With Christmas coming up, you’ll undoubtedly be a little apprehensive about all of the family traipsing their way through your house. It’s unfortunately inevitable that there’ll be the odd food or drink spillage as we get a little merry with the festivities. In between cooking the Christmas dinner and making sure the kids aren’t scoffing all the the chocolates, a red wine spill can feel catastrophic. But don’t panic, there are a few simple steps you can take to make sure that the ‘cream carpet meets red wine stain’ nightmare doesn’t come true. The team at Rug Mountain has put together a list of crucial don’ts when it comes to spills on your rugs.

Don’t wait

It’s imperative that you act as soon as a spill happens. This reduces the time that the spill has to soak into the deeper fibres of the rug. If you have a carpet or hardwood floor underneath your rug, always make sure to check that the stain hasn’t seeped through to cause permanent staining on other surfaces.

Don’t scrub

It’s hard to resist the temptation to grab the nearest cloth or sponge and start scrubbing away. This actually causes more damage as all you’re doing is pushing the stain further into the fabric. Instead, make sure you blot the stain to absorb the majority of the liquid. This will then leave you with the residue that won’t be deep set into the fibres.

Don’t use hot water

When normally cleaning, hot or warm water is your go-to. When it comes to pigmented spills on rugs however, always use cold or room temperature water. Heat will only intensify the colour and cause further staining. Colder water will instead lift the spill ready for cleaning with stronger chemicals. Once the area has dried, you can then apply heat to remove any residue or cleaning solutions you may have used.

Don’t use products without testing

We’ve just mentioned using chemical cleaning products, but always make sure you’ve tested these before you use them. The worst thing you could do is to apply a cleaning product straight to your rug without testing, only to find it bleaches or damages the texture of the rug. Try instead, testing a product on a hidden patch of the rug or on the underside. The reaction of the rug to the product on your test patch will give you an indication as to whether it’s safe to use on the affected area. Never use bleach. This causes long-term damage that’s irreversible.

Other things to avoid

As said previously, never use bleach. As well as this, avoid laundry or dishwasher detergent. While this might seem like common sense, in the panic of lifting a mulled wine stain, for example, we’ll desperately opt for anything to see if it will work. These products only cause damage to the rug and are notoriously good at attracting dirt and dust. The powdery formula deep sets itself into the fibres giving you a build up of muck, which of course you really don’t want.

And there you have it, the top ‘don’ts’ when it comes to spills on your rug this festive period. It’s important to always check the manufacturer’s guide for your rug to ensure you’re best caring for it. Most rugs will have a label telling you the basic of cleaning, if it’s machine or hand-wash, for example. It will also tell you things to avoid, such as bleach. Other than that, try not to let a little wine spill get the better of you this Christmas!

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