As we all know, the festive season brings with it a lot of excitement, which means there can be lots of accidents.
When we’re feeling merry and bright, it’s easy for drinks to spill over and for crumbs to gather. Our homes go through all sorts of unfortunate mishaps over Christmas. If wine drowning your carpet has become a bit of a probem, fear not, as a cleaning guru has recently revealed how to rid wine stains from your carpets in minutes. All you need is a simple ingredient to pull it off, and it looks like it works wonders.
The hack was recently shared on TikTok by jeeves_ny and he actually allowed red wine to soak into a white carpet overnight to prove how much it works. He claims he allowed the stain to “dry out” to see if he was still able to remove it the next day.
Then he took some white vinegar and some water to make a solution, using one part white vinegar and three parts water. He noted you’ll need a hot iron and some towels to complete the next step.
He said: “Start by pouring your mixture over the stain, and then put a towel on top of it. Iron until you see colour transferring.
“The point of the iron is to use the heat to draw the water mixture up into the towel and away from the carpet. You’ll likely need to repeat this process quite a bit. This stain took me about six towels.”
This gets the majority of the stain out of his carpet, but he treats the remaining discolouration with a little hydrogen peroxide. He said this is known as a “colour-safe” bleach and, once dry, the carpet looks as good as new.
Since it was shared, the video has been viewed over 19,000 times, and people were quick to comment too. It seems as though many are keen to give it a whirl.
One person said: “Thank you. This really worked.” Another added: “Does this destroy the towels, or can they be washed? Excellent technique either way.”
Some people weren’t convinced by the method though, and claimed there are better ways to rid wine stains. None the less, experts say the solution has benefits.
Using vinegar to “iron out” stains can work, but the method works best on certain things. For example, it’s said to be particularly good for removing rust stains and stains from clothing or other surfaces.
Much like the video, experts say you need to apply the vinegar to the stain and then iron over it with a damp cloth. The acidic properties in vinegar can help break down the rust particles.
When it comes to wine, vinegar neutralizes the tannins in wine, while the iron heat should draw the stain solution into the towel – just bear in mind that fresh stains are always easier to get out. Before trying it out, you should test it on an inconspicuous area first. It’s important not to cause damage to delicate fabrics.