How to React When Spilling Someone's Drink

When you spill your own drink at home, it's merely an inconvenience. When you knock over a friend's drink while dining at a restaurant, or jostle a stranger's beverage after bumping into them at a club, you need to react with more speed and concern. Follow proper etiquette to diffuse and correct the situation.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Apologize immediately and sincerely for the accident. If you laugh (even if it's because you're embarrassed by your clumsiness), the person may think you're taking the situation too lightly. If you react in a sympathetic and helpful way, you may diffuse his anger.
2. Clean up the spill quickly to prevent it from spreading onto someone else's clothes or onto the floor where a passerby might slip and fall because of it. If you're at a restaurant, use whatever cloth you can find on the table to soak up the liquid and then ask the waiter for extra napkins.
3. Give the person whatever they need to clean their clothing. Offer them napkins to absorb the drink and order a club soda to act as a solvent to help eliminate darker stains.
4. Buy the person another drink if they want one. If they're with a few other people, offer to pay for the entire round to make up for the inconvenience.
5. Consider paying for the cleaning bill if a friend's garment will require extra care. Also offer to compensate them somehow if the spill has affected one of their possessions like a purse, laptop or cell phone.

Tips & Warnings

• Say you're sorry, help clean up, pay for a new drink and leave the area immediately if the stranger you've spilled a drink on overreacts to the situation and seems to be in the mood for a fight.