Getting Stains Out: Wine, Coffee, Mud, Pet Accidents

Polyester has one large advantage over wool and cotton: it is hydrophobic, so liquids sit on the surface for a moment instead of being drawn straight into the fibre. That moment is what you are working with.

The first minute matters more than the product

Blot, do not rub. Press a dry cloth or kitchen paper straight down, lift, move to a clean part of the cloth, repeat. Rubbing pushes the spill sideways into clean fibre and works it down towards the backing, which turns a small mark into a large one.

Red wine

Blot hard, then dilute with cold water and blot again. Do not use hot water and do not use salt — salt is a folk remedy that mostly just leaves you with salt in the rug. Once you have lifted what you can, wash the rug normally at 30°C. Polyester rarely holds a wine stain permanently.

Coffee and tea

Same method, but tannin does bind more readily than wine pigment. If a shadow remains after blotting, work a little washing-up liquid in cold water into the spot with your fingers, blot it out, then machine wash.

Mud

Counter-intuitively, wait. Let mud dry completely, then break it up and vacuum the solids away. Attacking wet mud with a cloth drives it into the pile. Whatever shadow is left comes out in a normal wash.

Pet accidents

Blot up as much as possible, rinse the area with cold water and blot again. For the smell, an enzyme cleaner is genuinely worth it — enzymes break down the uric acid that ordinary detergent leaves behind, and that acid is what makes a pet return to the same spot. Apply it, leave it the time stated on the bottle, then machine wash at 30°C.

Grease and oil

The one category where polyester is less forgiving, because oil and synthetic fibre have an affinity. Cover the mark with bicarbonate of soda and leave it an hour to draw the oil out, brush it off, then treat with a drop of washing-up liquid before washing.

What not to use

• Bleach on anything coloured.
• Steam cleaners — heat again.
• Solvent spot removers meant for wool; they can affect synthetic dye.
• A stiff brush, which will fluff the chenille twist and leave a visibly rougher patch.