Face it, accidents happen around your home and often the accident involves your carpeting. Whether it’s cheap shag or expensive Berber carpet, most of us want it to last as long as it possibly will. One bad spot in the carpet can make the entire room look dreadful, but don’t replace the rug, repair it instead.
Small repair jobs, such as fixing a snag, can be done simply with a few minutes and the proper tool. If your carpet has a small snag, use a tiny embroidery needle to pull the fibers back into their proper place. To do this you must examine the area carefully to discover where the snagged loop belongs, then work your needle under and over the proper loops, grab the loose strand and pull it back through.
The biggest problem facing carpeting is stains. Usually, the heavy grime can be removed simply by shampooing. However, if there’s a spot that just won’t come clean, it can be removed and replaced. For example, the carpet may become ruined in front of a doorway, but nowhere else. If you have some remnants of the carpet, just cut and remove the damaged area and replace it with a new piece to fit. Secure the new segment by gluing or sewing it into place. In some instances, a staple gun could also be used to hold the carpet in place.
If the seam of your carpet has split apart, try to fix it before much unraveling takes place. You might have to open the entire original seam, lay new seaming tape and re-seam the split. Many professionals use an iron-type device which you probably do not own. Instead, lay waxed paper across a section of the carpet and use your home iron to iron the waxed paper for several minutes.
Continue until the entire seam has been ironed. This will affix the carpet seam tape to the underside of the carpet. If only a small patch of the seam has come undone, you can sew it back together. To do this, get a very heavy needle and a heavyweight thread to match your carpet color. Use a whipstitch to seam the carpet back. One other way to repair the seam is to cut away the seamed portion from both pieces, cut a spare piece the length of the seam and glue, sew or staple down.
To repair a hole or burn spot in shag carpeting, cut the top of some threads off of a remnant or an inconspicuous area. After cutting away any burn marks, dab with white glue or fabric glue. Heavily sprinkle the carpet strands with the glue and allow it to dry completely. After vacuuming, check to see if you need to reapply the glue and carpet strands.
Heavy furniture can leave dips or dents in your carpeting. To make these less obvious, take a quarter and rub it back and forth over the dent until the pile begins to rise. You may have to dampen the area slightly for better results.
If your carpet is stained here and there around the room but you’re not ready to replace it quite yet, consider dying your carpeting. This is time consuming and can be costly, depending upon the method that you choose. You can purchase the dry dye which must be added to water, or you can buy the dye which is ready for application.
The procedure which requires water is slightly cheaper. Choose a color that is somewhat darker than the existing color of your carpet. Vacuum and shampoo carpet thoroughly. After drying, prepare dye using rubber gloves for protection. Begin in a corner of the room and apply the dye with a large sponge. Be careful not to saturate the underneath flooring. Continue sponging the dye until the entire carpet is finished.
Use fans, if possible, to expedite the drying. You may need to reapply the dye if there are light spots visible. Over time, shampooing might lighten the color of the dye and future applications of the dye may be necessary to maintain the existing color of the carpet.
