What Should You Do If You Spill Red Wine On A Rug?
Ok, step 1 - Take a deep breath.
Did time slow down as you saw your glass of Merlot slip out of your hand and seemingly explode all over your hand-woven Oriental rug?
Your stomach sinks as you see the wine soak in all over your precious tapestry. Those bold contrasts, patterns and colours of your precious rug are graffitied with that rich red liquid that you were enjoying just a few seconds ago.
But before panic, rage or fear of consequences sets in, let's take a second to understand what is the best initial course of action.
The leading Sydney rug cleaner highlights the importance that how you treat the rug in the first minute can have a significant impact on the severity of the stain.
With the right products, techniques and response, you can rest assured that the stain can be completely removed.
Rule 1 - DO NOT RUB!
It is a far too common response.
A rug owner will grab a tea towel and start rubbing the wined drops. Furiously trying to rub away the evidence of the night's misgivings.
What is the result?
The red wine is spread more extensively over the knots of the rug. The extra pressure of the rubbing not only spreads the stain but can force the wine to penetrate deeper into the rug backing.
So ignore your initial first reaction of rubbing the stain. Initially, let's just keep our hands in our pockets, or at least on top of our exasperated head.
What Should You Do If You Spill Red Wine On A Rug?
STEP 1
To prevent spreading, blot up liquid with white paper, towel or absorbent cloth. Don't use excessive force. Do not use a coloured towel as there can be dye transfer from the towel onto the rug.
STEP 2
If you were enjoying your red wine with some canapes, hors d'oeuvre or other accompaniments and they were also inadvertently spilt during the kerfuffle, then scoop up the solids with end of a knife or spoon.
STEP 3
This is where it is important that you are prepared. Surely knowing that accidents can happen you have previously purchased a rug spotting kit, haven't you? Remember the seemingly up-sell that the rug merchant was offering when you first purchased your Turkish rug?
Well if you did procure a rug spotting kit when you purchased your rug or have a least obtained the suitable chemistries in the years after you bought your rug, now is the time for these remarkable chemistries to shine in glory.
Using A Rug Spotting
For the purpose of simplicity, we are going to assume that you have access to the MasterBlend One Step Spotting Kit. It is an industry-leading rug spotting kit that is suitable for a wide range of rug types and constructions.
Before you apply the General Spotter, pretest for colourfastness on an inconspicuous area. Make sure that the dye does not destabilise. Once you perform this colourfastness test, then you can move on to the affected area.
Apply the General Spotter according to the directions on the bottle. This involves spraying a small amount onto a clean white rag and then dabbing the stain. The goal is for the stain to transfer onto the white rag.
The MasterBlend kit also includes absorbent powder. Pour this powder onto the stain to allow it to absorb the moisture and prevent the stain from expanding. Depending on the construction and quality of the rug as well as the severity of the stain, this simple process can entirely remove the red wine stain from the rug.
But if a large volume of wine was spilt onto the rug, then this simple process will not be sufficient. When the red wine permeates into the backing of the rug and soaks through the knots, then a professional rug cleaning service is the only option to prevent permanent damage.
Call A Professional Rug Cleaner
Professional rug cleaners have access to specialised wine stain removing chemistries which thoroughly yet safely attack the root cause of the discolouration. Additionally, by using full water immersion cleaning after the stain is removed they can prevent any 'cleaning rings' that can encircle the stain when amateur DIY cleaning techniques are used.
Who Are The Best Rug Cleaners In Sydney?
It is important to note the difference between carpet cleaners and rug cleaners. Commercial carpet cleaners use powerful hot water extraction machinery to blast hot water into the fabric and then use high powered suction to extract the water. This is a very effective technique for removing dirt, dust and particles from area carpets, but it can be dangerous on hand-woven rugs. Even when used on the lowest setting, these hot water extraction machines can permanently damage the delicate fibres and dyes used in precious rugs.
What is the point?
If you want your rug properly cleaned, engage the services of a fully trained and skilled rug cleaning specialist!
Oriental Rug Care is the leading team of professional rug cleaners in the Sydney region. Offering a complete range of rug cleaning, repair and maintenance services, the skilled technicians take pride in providing the local Sydney community with industry-leading results.
With a focus on the Eastern Suburbs, North Shore, Northern Beaches, Inner West, Sydney CBD and Southern Suburbs of Sydney, Oriental Rug Care is happy to provide free rug pick-up and drop-off.
By arrangement, the team also services rugs in the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and beyond.
The technicians have specialist training in rug identification, rug cleaning and spot and stain removal.
So whether you have had a wine catastrophe on your precious Turkish rug or your valuable Persian rug needs a routine clean, Oriental Rug Care is the team you can rely on with 100% confidence.
Would you like a free rug cleaning quote?
Visit the Oriental Rug Care website to discover the complete range of cost-effective services as well as taking advantage of the free quotation service.
You can also read our article on can you steam clean a Persian rug.
Give your rug the TLC it deserves, and maybe be a little bit more careful with that glass of Shiraz next time!
Oriental Rug Care of Australia
Address: 23 Shepherd St, Marrickville NSW 2204
Phone: (02) 9018 1510
Website: https://orientalrugcare.com.au/