Burnt Carpet Solutions: How to Repair a Carpet With Small or Large Burns

While carpeting is a great addition to most homes, it can get damaged rather easily if you are not too careful. With that said, accidents happen regardless of how cautious you are, and it’s no one’s fault! What we can do, however, is find solutions to repair and restore carpets to their former glory! 

With the use/handling of hair irons, clothing irons, candles, cigarettes, etc, the odds of your carpet getting a burn are higher than most might think. The good news is that you can fix a burnt carpet yourself if it is not too large or severe, and if you have the right tools. Of course, if you are dealing with extensive burns across the carpet, we advise speaking with a professional carpet service to assist you with a replacement. 

Nevertheless, if the carpet burn in question is limited to a patch or a tiny mark, you can very well fix the problem yourself using this guide. While it’s a very different approach from getting rid of carpet stains, you shouldn’t have much trouble handling burns on your carpet. Whether it’s a small cigarette burn or a larger problem like a clothing iron burn, there are ways to make it less obvious, or remove the burn entirely. Let’s find out how.

How to Fix a Burnt Carpet

The type of process required to remove burns from carpet will depend on the severity of the burn. Below are three different methods used to successfully fix a burnt carpet, starting with the smallest of problems and ending with a more severe carpet burn.

1. How to Remove Very Small Carpet Burns

In the event that the burn you are up against is so small that it is just the tips of the carpet fibres that are burnt, the solution is fairly simple. 

Follow the steps below:

• Take a small, but sharp, pair of scissors, and carefully cut away the charred ends of the fibres in the carpet. Take your time with this as you do not want to accidentally cut away more than necessary.

• Once removed, vacuum the area to remove any debris from the burned tips.

• Use a sponge with a mild detergent solution and dab the snipped fibres gently. 

• Rinse off the sponge and wipe over the area to remove the detergent.

• Using a clean, dry cloth, dab the area again to ensure it dries faster.

• Once dried, the patch will not be noticeable anymore.

2. How to Remove Medium Carpet Burns

For the fairly small, yet obvious burns (like that of a cigarette), the repair process requires a few important tools in order to get the job done efficiently. 

What You’ll Need:

• Sandpaper
• Vacuum cleaner
• Scissors
• Commercial Carpet Cleaner OR Cleaning Solution (1 part hydrogen peroxide, 10 parts water)
• Spray bottle (filled with water)
• Tweezers
• Carpet cement/adhesive
• Comb
• Microfibre cloths
• Paper
• Heavy book

INSTRUCTIONS:

• To begin, take the sandpaper and work the burn mark with it.

• Once done, vacuum the spot to remove all debris.

• Clip away all the burnt fibres with a pair of scissors.

• Next, take either your carpet cleaner or the hydrogen peroxide solution and soak the microfibre cloth in it; clean the area by dabbing across the top. Starting outside, work your way into the middle of the burnt area.

• Rinse the patch with the spray bottle of water and dab it dry with a dry cloth.

• Take the tweezers, and from an inconspicuous spot of the carpet (like under a couch, or in a closet, where one cannot see it), begin pulling fibres out of the carpet. Remove enough fibres to fill the patch of the burn and collect them in a bowl or tray.

• Spread this tuft of fibres into the shape of the burn to ensure that you have the perfect amount.

• Apply a good quality carpet cement/adhesive and push the tuft of fibres into the patch. Refer to the instructions on the label of the adhesive for the correct application.

• Cover the area with a sheet of paper and place a heavy book above it.

• Allow this to dry for a few hours before removing the paper and book.

• Finally, gently comb the area and its surroundings to blend the newly patched area with the rest of the carpet.

3. How to Fix Carpeting With a Large Burn

For the larger burns across an area, a different approach is needed. This takes more effort and can be a bit daunting, however, the instructions below should assist well enough and yield satisfactory results.

• Begin by vacuuming the area to get rid of any dirt and debris.

• Then, with your utility knife, begin cutting away the burnt patch of carpet. Ensure to cut the patch in a rectangular or square shape, and do not cut too far into the carpet. You want to cut the carpet backing, but not the base padding underneath that.

• If you can afford to cut away a clean piece of carpet for a replacement from an inconspicuous location, do that. If you are unable to, finding a matching carpet scrap from your professional carpet service or interior supplier will suffice. Either way, ensure that you are cutting the right size for the replacement, allowing at least 2mm extra on all sides. 

• Taking this new piece, match it up against your cutaway patch while making sure the texture of the fabric is in the same direction; trim the edges to ensure the right size is achieved.

• Remove the replacement carpet and vacuum over the cutaway patch to get rid of any dirt and debris again.

• Next, apply carpet adhesive to the padding in the cutaway space and position the new carpet over it; press it down firmly into place.

• Similar to the previous process, cover the area with paper and place a heavy book atop to allow the adhesive to dry.

• Lastly, comb the area and all around it until the repaired patch blends in with the rest of the carpet.

With this knowledge, you should be able to successfully tackle burns and renew your damaged carpeting! However, as mentioned earlier, if you are dealing with a very large burn, or you are not confident enough to handle such a task, it’s best to contact a carpet repair or a carpet cleaning service and have the problem dealt with by experienced professionals.