“Sponging the area with cold water once the mixture has worked its magic will leave your sofa in good condition, once dried,” she adds.
Mulled and red wine
Candlewax on the carpet
Sparing the sofa needn’t be as stressful as you think…
“Red wine often causes the biggest panic, but all is not lost if a spillage occurs,” says Gisela Lancaster, head of buying, Sofology. “The main thing is to act fast – starting with a clean, dry cloth and gently dab the stain, moving the liquid towards the centre of the spill.” For those without a cleaning kit suited to their sofa, she says to simply use warm, soapy water on the affected area. “Make sure you blot the stain instead of rubbing, as this could spread your stain further.”
Lifting candle wax out of a carpet doesn’t have to be stressful – and in most cases can be done using items you’ll already have in your home, says Punam Chada, buying manager at Carpetright. “The longer it sits on the carpet, the harder the stain will be to remove as the melted wax will seep into the carpet fibres before it hardens,” she warns. “Start with filling a plastic bag with ice and lay directly onto the stain. Once the wax starts to freeze slightly, start to gently scrape the wax off the carpet.” Chadder says the best way to do this is using a blunt knife, something like a butter knife works well, and be careful not to damage the carpet fibres. “Next, find a brown paper bag, or failing that a thin tea towel will do, and lay it over the affected area,” she continues. “Finally use a warm iron, and run over the paper bag or tea towel. Press gently and evenly until the wax starts to be absorbed and lift off the carpet.”
Boxing Day sofa supper
As Lancaster points out: “Eating on the sofa is more common at Christmas, as platters, canapés and sweet treats are passed around – turkey sandwiches are a sofa-snacking staple… and the accompanying cranberry sauce, a bit of a risk. “If some does drop onto your seat and start to soak in, start by scraping off any excess sauce with a spoon or butter knife, then quickly blot the stain with a solution of soapy water.
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