and the week after New Year's.