Making Your Carpet Look New Again
Remember when the carpet in your living room or bedroom was
new? Remember how you admired it, and even invited your friends
to admire it with you? Since then, it's no doubt taken quite
a beating. Cigarettes have burned it and kids have run over
it, tracking in mud and snagging it. The dog or cat has dirtied
it up, and probably everyone in the family has spilled a drink
on it a time or two. Unfortunately, replacing that carpet
(and sometimes even a rug) can cost a lot of money. But what
can you do, then, to bring back some of your carpet or rug's
former glory?
Believe
it or not, plenty! There are things you can do to fix those
damaged spots. Let's talk about just a few of them.
1)
Dropping cigarette or cigar ashes or stubs onto the carpet
can be devastating. Once they touch, if you don't pick them
up fast, they can cause permanent scarring. If you have
a spot on your carpet that was once the victim of such an
incident, take a look at it. As long as the burn did not
go all the way through, you can get rid of the burnt spot
by simply cutting it off with a pair of scissors. If, however,
the burn is a bit too severe for this, measure how big the
spot is. Now find some unneeded carpet from the same lot.
For instance, maybe you've carpeted inside your closet with
the same carpet. Cut enough for the spot, plus an extra
half inch or so. Now you can simply cut out the burnt spot
and replace it with the bit you took from the closet carpet.
Remember, it's important to have a tight fit so that nobody
will be able to tell that there is a hole there. Use carpet
glue on the bottom of the plug, and then set something heavy
on top of it overnight. If you've done this right, the formerly-burnt
spot will look good as noon come morning.
2)
Another common carpet problem is carpet fuzziness. This
happens as the carpet's surface begins to get worn down
and the rug fibers break. Also, as more and more grit and
grime gets embedded, it speeds along the fuzz syndrome.
over time, the carpet will lose many of its fibers. Much
of the grime can be cleaned out with a to-quality vacuum.
Then with a pair of scissors, you can get often even out
the uneven rug fibers that normally accompany "the
fuzzies."
3)
Snagging is another problem that makes many carpets look
old and worn. The most common causes for snagging are sliding
large items across the floor rather than lifting them, as
well as from scuffing from shoes and animal claws. You can
easily correct snags with a pair of sharp scissors. Unfortunately,
most people make the mistake of trying to pull on the thread,
but this will only cause a run in the carpet. Remember:
scissors not fingers.
4)
If your carpet is stained by spills, remember that time
is of the essence. Clean it immediately. Start by dabbing
the stain gently with a wet sponge;; do not rub the stain.
Now find something with a dull edge and scrape up any excess
soil. After you've done all you can, use a commercial-strength
carpet and rug cleaner. Test it first on an unseen spot
(such as the carpet in your closet). If it does not cause
discoloration, it's safe to use. Now dab some of it onto
a dry cloth, and apply it to the stain. Use a gentle swiping
motion, not too brisk. If the stain is still not gone, contact
a professional carpet cleaner.