Coffee and wine stains on a rug

What to do in the first minutes

1. Blot Put a clean white cloth or paper on the stain and press lightly. Do not rub, because rubbing pushes the stain deeper. Change the cloth until it no longer picks up colour.
2. Cool water Dampen a cloth in cool water and gently blot the stain from the edges to the middle. Do not pour water directly onto the rug.
3. Repeat Blot and dampen again until the cloth no longer picks up colour. Do not soak the rug.
4. Absorbent material Put a clean, dry towel on the spot, weight it down and leave it until the spot dries.

If the stain is small and fresh, these steps are often enough. Before any product, including washing-up liquid, read the label and test it on a hidden spot: the University of Georgia calls this a colourfastness test.

Coffee and wine are not one stain

For coffee and tea, the University of Georgia advises detergent foam, blotting and checking the label; for wine, cool water and blotting without soaking. In both cases the most important thing is as little water as possible: a rug with thick pile and backing holds moisture for a long time.

How to remove red wine from a rug

On a light rug red wine shows the most, so time matters most: the sooner you blot, the less wine soaks into the fibre and the backing. Work from the edge of the stain to the middle so the stain does not spread.

Salt, white wine and other home remedies are common tips, but the University of Georgia’s instructions for wine stains do not include them: they give blotting and cool water. Home tips differ between sources, and any new product on a stain can spread the colour further.

If the stain has already dried

For a dried stain blotting no longer helps, and a lot of water does not solve it: the stain can spread, and a ring can remain around it. On viscose and jute rugs, water can cause brown patches that are more visible than the stain itself.

If the stain is old, photograph it and the underside of the rug and write what it is and what you have already tried. Before the job, a specialist tells you what to expect.

By the rug’s fibre

• Synthetics: the first aid is the same, with no hot water and no rubbing.
• Wool: no hot water and no rubbing, because wool can felt and shrink. Test the colourfastness on a hidden spot before wetting it.
• Viscose (“bamboo silk” is usually viscose): in moisture the pile can turn brown or yellow, and water with pressure can flatten it for good. Only blot, do not rub.
• Jute and sisal: they can turn brown from water, so only blot as much as you can and do not wet them.
• Hand-made and Persian rugs: natural dyes can bleed, so do not use products without a test.

Even in a synthetic rug, wine can leave traces if it has soaked into the backing. More on natural-fibre rugs: can a wool rug be washed at home.

What not to do with a coffee or wine stain

• Do not use hot water.
• Do not rub the stain or scrub it with a brush.
• Do not use chlorine bleach: it changes the colour and leaves a pale patch.
• Do not put several products on one after another.
• Do not soak the rug and do not dry it with a hair dryer.

What may stay and when to order cleaning

It is worth ordering cleaning if the stain is large or old, if the rug is light-coloured or of a natural fibre, or if the stain has already spread after attempts. Send a photo, and a specialist gives the price. Service: stain removal from a rug.

• Synthetic short-pile rug, cleaning at home: from €6/m².
• Wool or cotton rug (with pick-up): from €10/m².
• Silk, viscose, hide, hand-made and Persian rugs (with pick-up): from €15/m², the price is set from a photo.

The price depends on the size in m², the fibre, the pile length and thickness, the dirt and stains, smell or urine, access and distance. The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. Travel is included in Riga and up to about 15 km outside the Riga boundary; further out it is from €10. Pick-up and return in Riga costs €10 (both ways together); in the Riga region up to about 15 km from the Riga boundary it is also €10, and further out another €10 is added. Other stains: how to remove a stain from a rug.