How To Clean Holiday Season Stains
The holidays are here and that means houseguests and STAINS! Nobody means to spill wine or forget to use a coaster but inevitably, when all your guests go home at the end of your fabulous party, you will be left to deal with them. Have no fear, we are here to help!
Chocolate
Holidays and kids mixed together usually means chocolate on your carpet. When you find that chocolaty mess, scrape up as much of it as you can then apply a mixture of laundry or dish detergent (1 Tbsp in 2 cups warm water) to the stain and blot. Apply some undiluted, white vinegar to a clean, white towel, blot, then follow up with plain water with a sponge to rinse. Blot dry using a clean, white towel. Cover overnight with clean, white paper towels and place something heavy on top to help draw out the moisture. Remove the towels and fluff the carpet to help finish drying.
Butter and Oil Stains
Grease stains can be hard to treat if not attended to quickly so knowing this tip will save you and your guests grief during laundry time. If some butter or oil finds its way on to your tablecloth or your guest’s clothing, sprinkle some salt, artificial sweetener or cornstarch on to the spot immediately. Any of these will sop up the stain and prevent setting. If possible, pretreat the spot with your usual laundry detergent and gently work in. Launder as usual.
Coffee Stains
Gently blot the coffee stain with a clean, white cloth to remove as much of the stain as possible. Mix a solution of 1/3 cup of white vinegar combined with 2/3 cup warm water in a bowl and apply the mixture to the stain with a clean, white cloth. Repeat until the stain is completely removed. Rinse well with a clean, damp cloth (do not saturate) and blot dry. Cover overnight with clean, white paper towels and place something heavy on top to help draw out the moisture. Remove the towels and fluff the carpet to help finish drying.
Red Wine Stains
As with the other stains, the quicker you get to it, the better! Blot up the excess wine as we did with the coffee stain (do not rub!) then immediate spritz some plain, cold water on the area. We are looking to dilute the stain without saturating the area. Blot again with a clean, white cloth to pull up as much of the wine as possible. To treat the remaining stain, mix a 3:1 ratio paste of baking soda and water. Gently apply the mixture directly to the stain. Allow to dry, then vacuum.
Water Marks
In this tip, oil is our friend! Mayonnaise might cause a stain on our linens but in this instance, it actually can remove a water mark from wood furniture. Simply apply a layer of plain mayonnaise to the stain and leave overnight. In the morning, remove the mayonnaise and buff clean. Fresh water marks will have the best outcome.
Please note: These tips can be used for many different types of fabrics and materials but not all. Testing these tips on a small, indiscrete area of your carpet or linen first is always recommended.
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