Christmas dinner can be so delicious you may leave the dining table with parts of it on your clothes.
If your second helping of gravy has been immortalised on your brand new dress – or if a glug of wine now lives atop your sofa – have no fear.
Your Christmas stains aren’t set in stone, but some spills like gravy require you to act fast.
Sarah Dempsey, a cleaning expert at My Job Quote working with tombola, has shared the best way to remove the most common winter stains from your carpet and clothes.
Whether it’s wine, gravy or even mud, here’s how to clean them all.
How to clean Christmas dinner stains from clothes and carpet
Red wine
Bicarbonate of soda is your best bet for cleaning red wine stains. You’ll need to make a paste with bicarb and water to absorb the spilled wine.
On clothes
Sarah said: “Just like red wine stains on carpet, the best treatment for red wine on clothes is to use a baking soda paste. Simply make a solution using three parts baking soda to one part water.
“Apply the paste to the stain and allow it to dry, then brush it off and wash the clothes as normal. You can also rub detergent into the stain and soak the article for a couple of hours in cold water.”
On carpet
“The best way to remove red wine from carpet is to use three parts baking soda to one part water. First, lay paper towels down on the spilled wine to absorb as much as possible. Then make up the baking soda paste and apply it to the stain. Leave it to dry and then vacuum up.
Gravy
For the same reasons gravy is delicious, it can be difficult to get out. Oily gravy requires you to act fast – so absorb as much as you can with paper towels before getting to work.
On clothes
“Remove as much of the gravy as you can, as quickly as possible after the spillage. Gravy is an oil-based substance, so you need to try to act fast. Apply a stain remover or a little laundry detergent to the area. Wait 10 to 15 minutes and then wash according to the garment instructions.”
On carpet
“Use paper towels to absorb as much of the gravy as you can. Apply an appropriate carpet stain remover to the stain and wait for about five minutes. Using a cloth, rub the stain remover into the carpet fibres. With a dry cloth, pat the area and then wait for it to air dry. Now you can vacuum, and the stain should be gone.”
Chocolate
A word of caution – only use cold water on chocolate stains. Warm water will melt the chocolate and make the stain even worse.
On clothes
“Scrape off any remaining chocolate and rinse the area with cold water. Don’t use hot or warm water as it will melt the chocolate and spread it. Rub a little detergent or washing up liquid into the stain and leave it for around five minutes. Soak the garment in cold water for 15 minutes, gently rubbing the stain. Rinse and wash as normal.”
On carpet
“Blot or scrape the chocolate off the carpet. Drip some cold water onto the stain. Using a clean cloth with some liquid detergent on it, rub the stain in circular motions to prevent it spreading. With another cloth dipped in clean water go over the area again to rinse and remove any residue.”
Winter weather
Not food-related, but not a problem you’d like to have – muddy carpets.
“If you get mud on your carpet, it’s best to let it dry first and vacuum it up,” Sarah began.
“Trying to remove wet mud will only make the stain worse. Make a solution with warm water and detergent. Using a clean cloth dab the stain until all of the mud is removed. Let the area dry naturally and vacuum again.”
