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Cleaning products already found in most British homes can come in useful when removing table or carpet stains. Consumer goods brand Which? tested six popular home remedies to find which one works best.
Although the carpet took more than 12 hours to dry, the washing-up liquid and water method dried the quickest too.
The tests show that the hydrogen peroxide worked well on both the red wine and curry stains, but the smell was strong and lingered for a long time.
Which? used a three percent hydrogen peroxide solution and applied two tablespoons of it onto the stains.
With the white wine, the testers did not add anything to it, pouring it straight from the bottle and onto the red wine stain.
The white wine did remove the stain but left an overpowering stench of alcohol.
Using vinegar on its own on the stains, Which? says the method worked well, but once again made the carpet smell.
The bicarbonate of soda mixtures – one with warm water and the other with vinegar – also worked well, but only on the curry stains.
On the red wine stains, there was a strange chemical reaction that left the carpet blue.
The Which? testers say: “Our best advice is if you have a sudden stain and don’t have a dedicated product in your cupboard, start running the hot tap and get out the washing-up liquid.”
However, be aware that a lot of elbow grease is needed to rub the product into the carpet.
Which? researchers also found the top eight shop products for carpet stains.
They revealed this month that the Dr. Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover, costing only £2.78, is the best one.
