The holidays are just around the corner! Christmas and New Year are normally celebrated with dinners and parties with family and friends. As fun and exciting as they are, hosting these gatherings can leave our home a mess! In all the excitement of the celebrations, carpet stains in particular seem to be unavoidable especially if you have a big crowd of adults and children together. Here are the 6 common holiday party carpet stains and how you can remove them.
Red wine
What’s a party without red wine? Red wine seems to be a staple in many dinners and parties, also making it the most popular carpet stain. To clean red wine stains on carpet, carefully blot the area with a microfibre or white cloth, blotting the liquid up as much as you can. Add a small amount of cold water to dilute the wine and blot again. Once you have removed as much liquid as possible, cover the entire spill with salt – the salt absorbs the liquid over time and will change to a pinkish colour. Remove the excess salt and vacuum the area.
Candle wax
Fresh candles are a great way to decorate your house for the holidays, and the scented ones can make your home smell amazing! It can surely put everyone in a festive mood! Don’t fret if candle wax spills on your carpet; they’re not very difficult to clean.
Candle wax on your carpet is easier to remove once it’s dry, so leave it until the next day. Scrape off as much as you can with a butter knife, careful not to pull out or cut too much of the carpet fibres as necessary. Lay paper towels on the remaining wax. Press an iron set on low to medium heat over the paper towels to melt the wax and let the towel absorb it. You might have to use several towels in the process. Also remember to keep the iron moving to avoid burning your carpet.
Chocolate
Nothing says holidays like chocolate-y sweets and desserts! In case of chocolate spills on your carpet, mix a solution of 1 tablespoon dish washing liquid and 2 cups cold water. Using a clean cloth, blot the soiled area with this solution until no colour transfers to the cloth. Continue to blot the area and then place a fan over it until it’s completely dry.
Coffee
Coffee is a popular after dinner drink, and a great way for guests to bond and socialise. If you’re serving coffee after the holiday feast, be prepared as sips can quickly turn into spills! In case coffee gets on your carpet, dab the area with a microfiber or white cloth. You may leave the cloth so it can absorb as much of the coffee as it can. Then blot with a solution of 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap, 2 cups cool water, and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Keep blotting until the stain is clean.
You may also you a solution of 1/4 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and a cup of lukewarm water. Blot the stain from the edge of the spot inward. If the stain is still visible, repeat the blot-drying technique using the solution until stain is clean.
Lipstick
Lipstick on your carpet? Yes, it can happen especially if parties get a little too crowded! Perhaps someone dropped a tube of lipstick and it rubbed across the carpet, maybe someone fell by accident, or perhaps the little ones got a hold of someone’s lipstick and started playing with it. These things happen!
For lipstick stains, blot the area dry with a clean paper towel. Then, dab the stain with a mixture of lukewarm water with touch of dishwashing soap. Keep dabbing until the stain is out.
Beer
Second to red wine, beer is also very popular during holiday dinners and parties. Who can say no to a cold bottle? But in the middle of all this merry making, spills can happen.
Using clean white paper towels or cloths blot up as much of the spilled beer as possible. Use warm plain water or mix one tablespoon liquid hand dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon white vinegar with two cups warm water. Sponge the stain with plain water or the detergent/vinegar solution. Apply a little bit at a time, blotting frequently with a dry cloth until the stain disappears. If using a detergent/vinegar solution, sponge with cold water and blot dry to remove the solution.
With these carpet cleaning tips, hosting and entertaining during Christmas and New Year doesn’t have to be so worrisome! By acting quickly and using the right tools, cleaning up carpet spills can be manageable. But for tough to remove stains, book a professional carpet cleaning service straight away. Professional carpet cleaners can clean up those stubborn stains and as well as dirt or grime that has settled into your carpet from all that foot traffic.
If you need a post-party clean, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Wizard. For professional steam carpet cleaning, call our team on 0438 554 830 and we’ll give your carpet a thorough clean!