Christmas can bring with it a lot of mess and one of biggest messes is stains, I have put together my Christmas stain busting guide so you can deal with those pesky stains quickly get on and enjoy the rest of your festive activities and plans.
Red wine
Probably one of the most common Christmas stains, this isn’t the easiest stain to remove and please do NOT chuck a glass of white wine over it as it will be a complete waste. The trick never works.
The key is to get these stains as soon as possible and use cold water to try and release the stain, hydrogen peroxide works well on carpets but do a patch test on your carpet first, ensure you dab and do not rub as the rubbing will make the stain worse. For clothes, liberally spray the stain with white vinegar and then after 5 minutes soak in cold water, chuck in a few ice cubes too so the water is really cold.
Failing this you will need to get yourself a bottle of wine no more, this product is yet to fail me.
Candle wax
Lighting a few candles is the best way to create Christmas ambience but can often drip. Wax is easy to remove, start by using a blunt knife and scrap off as much as you can. Next cover with brown paper or some kitchen roll and then apply heat. You can use your iron or hair dryer for this. Put on a mid-heat setting and heat over the covered wax. The wax will liquidise making it easier to remove.
This will also work if wax gets splattered onto your walls, after heating wipe off as much as you can and remove any left residue with soapy cloth.
Hot chocolate
We all love to curl up with a mug of tasty hot chocolate, a good film and a cosy blanket but it is really easy to spill that hot chocolate down your top or onto the carpet.
To treat hot chocolate stains on clothing, immediately rinse the garment under cold water, running the water through the reverse side of the stain to flush it out. Pre-treat the stain using a liquid laundry detergent, soak for 20 minutes and then wash as normal.
For the carpet, immediately blot up as much of the liquid as possible with a clean white cloth or thick kitchen roll and work from the outside in. To rinse the area, fill a spray bottle with cold water, spritz a small amount over the stain, and blot again. Using a cloth dipped into a mixture of warm water and a small amount of washing up liquid, blot the area until the stain is gone. Remove any soapy residue with a clean cloth dampened with warm water.
Lipstick
Christmas glam may leave your napkins stained, lipstick is normally easy to remove so don’t panic. If you have some micellar water for removing your make up then grab this and cover the stain, let it soak for 10 minutes then rinse away alternatively use your liquid laundry detergent again as a pre-stain treatment.
Soot
Nothing like a burning fire over the festive period. But ash and soot can make a real mess. To remove soot stains on your carpet sprinkle with bicarbonate of soda and leave to sit at least an hour, this will hopefully absorb the staining. Then vacuum the area thoroughly. If the stain remains use a specialised carpet cleaner like the Dr beckmann one.
Food grease from cooking
Head chef over the Christmas period is bound to pick up a few grease and oil stains. Pop washing up liquid on the stain straight away as this is a degreaser and let it sit for 10 minutes, rinse with cold water and then wash as normal. Repeat if there are still traces of the stain. Remember: You should always confirm a stain is completely gone before drying. If you need to repeat add in a few drops of lemon juice to help fight the grease.
Cranberry sauce
Most likely to hit your Christmas table cloth rinse or blot with cold water, spray with white vinegar and rub in some washing up liquid, let it sit then blot, use a white cloth so you can see if the stain is lifting and then wash as normal.
Gravy
Over Christmas dinner there is bound to be a gravy disaster and if you are busy enjoying your dinner the chances of you dealing with it straight away are pretty slim. Scrap of as much as you can using a blunt knife. Then use warm water and washing up liquid, and it will easily remove.
Don’t forget my book – How To Clean Your House at Christmas: The ultimate how-to guide for cleaning your home, with an updated chapter to help at Christmas is available now.
