Wine Stain on an Oriental Rug - What Can Be Done

Spilling anything on an Oriental rug can be a very stressful experience.  But occasional spills are almost unavoidable, especially if you are lucky enough to enjoy Oriental rugs in a family room, living room, and, particularly, a dining room.  Over the years, we have helped clients with a wide range of spills and resulting stains - juice, milk, chocolate, coffee, cleaning products, and more.  Among the most challenging stains are those caused by red wine - the culprit that caused the stain in the rug pictured above.   

What should you do when you spill red wine on a beloved Persian rug (or any other kind of hand made wool or silk rug)?  First, and most importantly, blot up the excess liquid immediately.  Use a white towel or paper towels.  Do not rub.  This is particularly important if the spill covers a multi-colored area.  Rubbing may not only set the stain into the rug's fibers, but may also cause the rug's dyes to run.  Second, lift the rug and dry the area below the rug.  You do not want to allow the wine to stain the rug from behind.  Third, contact a professional oriental rug cleaner immediately.  

 For the wine stain pictured above, we first addressed the stain though a rug stain removal process.  Subsequently, we professionally cleaned the entire rug.  Sometimes clients will ask if we can treat just the affected area only and forego cleaning the entire rug, but that is not possible as the cleaning of the entire rug allows the treated area to blend into the rest of the rug.  Below, is a photo of the same area after our stain removal process and professional cleaning of the wine stained rug.  While there is no way to guarantee complete removal of a stain as difficult as one caused by red wine, generally stain removal and a professional cleaning can greatly minimize the appearance of the stain.  

As for that glass, or bottle (!), of wine that was spilled - it's too bad that there's nothing that can be done about getting it back!  -www.traditionalrugrepair.com