Expert: Jahann and Sons Persian Rugs - 3/17/2010

Question
QUESTION: When the dog got on the table and knocked over a bottle of red wine on the red Bukhara carpet I didn't check online; I just did what I'd done previously with a grey wool carpet: I dumped as much salt as a could on the spot so that it would draw the moisture and stain (I hoped) out (that had WORKED before).  Hasn't worked on this carpet and from what I read online, may even have helped set the stain.  What can I do now?  When guests get wine on napkins I spray with a spot cleaner and wash and the stain goes away.  Any hope?

ANSWER: Hi Sandy,

I'm so sorry to hear about your rug!  My apologies for the delayed response.  I've just returned home from a trip overseas.

I have heard about using salt on stains, but I've never actually had success with it.  Red wine is a very tricky stain because it isn't actually a stain, it is a dye.  So, essentially, you've dyed your rug.  You need to use dye removers to remove the stain.  We use products from this company: www.ritdye.com.  If you're familiar with their products, then you may be able to do a little dye work on your own, but if you've never used them, don't, as you may dye your red rug green by accident.  Where are you located?  I would suggest trying to find a professional Oriental rug cleaner in your area that has some experience with dye removal.  If you're in the Washington, DC area, we can help you.  You can email me a photo if you'd like an estimate.  Even if you're not local, I can at least give you an idea of what you can expect to pay for a fix.

All the best,
Katie

Jahann and Sons Persian Rugs
4210 Howard Avenue
Kensington, MD 20895
ruglady@jahannandsons.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I'm not local so I will have to find a local expert but tell me: the (signed) rug is red; the wine has left a darker red stain.  How would an expert work to get it out? Sounds fairly hopeless to me and I certainly don't want to make the situation worse.

If a spill happens again what would you advise the average householder to do to avoid this outcome?

Answer
Very often red wine stains are made up of a combination of red and blue dyes.  If you use a blue dye remover on the darker part, it will most likely fix the darker red stain.  However, red on red staining is a little bit difficult, and you may not get the best result. You may end up with a lighter red stain than the darker one.  If it isn't terrible, and you can live the with the stain, I might just leave it be.  Not the best news, I know.  In the future, flush the stains with cold water and blot as you go with white towels (don't submerge the rug or the colors could run).  This works really well for dye based stains like coffee, tea, grape juice, etc.  Time is of the essence when it comes to dye based stains.  For grease and dirt stains, mild soap like ivory dish soap or something, and some cold water works quite well.