No matter if you spilled a cocktail, a shot, beer, whiskey, or any other type of alcohol on your carpet or upholstered furniture, you need to know how to properly remove the stain. After all, no one wants a stained carpet or a sofa, right?
Don’t panic or think too much of it – immediately get started with treating the stain because as you probably know, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to remove the stain.
The alcohol stain removal process is the same for both carpets and upholstery so keep on reading to find out what you can do.
How To Properly Remove Alcohol Stains From Carpets And Upholstery?
The most important thing you must do is remove the moisture from the surface. This means that you would have to blot the liquid with a paper towel. Press it into the affected area and soak up the excess moisture. Do this a few times with new paper towels.
Then grab a bowl and mix a tablespoon of dishwashing detergent, half a cup of distilled white vinegar, and two cups of warm water. This will be your cleaning solution.
Dip a white cloth in the mixture and remove the excess moisture. The cloth must be damp and not soaking wet. Start gently blotting and wiping the affected area. Do not rub or press too hard.
It is important for you to use a white cloth because if it is coloured, you risk an accidental color transfer to the fabric which will make the mess even bigger.
Once you are happy with the result and you successfully treated the stained area, it’s time to rinse it. You don’t want to leave the soapy mixture behind because soap does attract dirt and dust – and if you let it unrinsed, you will have to deal with a dirty patch.
In order to do so, you must dampen another white cloth in water and wipe the area with it.
And now it’s time to wait for the area to air-dry. Do not use your hair dryer…
If the stain still remains or it is faded a bit but is not completely removed, it’s time to use something stronger – oxygen-based bleach.
Dilute it with water – to do so, follow the instructions on the label. Then dip a soft brush in the diluted bleach and gently treat the stain.
Let it sit for an hour or so before you rinse it and let it air dry.