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Carpets are durable floor coverings, but can be stained, torn, or damaged. As you will see in the following information, some repairs are considerably easier to make than others.
Stained carpet
The most common problem with carpets is staining. Immediately following a spill, remove any semi-solid material with a rounded spoon and place a clean, white absorbent material such as paper towels or a kitchen towel over the spot and press to draw the liquid away from the carpet fibers. The idea is to BLOT, not to scrub. As soon as towels are wet, replace with dry ones and continue. Then place dry ones on the spot and weight them down with a heavy object. Again, replace them when they grow wet.
Use a carpet spot remover, following the manufacturer’s instructions--but first pretest it in an inconspicuous place to avoid damaging the carpet.
Carpet snags
Fixing snags in looped carpets is a relatively easy job with the help of a nailset or small screwdriver and carpet seam sealer, available from home centers. Count the number of curls along the pulled-out strand and make a single cut to allow the right number of loops for each side of the run. Outline the run with masking tape. Apply the sealer/adhesive inside the run, then, with the nailset or small screwdriver, press the portions of yarn that have old adhesive stuck to them back down into the backing, creating properly-sized loops.
Pet odors in carpet
If the odors are from a pet that still lives in the house, eliminating odors is probably a waste of time and money; most pets will revisit their favorite spots regardless. Ridding carpets of odors from pet urine is expensive, time consuming, and not always effective.
Nevertheless, try this:
1) Call a carpet installer and have the carpet and pad removed; dispose of the pad and order a new one.
2) At a pet store, buy a liquid enzyme-based odor remover and ask to rent a black light.
3) Go over the carpet and through the room with the black light to locate every trace of urine, which should show up under the light. Circle the areas with chalk.
4) Saturate the marked areas with the enzyme, following label directions. Allow to dry completely, for several days.
5) Seal the subfloor with a stain blocker, such as KILZ, then have a new pad and the carpet reinstalled.
6) If necessary, have the carpet professionally cleaned.
Split seams & tears
For tears or problems with seams in wall-to-wall carpeting, it’s a good idea to contact a professional carpet installer—for several reasons. To do the work properly, you must release the tension of the carpet, a job that requires a few special carpet installation tools and a experience in working with carpeting. Most carpet installers are relatively affordable to hire for small jobs.
Carpet dents
Heavy furniture can leave indentations in carpet. To prevent this, put furniture glides or cups under the furniture legs, or occasionally move your furniture a couple of inches to give your carpet a break. When areas have become crushed, use a coin to work the carpet pile back upright, then hold a steam iron not more than 4 inches above the spot (don’t touch the rug!) until the iron warms the fibers.
Carpet fading
Once carpet has faded, there is no way to revive the color. So protect it from damage by the sun’s ultraviolet light with the help of shades or other window coverings. Or utilize window glazing or films that reduce ultraviolet rays.
Carpet rippling
If your wall-to-wall carpet suddenly appears to be rippled, it’s probably because of high humidity. Normally, this problem disappears on its own when the climate becomes drier. If it doesn’t, have a carpet installer re-stretch your carpet.
Sprouting tufts
If a tuft rises above the rest of the carpet pile, do not pull it out--just snip it off flush with the surface.
Squeaks beneath carpet
How you deal with squeaks beneath a carpet depends upon whether or not you have access to the underside of the floor.
Access below. If you do have access from below, go under the floor and have someone walk around above to locate the squeak(s). If necessary, remove the insulation if there is any. Check for nails that have missed the floor joists and are rubbing up against the joists, causing the squeak. If you find these types of nails, cut them off with a good pair of diagonal cutters. Also check for areas where the subfloor may not be nailed down with enough nails. If you find spots that are loose because of insufficient nailing, slide small glued shims (small wooden wedges) in the gaps under the subfloor.
Nailing solid blocking between floor joists can also strengthen the support for subflooring, eliminating squeaks.
If finished flooring is obviously raised off of the subfloor, go below and drill a couple of 1/4-inch holes through the subfloor but not through the finish flooring. Press the nozzle of a carpenter’s glue bottle into the holes and force glue up into the space between subfloor and finish flooring. Then have someone stand on the raised spot while you drive screws through the subfloor into the finish floor from below. Be sure screws all long enough to grip the finish floor without going all the way through.
Another method is to pre-drill pieces of 2 by 2, 18 inches long, at convenient angles for driving 2-inch or 2 1/2-inch screws into the subfloor and joists. Partially drive the screws into the pre-drilled holes. Coat with yellow carpenter's glue and power-drive the screws into place.
No access below. If you can’t get beneath the floor or if the underside is covered with a finished ceiling, drive trim screws (with very small heads). Walk on the floor to help determine the problem zones, then drive the small-headed screws through the carpet, padding, and subfloor into joists (you can stick a bent coat hanger through a small hole to locate them). The most effective way to do this is to drive them into joists at an angle from both sides (in a V-formation). Predrill screw holes through the subfloor and make a small incision in carpet so you don’t wind its fibers onto the drill bit. If this doesn't work and the squeaks are too bothersome, you may have to pull back the carpet and screw-down the subfloor. Call a carpet installer to handle reinstallation.
--Don Vandervort
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