Carpet Repair

Carpet repair may save you the expense of a new carpet. Accidents occur and your carpet is unexpectedly damaged and you need a carpet repair. Hopefully you saved the scraps when your new carpet was installed.

Perhaps an ember flies out of the fireplace leaving a burn or you spill a glass of red wine and have a permanent stain. There are many concerns that result in the need for a carpet repair. From snags, crushing, fading and furniture legs leaving marks to bleeding, sprouting, and even pesky carpet beetles.

You May Be Able to Do Your Own Carpet Repair

Do you like taking on the challenge of do-it-yourself projects? A carpet repair is one that you may be able to handle. If you are not handy or just don’t have the time, it may be advisable to hire a professional.

Burns

Small burns from a flying ember or cigarette butt may require no more than trimming with scissors. 

Deeper burns up to the size of about a fifty cent piece. Glue in some new tufts using a bit of white waterproof glue or call a professional.

Larger burns will usually require cutting out a section and replacing it with a remnant piece or section of carpet cut from an area such as a closet. These larger types of repairs are usually best done by a professional carpet installer or carpet repair person.

Fuzzing

This occurs when loose fibers come out on the edges of the carpet.  To fix this, simply cut the fibers that are sticking out.

Furniture marks

Heavy furniture often results in indentations left on the carpet.  To get rid of these nasty marks, you can steam them with a fabric steamer or sprinkle the area with a bit of club soda, place a towel over the area, then iron it.  Repeat a couple times and the pile will be rejuvenated.

Shading, Crushing, Matting

With heavy traffic the surface of the carpet can flatten, giving it a shaded appearance.  Improve by brushing the pile up and vacuuming.  With use the area will likely continue to crush and shade. Frequent raking or brushing and very thorough vacuuming will help keep the pile standing more erect.

Shedding

Shedding is most common with carpets manufactured with spun (staple) yarn. This shedding is a characteristic and does not indicate excessive wear. Control shedding by thorough vacuuming. While some carpet will shed for ever, with thorough vacuuming   a carpet will shed less.

Snags (Sprouting)

Snags are tufts that have pulled out of the surface of the carpet.  They will occur more often with loop pile than cut pile carpets.  You should never pull them off, but instead cut them off neatly with a pair of scissors.  On looped carpet where a small row of tufts are pulled out, you can reburl the area. Carefully place a bit of waterproof glue on the area and push the yarn back into place.

Static Electricity

If you are experiencing nasty little shocks when you touch a door handle or another person while walking across your carpet you are experiencing the effects of static electricity.  The severity of static electricity depends on the carpet material, construction, and padding.  Humidity will play an important role as the moisture in the air is absorbed by the carpet fibers.  A humidifier will help to increase moisture will often take care of the problem. At janitorial or carpet cleaning supply houses you can also purchase static control treatments that you can spray on the surface of the carpet.

Carpet Beetles

The best way to deal with carpet beetles is with a strong vacuum suction.  You should always avoid spillage and keep the surface of the carpet clean of food.  The carpet beetles are quite annoying, as they feed on wool, hair, hides, fur, grain, seeds, and flour.  Badly infested carpet, contact a professional carpet cleaner.

Bleeding or Crocking

Bleeding of the carpet is the loss or transfer of the color from one section to another.  Crocking on the other hand is the loss of the carpets color when it is rubbed. If your carpet is crocking or bleeding contact the dealer you purchased it from and ask for an inspection and there may be a defect.

While you can certainly handle many small carpet repair jobs yourself, when you have damage that you cannot handle calling a pro is almost always worth the investment. Spending a bit of money on a professional repair can save you the cost of replacement.