by Tara Rijon

Created on: March 01, 2010   Last Updated: March 02, 2010

Our carpeting is the pride of our homes, and anyone who has had new carpet installed knows that it isn’t cheap. It can cost you anywhere from $10 per square yard and up, and then there’s the padding and installation. An investment such as this should be closely guarded, but that isn’t always possible. 

You invite friends and family over and your lovely carpet takes on repeated abuse, sometimes to the point of bringing tears to your eyes. When it comes to cigarette burns, however, there is a quick and easy way to repair the damage without your heart being broken (or your wallet).

Carpet is made from synthetic fiber, much of which contain polyester and nylon, and the mere hint of any contact with heat could be met with certain disaster. In the event that a cigarette lands on your plush floor covering, there is hope, however.

The items you will need are:

1)  A pair of sharp cuticle scissors
2)  White glue (such as Elmer’s)
3)  An area of carpet that you can trim from (such as a doorway or a closet)  

Step One

You want to begin by very carefully cutting away the burn with the tip of the cuticle scissors. Be very careful and try to cut away as much of the burn as possible without further damaging the carpet. Do the best you can, and don’t worry if you can’t remove it all.  

Step Two

Find a piece of carpet that you can trim from that “matches the burned area.”  This is of particular importance if your carpet happens to have a pattern.  If your carpet is all one color then you have nothing to fear. 

You need to gently cut off some top fibers from the carpet. When they lie in your hand they should look like large pieces of lint.   

Step Three

Returning to the burned area, you need to apply a generous dollop of white glue inside the trimmed crevice. The glue should fill up ¾ of the burned area, but do overfill. Immediately drop in the “lint” fibers that you trimmed. 

Don’t be stingy with these, as you don’t want any hint of the burn (or bare spots) showing through. Be sure that the fibers are “standing up” so that they blend in with the rest of the carpet. You will want to allow your finished work to dry for forty-eight hours before vacuuming.

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