Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but for our carpets it’s a completely different story. From the accidental Christmas chocolates that are dropped and trodden into the carpet in the frenzy that is Christmas morning, to those clumsy red wine spills that happen on New Year’s Eve or even just the increase in foot traffic around the house. Chances are your carpets are going to experience some heavy use  over the holiday period.

For those unexpected spills where there isn’t a cleaner on hand and the shops aren’t open, we’ve got the best cleaning home remedies for ridding your carpets of the most common Christmas and New Year’s stains.

Cranberry Sauce 

Sometimes our beloved favourites can escape the plate and end up on the carpet. However, your carpets needn’t suffer. For a simple home remedy all you’ll need is a tablespoon of hand dishwasher liquid mixed together with two cups of water. With a clean white cloth, simply wet cloth in the mixture and gently blot the stain until all the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until the stain has disappeared.

Red/Mulled Wine 

Christmas is a time for celebration and many enjoy a glass of red wine, or even mulled wine since it is the season, but when our drinks end up hitting the carpet instead of our mouths it can be a bit less cheery. Not to worry though, we’ve got a cleaning hack that will help remove that stain as much as possible. Begin by grabbing a white dish cloth or paper towel and start blotting the carpet to remove as much of the wine as you can. After you’ve got out as much of the liquid as you can, pour a little bit of cold water onto the stain, this will help dilute the stain and make the blotting easier. Once it appears that no more wine will come up, create a baking soda paste by mixing a ratio of three to one water to baking soda ration and applying it to the area. After the paste has dried all you’ll need to do is vacuum the stain.

Chocolate
 Chocolate treats are a tradition in many a household over the festive period, and one too many times carpets see their fair share of these goodies also. If you find yourself in this predicament over Christmas then there’s no need to worry. First, grab a butter knife and try and scrape the chocolate off the carpet. Once the chocolate has been removed apply a mixture of ¼ teaspoon of mild white detergent and one cup of room temperature water, then with a white cloth work your way from the outer edge of the stain to the middle, blotting not rubbing.

Beer 

If beer is more your beverage of choice over the holiday period, we’ve got a cleaning tip  for getting those stains out of the carpet too. Once you’ve got a clean white paper towel or cloth, begin blotting up as much of the spilled beer as possible. Then, use two cups of plain warm water mixed with a tablespoon of hand dishwasher liquid and a table spoon of white vinegar to blot the stain away.