When Carpet Goes Rogue

By Sandy

Posted on Saturday, August 26, 2017 4:08 AM

When Carpet Goes Rogue

There are any number of reasons why carpet can go rogue. Stains. Spills. Pet accidents. Everyday wear and tear. A bad install. Even a good carpet can go bad if you don’t treat it right.

If soil, stains and wear have gotten the better of your carpet, try area rugs. Unsightly spots disappear under a splash of color and pattern that brightens up the room while hiding dirty little secrets.

More Serious Problems

If you’ve got a more serious problem on your hands, your first step is to contact the retailer who sold you the goods. Chances are it can be rectified by someone who knows what to do. If it’s an installation-related problem, this may be the only place you’ll get satisfaction since carpet mills will not cover faulty installations.

If it’s something beyond the retailer’s control or knowledge – say a defective piece of goods – they can often act as an ombudsman, smoothing the path between you and the carpet mill.

Here’s what to do about normal day-to-day stuff:

Staining

Many of your problems can be handled by a simple online search where you’ll find ways to deal with everything from spilled wine and hot coffee to hot dog grease and mustard. Best if you know what carpet fiber you’re working with. That way, you can apply the right solution.

Shedding

Carpet sheds. That’s normal. Expect it to level off after a while but it will shed somewhat throughout its life. Vacuum early and often and you’ll see this problem dissipate. You won’t notice any difference in the carpet pile because of it.

Fading

Carpet will fade if exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods (I’m talking years, not months). The best way to avoid is is to draw the shades during the day, especially in summer.

Denting and pile crushing

All carpet fibers will crush under heavy stationary loads. This can easily be remedied. Crushed areas usually can be improved by vacuuming regularly with a “beater bar” type vacuum to restore matted down pile. If that doesn't work, you can use a hair dryer (on medium) while you gently tug upward on the tufts. 

Pilling

Certain types of carpet, or heavy traffic, sometimes can create little balls of tangled fibers and lint. Simply pull them off by hand or clip them with scissors.

Shading

After certain carpet styles have been subjected to traffic, you may notice areas that appear lighter or darker than other areas. This is called shading and is simply the result of the change in direction of the pile due to footsteps and vacuuming. Brushing the pile all in one direction temporarily may correct shading, but it should be expected in varying degrees, especially depending on pile height.

Snagging

Don’t pull the snag. Clip it off with scissors.

Sprouting

If loose ends or “sprouts” extend above the rest of the pile, clip them even with the pile surface. Never try to pull them out. After clipping, smooth the area with your fingers.

Restretching

If your carpet begins to buckle, it's time for a restretch. Very often it's as simple as getting someone to restretch the carpet.

- Sandy