Carpet stain removal secrets

If your family is anything like mine, there will be a floor dotted with piles of salt by the end of Christmas Day. Why salt? Because we always end up spilling tonnes of red wine, and salt is one of the most fabulous ways to absorb this tannin-loaded bombshell from the pile.

But if you don't get to the red wine fast enough, what are some other methods for removing stubborn stains form carpet? We'll show you a few completely natural ways that will produce amazing results.

Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda

For any stain that just won't budge, make a paste of bicarb and vinegar (the white, distilled vinegar is the cheapest and most effective vinegar for cleaning). You should see the stain immediately disappear after dabbing a little of the paste into the area, but if it's a bit more stubborn, then leave it to sit for a while before cleaning it with a little warm water.

For more stubborn stains, pour a little pure lemon juice on the stain first, which loosens that stain from the fibres. Then add the bicarb paste as before.

Borax

If your stain is still haunting you, make a paste of borax and lemon juice, leaving it on the stain until is dissolves.

For all carpet stain removal recipes, make sure you test a small, out-of-view piece of carpet before removing the stain.

More helpful cleaning tips

If you do spill one too many red wines on the carpet the golden rule is to act immediately. Leaving the stain for even a minute will see if seep into the fibres of the carpet.

Also, don't rub the stain, but DAB. Rubbing will not only wear the fibres of the carpet, but will also just spread the stain around. Dabbing will encourage the stain to absorb into the cleaning cloth.

At all costs, avoid bleaches for carpet stain removal. These will not only discolour your carpet (even if it's white), but bleach also damages the fibres and creates noxious fumes.

And to the salt - yes, it does work, but you have to get to the wine immediately. The salt will draw the wine from the carpet, then all you have to do is vacuum it up. Having said that, you may need to still remove a bit of a stain anyway, but at least this method lets you carry on with your Christmas Day party.