Home DIY - Maintaining Rugs and Carpets

Carpets are one of the most expensive furnishings required in a home, so it makes sense to look after them properly. To care for your investment, clean your carpets regularly and act quickly to remove stains and to repair small areas of damage.

Rugs and carpets are hard working textiles which need regular main­tenance to keep them in good con­dition. Stains should be treated im­mediately as they may be impossible to remove later and damage, such as fraying, should be repaired before it gets worse.

Carpet quality grading

Modern carpets are labelled to show their quality. When examining a carpet, bend the topside of the sample back on itself. In a thick, good quality carpet you will not be able to see the backing. Tug at a couple of tufts to check that they will not come away easily.

Types of carpet fibres

Wool is the traditional carpet fibre. It resists dirt, retains its body and is warm and naturally fire resistant. However, all-wool carpets are ex­pensive. Other natural fibres used are silk and cotton which is not so hard wearing.

Nylon, acrylic and polyester are cheaper than wool but quickly lose their vitality and attract dust and dirt. Carpets with a mixture of wool and man-made fibres offer a happy medium, combining the advantages of each at a reasonable price.

Carpet construction

Carpets are either woven, tufted or bonded. Traditionally the fibres of a carpet were interwoven with the backing to produce a hard-wearing carpet with a long life. Axminster and Wilton carpets are still made in this way. The fibres in a tufted carpet are inserted into a pre-woven backing and held in place by a latex adhesive. A second backing is then added. In bonded carpets the pile is bonded (often heat fused) on to a pre-made backing to produce an inexpensive carpet.

Cleaning carpets

Regular vacuuming helps to remove the grit and dirt that accumulates at the base of a carpet which would otherwise cause wear. Carpets should be shampooed as rarely as possible, because even with modern cleaning methods some shampoo is always left in the carpet and this attracts dirt.

Natural fibre carpets are prone to a certain amount of shrinkage, so they should be treated with care. When shampooing, use a min­imum amount of water and shampoo solution, or use a dry foam type. Hiring a shampoo machine is the best way to clean all your carpets in one go. These machines suck out the shampoo, dirt and grit, leaving the carpet damp rather than wet.

It is important to leave the carpet to dry completely before walking on it; otherwise the pile will be squashed out of shape and dirt will immediately become caught up in the damp fibres. For a really good clean, have the carpets cleaned by a professional.

Removing burn marks

Flying sparks and cigarette burns can cause unsightly scorch marks. To remove burns, cut out the damaged fibres and replace them with some from a hidden spot, spot.

You will need

- Latex adhesive

- Manicure sticks

- Tweezers

- Slim craft knife

- Piece of card

1. Use tweezers to tease out the scorched fibres. From X another, hidden area of the carpet, remove an equivalent number of matching fibres and place them on the card.

2. Using the manicure stick, place a dab of adhesive in the bottom of the burn hole. Also apply a tiny blob to the bottom of each tuft of carpet fibres.

3. When adhesive is touch dry, carefully position each tuft in the hole using tweezers and a clean manicure stick. Push down well. Leave for a few minutes and then trim ends of tufts if necessary.

Patching a fitted carpet

A patch will need to match the design of the damaged area exactly. If you do not have off cuts, consider re­moving a hidden section of carpet from underneath a piece of furniture.

You will need

- Craft knife

- Hessian seaming tape

- Long, thin nails

- Brown paper

- Latex adhesive

- Hammer

1. Cut a replacement patch of carpet slightly larger than the damaged area. Position it over the damage so that pile and pattern match. Tack down at the corners with nails.

2. Using the patch as a template, cut through the damaged carpet using a craft knife. Make sure the cut is tight in against the sides of the patch to ensure it will fit snugly into the hole created.

3. Take out tacking nails and remove the damaged piece of carpet. Dab latex adhesive around the edge of the patch to stop it fraying.

4. Cut a piece of brown paper slightly larger than the hole and push through. This protects the underlay from adhesive.

5. Cut four strips of carpet tape slightly longer than the four sides of the hole. Insert through the hole, hessian side up, to frame it. Apply adhesive under edge of carpet and over hessian tape.

6. Apply adhesive to the patch to correspond with the tape. Leave until glue is tacky, then position in hole, matching pattern and pile. Press into position. Tap the edges with a hammer to bond.

7. When dry, tease up fibres around patch edges to hide the join.

Rugs

Most woven and knotted rugs can be vacuumed re­gularly. Vacuum to within an inch of the edge, but never vacuum over edges or fringes as this causes damage. Brush delicate rugs rather than vacuuming.

If a rug is badly encrusted with dirt, hang it over a strong washing line so that nearly all the rug hangs down on one side. Beat the back with a carpet beater, then vacuum both sides of the rug with the curtain cleaning attachment of the vacuum cleaner.

All rugs should be aired outside from time to time, but should not be left out overnight. They should also be rotated regularly. This prevents one area becoming more worn or faded than another and stops areas of pile becoming permanently marked by furniture.

Spills on valuable rugs

Do not attempt to remove stains from valuable rugs, such as expensive Oriental rugs. If the carpet is not colored with vegetable dyes, dampen the stain with soda or sparkling water. If the rug has been dyed with vegetable dyes, put a clean, damp white cloth over the stain to absorb it out of the fibres. Take the rug to a professional cleaner as soon as possible.

Structural damage

As soon as a hole appears in a rug, or an edge starts to fray, get it mended before the damage be­comes worse. The edges of rugs are the weak spots which are most likely to become damaged first, so keep an eye on them and make sure that they receive immediate attention when required.

Most repairs to woven and tufted rugs should be left to the prof­essional, but frayed edges on inex­pensive rugs can be mended with strong buttonhole thread.

Repairing a frayed edge

Choose yarn in a shade to match the border as closely as possible in color and thickness. Thread a curved upholsterer's needle with the yarn. Starting about 1 1/2in(4cm) away from damaged area oversew edge and continue the same distance past damage on the far side.