We have to admit traditional Christmas meal is among the messiest homemade meals! The most favourite dishes of every Briton are either greasy, or sticky, but always delicious. If you love traditional Christmas dinner as much as we do you probably know already, that holiday goodies like cranberry sauce and gravy are sticky, greasy and leave really, really nasty stains. Luckily, the Keen-Clean specialists shared some easy tricks to help you remove stains from your home after the holidays.
Check also: How to clean and prepare your home for the holiday season.
Christmas turkey just isn’t good enough if it isn’t covered with juicy gravy. Photo: Flickr
Remove Gravy Stains
Christmas Turkey is nothing without juicy greasy gravy. If you spill this sauce onto your upholstery or carpet follow the steps below to remove the stain and it will vanish without a trace.
You will need:
- Clean towels
- Salt
- Water
- Quality stain removal product
Instructions:
Gravy leaves greasy stain, so it is good to treat the stain as soon as possible. If the gravy stain is fresh sprinkle generous amount of salt over it and leave it like this for 15 minutes. Don’t worry if you notice the spot on the day after the Christmas dinner – spray it with lukewarm water, before covering it with salt. Be careful if you are cleaning carpet or upholstery – you need the fabric to be slightly damp, not soaking wet. Vacuum the salt and blot the spot with towel, dipped in water. Apply stain-removal product directly onto the fabric and clean according to the instructions on the box.
This method works great for cleaning other greasy stains such as mayonnaise, or Marie Rose as well. Salt is the secret powerful ingredient – it absorbs oils from carpet and fabrics, making it easier for the spot removal product to wipe off the dirt. Wash your garment as usual. If you are removing stain from carpet and upholstery take a clean use soft clean towel to blot the area until its dry.
Delicious and sticky! Check how to remove cranberry sauce stain from upholstery or carpet. Photo: Flickr
Deal with Cranberry Sauce Stain
Cranberry sauce – sticky, red and delicious! We cannot imagine the Christmas dinner without it, but we know it leaves stains, that can be tricky to deal with. If you spill cranberry sauce on your clothes, or carpet, try the following cleaning methods.
Removing Cranberry Stain from Clothes and Tablecloths
Scrape off the excess sauce from the fabric with a spoon. Put the garment under cold running water. Apply stain removal product directly onto the spot and leave it 10-20 minutes, according to the instruction on the box. Put the fabric in the machine and turn on the long cycle on the warmest temperature safe for the fabric.
Clean Cranberry Sauce from Carpet or Upholstery
Use spoon, dull knife or spatula to scrape excess sauce off. Blot the spot on the carpet or upholstery with clean damp cloth. Apply stain removal product and leave it for 10-20 minutes. Blot the spot with cloth dipped in clean water again to rinse it and dry with soft towel. Always try your stain-cleaning product on small inconspicuous area on your sofa, or carpet to be sure it won’t ruin the fibres.
Clean Red Wine, Whiskey or Brandy Stains
Everybody enjoys a glass of warming wine or brandy during the holidays. Unfortunately these dark alcoholic beverages leave visible stains. Here is how to clean red wine, whiskey or brandy spills on carpet and upholstery.
You will need:
- Mild detergent
- White distilled vinegar
- Clean towels
Instructions:
Take mild detergent, that doesn’t contain bleach or alkali ingredients. Add 1 teaspoon of the product to one cup of lukewarm water. Dip a cloth into the mixture and gently blot the area until most of the substance is transferred to the cloth. Don’t rub or scrub with circular motions to avoid smearing the stain and spreading it onto the carpet or upholstery fabric. Mix 1 part vinegar with two parts water and dab the stain with another clean cloth, dipped in the mixture. Blot the area with clean damp cloth to rinse the spot. If necessary repeat the procedure until the stain is removed completely. Leave the area to dry completely before walking/sitting on it.
This is it! The stains left from the Christmas dinner, are gone! However, if you need to put you house in order after the holidays don’t hesitate to contact us. We provide home cleaning service at the best cleaning prices in London.
