With carpeting accounting for 48% of the total U.S. flooring market, it is likely your home or your workplace has a room or two, or more, that is carpeted. There are a variety of common issues that homeowners and business owners face when maintaining such a significant investment. Let’s explore some common carpet issues and the simple, DIY fixes for your carpet.
Problem and Cause
If your carpet is showing signs of rippling or buckling, the cause is usually due to improper installation. The installer likely did not properly stretch the carpet. To correctly install a carpet, your installer should have used a power stretcher. Carpet stretching ensures that your carpet maintains its shape and doesn’t begin to buckle after time. Other causes that can contribute to ripples in your carpeting include humidity, dragging heavy items across the surface, delamination (the breakdown of the adhesive backing), or an incorrect under pad.
Solution
The first step in repairing a buckled carpet is to determine the cause. If the carpet needs to be stretched, then a power stretcher will be required to complete the repair. Professional carpet stretching companies, like All-Round Cleaning, have the tools to properly stretch your carpet to eliminate buckling, and making your carpet is smooth and flat, just like it should be.
Problem and Cause
Over time carpet fades. Your once vibrant carpet begins to seem dull and worn. Over exposure to sunlight is the main culprit for carpet fading. Sunlight that comes in from windows causes the ultraviolet rays to fade your carpet or area rug.
Solution
There are a number of simple ways to prevent your carpet from fading. Keeping your curtains or blinds drawn during the day. UV blocking blinds or curtains are a great, attractive alternative to the total blackout curtain or blind options. If your carpet is in the early stages of fading, applying a saltwater solution could bring back some of the color. First thoroughly vacuum your carpet. Then add salt to hot water and apply a small amount to your carpet. After allowing it to dry, vacuum up the salt. This DIY method can restore some of the brightness to your color faded carpet.
However, if you have more significant color fading, color dyeing experts, like All-Round Cleaning, help restore your carpeting. Carpet dyeing is a great and economical option to combat color fading.
Problem and Cause
Carpeting that is damaged is frustrating. If your wall to wall carpeting was improperly installed, seams between the rolls can split, which can be unsightly and unsafe. Your carpet can also suffer from permanent stains from items like bleach, holes and tears, or burns. These are not beyond repair, however.
Solutions
A highly trained carpet repair company has solutions to your damaged, unsightly carpet. If your carpet is split at the seam, professionals will use a carpet steaming iron and carpet taping to repair the seam. With a remnant piece of your carpet, the patching method can repair any damaged area.
Problem and Cause
If you do have a section of carpet that is frayed, be sure to attend to it right away, as it can turn into a much bigger issue problem.
Solution
To take care of a small carpet fray, snip the fray to match the height of the carpeting. However, if the frayed area is larger and you aren’t sure whether you can trim the area safely, consult a professional. Larger frayed carpet areas do not mean you will have to replace your carpeting. With a variety of techniques, such as sewing and anti-fray glue or the patching method, your frayed carpet can be restored to its pre-damage condition.
Problem and Cause
Transition strips bridge two types of flooring, such as carpet to tile transitions or carpet to hardwood transitions. Without transitions, carpet is prone to fraying, curling, or even tearing. Issues at your transition point require attention to prevent further damage to your flooring, and especially to prevent creating a hazardous scenario where someone could trip and injure themselves.
Solution
A common mistake homeowners’ make with carpet installation is not ensuring that proper flooring transitions are installed. If you are having new carpeting installed, be sure that quality carpet to tile or wood transitions are included in your project. If you do require transition point carpet repairs, you can be confident that the experts at All-Round Cleaning will be able to solve any curled, frayed, or torn carpet problems arising at transition points.
Problem and Cause
Among the most common of carpet issues, matting and crushing problems can be frustrating and decrease the longevity of your carpeting. Matting and crushing often occur in heavy traffic areas or under the weight of heavy furniture. Improper padding density can also cause your carpet to break down in higher traffic areas.
Solution
A simple at home trick might restore your carpet from crushing. Place an ice cube where the carpet is matted. One the ice cube melts, vacuum the area. Using a coin, spoon, or comb pull up the crushed fabric threads. To avoid crushing, moving your furniture and vacuum frequently.
Problem and Cause
Draught marks are dark, dirty, soiled spots on your carpet that occur near the edges of windows, doorways, air vents, or along the line of the floorboards. Filtration soiling are the result of microscopic oil particles that adhere to carpet fibers. Draught markings are unattractive stains and are difficult to remove.
Solution
Draught marking is one of the most difficult stains to address and should be attended to immediately. Once you notice this issue, a quality, professional carpet cleaning is necessary.
Problem and Cause
Berber carpet is more stain and spill resistant than other carpeting due to it’s tight weave. However, Berber carpet’s one strand design makes it susceptible to snagging or running, which can be a difficult problem to address on your own.
Solution
Berber carpet repairs require significant technical knowledge to address the problem, whether that is cutting and gluing, weaving in new fiber loops, or patching the damaged area.
Problem and Cause
One thing that any carpet owner will not be able to avoid is dirt and stains on their carpeting. Things get dirty and spills happen from time to time. Add a pet in the mix and you will probably have some “pet stains” and odors to deal with too.
Solution
Addressing the stain or odor as soon as it occurs is your number one defense in correcting the problem. But how to address it properly is the key. As a carpet owner, it is important to be knowledgeable about the best approach to the different types of carpet stains. Spilled red wine and pet urine are drastically different and obviously require very different carpet cleaning approaches. Check out these “at home” tips for common carpet stains.
In many cases, the best option to remove carpet stains is to contact a local professional carpet cleaning company.
As a flooring option, carpeting certainly holds the market above all other flooring categories. That is understandable as carpeting is a warm and soft flooring option that offers a vast array of style and economical variety.
The All-Round Cleaning team receives extensive training on carpet maintenance and repair. We will talk with you about the best approach to clean or repair your carpeting. You can count on us to help restore your carpet or remove those inevitable carpet stains. Serving the Indianapolis area, we are your carpet cleaning and repair experts.
Related Topics: Stain and Spot Removal, Rug Cleaning, Carpet Repair, Carpet Stretching, Carpet Cleaning, Odor Removal, Carpet Cleaning Tips