Basic Carpet Flooring Care and Repair

No matter how hard you try to keep it clean, eventually you're going to have to clean or repair your carpet. Fortunately, there are some easy tips and techniques you can use to make this job a bit easier.

First, you should always have some club soda, ammonia, and a few application tools on hand. This will be very helpful when you run out of commercial carpet cleaner. Tomato juice, dog urine, and other stains can be taken care with a sponge or rag soaked in the above mentioned components.

As soon as a tomato juice spill occurs, soak up as much of it as you can with a rag soaked in club soda. The longer the stain is allowed to sit, the better the chance of it becoming set in. Surprisingly, it's better to use cold water for this type of stain than warm. Warm water is better for dissolving dirt. The chemical spills will react with the carpet slower if you use cold water.

After you have soaked up as much of the spill as possible, scrub the rest away with white vinegar and some laundry detergent. After scrubbing, press a dry towel or rag onto it with your feet. This will prevent the formation of mildew.

Another problem encountered with carpets is burning. An ember from a fireplace or dropped cigarette can burn even the most heat resistant carpet fibers. Sometimes, the burnt portion can simply be cut out altogether. Often, the problem is larger and must be repaired other ways.

This is why it's a good idea to save extra pieces when you install new carpet. Every once in a while, take the extra pieces and lay them on the existing carpet. This will ensure that it remains the same shade as the rest of the carpet in case you need to use it.

Find a hidden area, such as a closet, and steal a piece if you do not have any extra laying around. Another good place is under a piece of furniture that you never intend to move.

Using a utility knife, or some similar tool, remove the damaged piece of carpet. Allow some extra space around the damaged area so that the carpet doesn't unravel. Make you cut as straight as you can after pushing the knife all the way through the backing material.

Prepare a piece to replace from the spare that you have, using the cut out piece as a guide. It's a good idea to make the replacement piece a little bit bigger than the cut out piece. It's easier to trim away some extra than starting all over with a new piece.

When you are ready to replace it, you can either glue it to the sides of the existing carpet, or you can glue it to the sub-floor. The more stable repair will be made by gluing it to the sub-floor. This will prevent shifting or lifting later. The only downfall is the fact that it will be more difficult to remove when it's time to replace the whole thing. When removing it, it's also possible to damage the sub-floor.

The location of the burn and how long you plan to keep the existing carpet will be the determining factors when deciding how to repair the damage.

         

Flooring Installation and Care