Thanksgiving Stain Hacks! Gravy, Cranberry & Red Wine!
Thanksgiving is just over the horizon, and spilling over the edge of that horizon are all the Thanksgiving spots and stains you can look forward to. After all, it doesn’t matter how careful you are when it just takes one careless kid (or adult) to turn clean carpets into a turkey-gravy-potato nightmare.
To help you out, we’ve got three Thanksgiving stain hacks for you! Use them to erase gravy, cranberry, and red wine spills!
Quick note before you start cleaning – always follow any safety instructions on the products you use and, as an extra measure, where gloves and goggles Also, test your solutions before using them, as some of the product listed here (like hydrogen peroxide) could bleach your carpets. To test, find an inconspicuous area, blot a small amount of the product onto it, wait a moment, and blot with a clean towel. Check for color loss and, if there is any, don’t use the solution. Be sure to rinse and dry the area you tested.
Cranberry Stains
Supplies
Isopropyl Alcohol
White Vinegar
Spoon
Gloves/Goggles
Towels
Step 1
With all stains, the first thing to do is remove as much of the staining material as quickly as you can. Grab a clean spoon and scoop up the cranberry sauce. Make sure you both clean your spoon as you go and that you work around the edge of the spot towards the middle. Following those tips will keep your from spreading the spill around.
Step 2
Time to make the cleaning solution. Mix up 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in with 2/3 cup of isopropyl alcohol.
Step 3
Dip a towel in the cleaning solution and wring it until it’s damp – be sure wear gloves and eye protection when working with cleaning solutions.
Step 4
Blot the spot with the damp towel, switching to clean parts of the towel as you go. As with the spoon, work from the outside edge towards the middle. Continue doing this until you can’t get any more of the staining material out.
Step 5
Now you need to rinse the carpet. Wet a towel with water and thoroughly wet the spot, working from the outside edge towards the middle. Then use a dry towel to thoroughly blot it dry – don’t scrub, though, just blot. If there’s any residual staining material, you don’t want to accidentally spread it around via scrubbing.
Thanks to Stain Removal 101 for the great information!
Wine Stains
Supplies
Dish Soap (Colorless)
Hydrogen Peroxide
Dish Detergent
Towels
Spray Bottle
Vacuum
Step 1
Blot the spot with a clean towel, going from the outside edge towards the center. Remember to blot and not to scrub.
Step 2
Mix 1 teaspoon of dish soap and 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide in a bowl – a colorless dish soap is preferable. After you mix the solution, use it to dampen a towel.
Step 3
Blot the spot with the dampened towel, taking care to frequently switch to new parts of the towel. If you start running out of clean spots, switch to a new towel. Keep doing this until you can’t get anymore wine out.
Step 4
Mix 2-6 drops of dish detergent with 1 cup of hot water. Pour that into a spray bottle and spritz the spot, taking care to spray a little around the spot as well.
Step 5
Blot the spot with a clean towel until no more moisture comes up.
Step 6
Fill a clean spritz bottle with hot water and spray the spot until it’s damp.
Step 7
Blot the spot with a clean towel until no more moisture comes up.
Step 8
Lay a thick towel over the spot, set a weight on it, and let it sit there for a few hours. That should help soak up any residual moisture.
Step 9
Once you remove the towel and weights, vacuum the area.
Thanks to the WikiHow team, the HowToCleanStuff.net team, and the eHow.com team for the great information!
Gravy Stains
Supplies
Towels
Spoon
Vacuum (Hose)
Dish Soap (Colorless)
Ammonia
Hydrogen Peroxide
Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Step 1
Like with the other spots, our number one goal is to remove as much of the staining material as possible. Use a spoon and, like before, work from the outside edge towards the middle, scooping up as much gravy as possible.
Step 2
Coat the spot with baking soda. This will help absorb some of the staining material. Let this sit for an hour or so.
Step 3
Using your vacuum’s hose, suck up the baking powder. Don’t use a normal stand-up vacuum, as the beater bar could accidentally spread the gravy around.
Step 4
Mix a healthy squirt of your dish soap into 1 cup of hot water. Dampen a towel in this solution and blot the spot, working form the outside edge towards the middle. Thoroughly spritz the spot with hot water and blot it dry.
Step 5
If there’s still a spot, add 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar to your cleaning solution, dampen a towel, and blot the spot. Thoroughly spritz the spot with warm water and blot it dry.
Step 6
If there’s still a spot, mix 2 tablespoons of a household ammonia with 1 cup of warm water, dampen a towel, and blot the spot. Thoroughly spritz the spot with warm water and blot it dry.
Step 7
If there’s still a spot, mix 1 teaspoon of dish soap and 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide, dampen a towel, and blot the spot. Thoroughly spritz the spot with warm water and blot it dry.
Step 8
Lay a thick towel over the spot, set a weight on it, and let it sit there for a few hours.
Step 9
Once you remove the towel and weights, vacuum the area again.
Thanks to the HowToCleanStuff.net for the great information!
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