5 Essential Carpet Repair and Cleaning Solutions

Every homeowner knows that carpet repair is essentially synonymous with having carpeted floors. Carpet maintenance can be optimized by asking guests to remove their shoes, diligent vacuuming and deep cleaning sessions. However, carpet damage can be the result of prolonged exposure to moisture, sunlight, or just a single event like a burn or spill, that may seem easily avoidable but is nearly inevitable at some point of your carpet's lifetime.

1. Cut and Plug: Easy Carpet Repair

This is the most common type of carpet repair. The process is self-explanatory, but requires a sharp eye, steady hand and the experience of a professional to do it right. Cutting and plugging involves removing a damaged section of the carpet and replacing it with an equivalent undamaged section. That's why you should always buy or hang onto spare runs of carpet when you install the carpet in your home. If you don't have a spare run of carpet, you may be able to buy more from the manufacturer, assuming the carpet is still in production. Otherwise, you may need to hunt down the closest approximation. The last option is to cut and use a piece of the original carpet from some inconspicuous place. This is also a good idea even when you have a spare run of the initial carpet, as it is likely that the carpet has faded a great deal more than the carpet that's been in storage.

2. Carpet Stretching

Carpet that has become unfastened or has loosened over time present an entirely different carpet repair issue. If the material is showing wrinkles, especially at the edges of a room, maybe it's time to get it stretched and reattached to the floorboards. Though this may not seem like an urgent issue, it is. The wrinkles can multiply seemingly overnight and present a dangerous tripping hazard.

3. Carpet Dyeing

The color of many carpet fibers fade with age. Over time, the carpet becomes an eyesore, although it's still in relatively good condition. When that happens, the best solution may be to have your carpet dyed. Carpet professionals have gotten really good at controling the color application, while extending your carpet's life by several years.

4. Water Damage Restoration

Probably the most difficult issue to fix is exposure to water, especially in the form of flood. Acting promptly can give you the opportunity to save your carpet. Eliminate the source of the water, ventilate the room by using as many fans as you can and immediately contact a water damage contractor.

5. Carpet Cleaning and Odor Removal

Whether as a result of flood or more insidious exposure to moisture or water, a bad odor is very difficult to get rid of. You can't simply cover up or eliminate most carpet odors with conventional techniques. Get a carpet cleaning company to take the carpet out of your home and subject it to specially designed and commercial grade treatments. When it's a wall-to-wall carpeting, most contractors will use powerful truck mounted units to deeply steam clean your carpet and return its original colors and scent.