How to Remove Every Thanksgiving Stain Imaginable

As a day dedicated almost entirely to eating, Thanksgiving is both a blessing and a curse…for your carpet, that is. When you play host on Thanksgiving, spills and stains on your carpet are nearly impossible to avoid. Apart from laying down plastic tarp over your carpet during dinner, here’s how you can take action to clean up every Thanksgiving stain imaginable and avoid a permanent carpet catastrophe.

The Products You’ll Need

Being proactive is the key to keeping your carpet from being permanently stained in the event of a spill. Make sure you have the following products on hand so you can be prepared no matter what kind of food or drink plops onto the carpet.

• A clean sponge. Reserve a brand new sponge solely for Thanksgiving stain clean-up. A regular sponge you’ve been using for you-don’t-know-how-long might have residue and bacteria lingering within it, which can impede your stain removal efforts.
• Paper towels. Paper towels will be your most trusted ally on Thanksgiving Day, and will help you blot spills immediately.
• Plain dish soap
• White vinegar
• Shaving cream

What to Do When Something Spills

A spill shouldn’t ruin your Thanksgiving. When something does fall on your carpet, it’s wise to start the clean-up immediately but you don’t have to completely finish the stain removal process. Pick up solid food immediately and gently blot—don’t scrub!— the spill with a paper towel, water and vinegar. Scrubbing could seep the stain further into your carpet fibers and potentially damage them. Let the water-vinegar solution set in, set a paper towel over the spill and get back to enjoying your holiday! Once dinner is over or your guests have gone home, you can devote your energy to removing the stain for good.

How to Remove: Gravy Stains

If someone went butterfingers with the gravy boat, not to worry! Shaving cream will come to the rescue here. Gently work a dollop of shaving cream into the gravy stain. Then use a wet sponge and dab at the stain until it’s completely gone. A solution of hot water and vinegar will also be effective in case you don’t have shaving cream.

How to Remove: Cranberry Sauce Stains

Sticky and red, a cranberry sauce stain might seem like a lost cause. Fortunately, a teaspoon of liquid dish soap mixed with a cup of water will do the trick. The dish soap will dissolve the cranberry sauce stain almost immediately. Blot with a wet sponge and then dab until dry.

How to Remove: Red Wine Stains

Perhaps the most feared of all Thanksgiving stains is red wine…especially if you have white carpet! Up the ante by mixing one tablespoon each of white vinegar and dish soap into two cups water. Blot the mixture into the red wine stain until gone! Club soda will also work just as well!

Don’t Let a Thanksgiving Stain Get You Down

Carpet stains are unfortunate, to be sure. But don’t let them get you down! By having a plan of action, you can be prepared when a spill happens and keep carpet stains from permanently ruining your carpet. If you carpet is too far gone after the holidays, contact your local Carpet Direct of Northern Colorado rep to get a free, in-home consultation on new carpet!