Club Soda + Salt = Non-Toxic Stain Remover

A few years ago I was hosting some friends when the spill of all spills happened. The one you nervously laugh about when purchasing anything white. Yep, the dreaded red wine spill, on a white wool rug, because really, what fun is a red wine spill unless it happens on something white? But my friend was quick on the draw. She ran to the kitchen and returned with salt, club soda, and a dish towel. By the next morning the stain was gone.

Try this simple technique as a non-toxic remedy for those dreaded spills.

1. Blot fresh stain to soak up excess liquid.
2. Sprinkle stained area liberally with salt (but not too liberally or you’ll be vacuuming salt up for weeks, trust me on this one).
3. Pour club soda or seltzer water over stained area.
4. Leave soda and salt on the stained area for a few hours or overnight.
5. Re-blot area to soak up excess water.
6. Vacuum area to remove salt.

Viola!

So far I’ve used this trick for red wine spilled on a wool rug, coffee spilled on an ivory shag rug, and cranberry juice spilled on a white table cloth (for the table cloth, I used the salt and club soda as a pre-treat before washing it).

As a side note: This technique works best to remove fresh stains, so try to apply salt and soda as quickly as possible.

Related Articles:
• Wisdom From Grandma: Non-Toxic Stain Removers

(Image: Julia Brenner)