12/11/09 Stop Whining About Holiday Wine Stains

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Stop Whining About Holiday Wine Stains

When guests have a little too much fun at holiday parties and spill a glass of Merlot on your plush white carpet, it’s important to know how to take care of a wine spill.  After all, you don’t want to wait for your housekeeping service to come the next morning when the stain has become a permanent fixture in your living room!

Using a paper towel or a clean rag, gently blot up the wine as soon as possible.  Avoid scrubbing the stained area as the wine will just be pushed deeper into the carpet fibers.  Continue blotting until your towel no longer soaks up any wine, even under moderate downward pressure.

After blotting, sprinkle a generous amount of table salt on the stained area before the wine dries completely.  Once the wine has completely dried, either you or your housecleaning service can vacuum up the salt (which will have absorbed some of the wet wine).  After the salt sits for five minutes, make a carpet cleaning solution of one teaspoon carpet shampoo and one cup hydrogen peroxide.  Use it to blot the stain and remove any lasting residue.

If you don’t have any carpet cleaner, you can try one of these other methods.  Seltzer or club soda will help block the wine from seeping deeper into the carpet.  The carbonation bubbles will also lift stains away.  Another way to remove a red wine stain is to blot it with white wine.  The chemicals in the white wine wear away those in the red, neutralizing its staining effects.  Finally, if you’re really in a bind and don’t have any other options, you can try using a bit of laundry detergent diluted in warm water.

The next time your cleaning services start scrubbing your home, ask them to pay extra attention to that area of the rug.  Your maid service might have additional secrets for lifting hard to see stains that you missed.  They will also be able to treat the carpet to make sure it is fully cleaned.  Since this is not a standard cleaning option, most cleaning companies charge extra for the service.

After the party, you might notice wine residue on your furniture as well.  Red, sticky rings on your coffee table are a tell-tale sign of spillover, and little bits of cork might have come loose while popping open a bottle of champagne.  During your next house cleaning, have the maid service dust and wipe all furniture surfaces to remove these rings.  Vacuuming and sweeping will take care of any rogue cork bits.

So this holiday season, don’t cry over spilled wine.  Blot the stain and let your cleaning company handle the rest for you.

Maid for Mommy is central New Jersey’s premier cleaning services company.  We are dedicated to taking care of all the cleaning chores around your home so you have more time to spend doing what you like.  Relax with your family while our expert maid service scrubs your kitchen and bathrooms to perfection.  Sit back and enjoy a movie as we vacuum your carpets and polish your furniture.  After you host the perfect party for friends, leave the cleaning to us—we’ll have your house spotless in no time.  Visit MaidForMommy.com or call 1-877-466-6697 for a free estimate and come home to a house that truly sparkles!