Post Holiday Party Clean Up

Post Holiday Party Clean Up Id Nothing to Wine About

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Did I say that too loud?

The holiday parties are over. Maybe the house didn't look so bad when you went to bed this morning. Now that you have had a cup or two of coffee, you can clearly see the evidence of a good party. Time to clean it up! The easy part is tossing out the cups, bottles, cans, plates, streamers, and confetti. The hard part is removing the wine stains.

Whining Over Wine

A spill or two of red wine that you won't find until today or tomorrow, or even next week is highly likely. By now it has dried, and therefore, the cleanup becomes more difficult.

If you Google instructions on removing red wine stains, your search will yield an overwhelming amount of results. How do you know which one is effective? We suggest the following DIY steps to remove a wine stain.

1. Saturate the stain with straight club soda. Use enough to see the carbonation bring the color to the surface.
2. Blot with a clean white towel until you can't pick up any more color.
3. Pour a layer of salt on the stain.
4. Let it completely dry.
5. Brush up the salt with a spoon or ladle.
6. Vacuum the area.

This method is safe for all types of carpet. If you do not achieve the desired results, don't bother to try again. Call a professional carpet cleaner.

We also turned to Rosie Certified Partner, Phoenix Carpet Repair & Cleaning. While they do not specialize in DIY stain removal, they did suggest a product they use to professionally clean carpets, Pro's Choice Red Relief. This product can be purchased online at most hardware and janitorial stores. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the bottle. You may have to purchase a few carpet cleaning tools as well.

Marco Andrino, owner, Tucson Carpet Repair & Cleaning, an affiliate of Phoenix Carpet & Repair, cautions that "every time you add a remedy to the carpet, it will create more stain. The key is rinsing. A professional carpet cleaner will do a proper rise that will restore the pH balance and remove residue. Hot water extraction (steaming cleaning) is the most effective way to remove wine stains."

If you go the DIY route, test carpet stain removal techniques or new products in a hidden area to see the results. Sometimes a brighter surrounding area will form, which can make the formerly stained area stand out.

For Stone Surfaces

To remove wine stains from tile and grout, Thompson suggests liberally sprinkling baking soda on the stain. If the tile and grout are not sealed, it should draw out the moisture and color. Sprinkle, set, sweep up, repeat until you can't pick up any more color.

For Upholstery

You have to be very careful about upholstery. There are many variants of fabric, color and stain protection. If the furniture is covered with a machine-washable slip cover, simply remove it, and wash per the instructions on the tag. Otherwise, Thompson suggests that you don't even it try to remove the stain yourself. Call a professional upholstery cleaning service.

If the stain does not come out, you have a few options.

• Replace the carpet.
• Hire a professional to cut out the damaged piece and replace it with a new section of carpet that matches.
• Rearrange the furniture to hide the stain.
• Leave the stain as a reminder of the amazing party you had!

No matter what you choose, you will ready for the next round of stains during the February 2nd Super Bowl party.

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