How to Clean Up Stains After a Thanksgiving Dinner.

Cleaning Up After the Thanksgiving Holiday

You know any time you get family and friends together for the Thanksgiving holiday, spills and stains are bound to happen. Cleaning up spills and stains after the Thanksgiving holiday will happen in my house and with just about every gathering we have.

Below are the most common foods and drinks shared for Thanksgiving dinner and how you can clean them – should they get spilled.

Stain Cleaning Tips

• When cleaning carpet stains, do not rub at the stain or you risk spreading the stain further.
• After cleaning carpets, cover the area until it is completely dry to avoid further staining.
• After stain removal treatments, make sure you avoid putting an item in the dryer until you are sure the stain is gone.

Removing Red Wine Stains with Club Soda

Wine is one of those things that is bound to get spilled. When you’re walking around having a good time talking with others, an arm is bound to get bumped, and – out slops the wine.

Cleaning Red Wine Stains From Carpets

Club soda is an item many of us have on hand around the holidays for cocktails and is something you can make use of if a red wine spill happens.

1. If possible, act quickly and blot up as much of the wine spill as possible with a clean cloth or paper towels. Make sure to change to a clean section of towel and replace when necessary.
2. Pour a small amount of club soda directly onto the red wine stain. The carbonation in the club soda can help lift the stain from the carpet fibers. Do not over wet the area as this can cause the stain to reappear later.
3. Once again, using a clean cloth or paper towels, gently blot the stain. Press down firmly on the stain, absorbing as much liquid as possible.
4. Repeat the rinsing and blotting process (changing absorbent material as needed) until no more of the stain comes up. Hopefully this will remove the stain.

If there is still some staining remaining:

1. Mix a solution of hydrogen peroxide with dish washing liquid, a 3:1 ratio.
2. Apply a small amount to the stain, cover, let sit for 20 minutes.
3. Rinse the area and blot up as much liquid as possible.
4. Cover until dry.

Check this mix in an inconspicuous spot prior to fully cleaning.

Removing Red Wine Stains from Clothing

If the red wine stain is on your clothing again, pour club soda on a clean rag and blot at the stain. Continue until the stain is gone. If the stain is a large one, see if you have something for your guest to put on while you tackle the stain.

If the garment can take it, rinse with the hottest water possible. Just be careful when rinsing you don’t get your hands in the way of the hot water.

Believe it or not but hot water is one of the best ways to remove fruit juice stains and it works on wine too.

How to Remove Cranberry Sauce Stains

One of the most likely places stains will happen is on the tablecloth. Just as hot water can remove a wine stain, it can also work on a stain such as this and I know for some of you, this cleaning method may go against everything you’ve heard and been taught – but this is the recommended method for cleaning a cranberry sauce stain.

Cleaning Cranberry Stains from a Tablecloth

After the sink is cleared and dishes put away, put some water on to boil and bring the tablecloth to the sink. And be careful, this water is hot!

1. Pre-rinse the table cloth with the hottest tap water possible to remove any remaining solids.
2. Then hold the table cloth over the sink and pour the hot water slowly and gently over the stained fabric.
3. Cover every bit of the cranberry stain and please watch your hands with the hot water.

If any stain is left over, leave the table cloth to soak in a bowl of hot water with 1 teaspoon of liquid dish washing detergent for 60 minutes. Rinse with clean water. Launder as usual when the stain is gone. Avoid the dryer until you’re sure the stain is out.

Removing Cranberry Sauce from the Carpet

There’s also a good chance one of the kiddos, sitting at the little table, will drop some of their food on the carpet during the dinner hour.

1. First, clean up any solids from the cranberry sauce.
2. Using a clean cloth, paper towel or other absorbent, blot up the liquid until it has been absorbed.
3. In a bowl, add 1 cup of warm water and into that mix 1 teaspoon liquid detergent. Stir to mix the detergent in the water.
4. Pour a little of this mixture over the stain. Use a clean toothbrush or your fingers to gently work into the carpet.
5. Repeat if necessary.
6. Blot and get it as dry as you can with a clean towel. If it’s in an out of the way spot where no one will trip on the towel, leave it covering the area until completely dry.

Removing Tough Cranberry Stains

If you didn’t notice the cranberry stain until later or you thought you had the stain out earlier, it’s still possible to remove the stain with hydrogen peroxide.

You may want to test this in an inconspicuous place on the carpet first. Although hydrogen peroxide should not damage the carpet, prevention is your friend here.

1. Pour some 3 percent grade hydrogen peroxide over the stained area. You don’t need to over saturate the carpet.
2. With a clean towel, place it on top of the stain.
3. Depending on the severity of the stain, leave the stain covered for 1 hour or more.
4. Periodically check to see how the stain removal process is going.
5. Repeat if necessary.

Hydrogen peroxide will turn to water when exposed to light so be sure to keep this covered.

Cleaning up Gravy and Butter Spills on Clothing

Gravy is like a grease stain. Its part grease, and part meat or milk solids that easily binds to fabric.

1. To begin, use a clean paper towel on both sides of the fabric and dab up as much of the gravy as you can.
2. Apply a small amount of dishwashing liquid or laundry detergent directly to the stain. Gently rub the fabric together to work the detergent into the stain.
3. Let the item sit in cold water up to 30 minutes.
4. Repeat if the stain is still visible.
5. Wash as usual.
6. Do not put item in the dryer until you are sure the stain is gone.

If you happen to be one of the guests for dinner and you’re worried about staining, you can pre-treat the stain with a little Dawn dish washing detergent and wash as usual when you get home.