When to Replace or Repair Carpet

Regular maintenance, cleaning, and care greatly extends the lifespan of commonly used devices, machinery, and furniture in your home. However, most things in your home won’t have an infinite lifespan, and saving money might mean replacing or recycling an item instead of continuing to clean it or fix it year after year.

There are a variety of factors that influence whether it’s best to replace or repair carpet in your home.

Is That Carpet Ready for Replacement?

Depending on the type of carpet in your home and the level of wear and tear on it, you have a few options when deciding whether to fix a problem (such as a small carpet burn from the fireplace) or clean the area and hope that the problem is concealable.

According to Family Handyman, you’ll tend to see three common issues with your carpeting that may require work beyond an afternoon spent with the vacuum and some carpet spray.

Those problems include:

• Holes or tears from burns and other damage
• Damp carpet from flooding or roof leaks
• Fraying carpet that’s come loose

Each problem has a few available fixes, and the condition and style of your carpet will dictate whether those fixes are worth the investment and their effectiveness.

For example, holes in carpet can be patched, but it’s a lot easier to patch holes on a carpet that doesn’t have any pattern on it. A carpet with a complex pattern presents a much bigger problem because matching a pattern with a carpet remnant might be impossible.

Dealing with Damp Carpet

Damp carpet presents a variety of potential problems like the growth of mold, terrible smells, and eventual permanent damage if the dampness isn’t fixed.

Home Guides recommends taking these steps to dry out carpet before it has a chance to get damaged or grow mold:

• Soak up water with towels
• Use a wet/dry vacuum on the dry setting
• Open windows to improve air flow
• Use fans in the doorways to boost circulation

If you’re dealing with the aftermath of a flood, you may also want to employ baking soda, which should absorb excess liquid after about a half hour. You’ll want to vacuum the carpet after letting the baking soda sit. Employing a dehumidifier may help, and you might want to keep fans running overnight.

If you find your carpet has become damp because of flooding, leaks, or other issues, it’s essential that you dry the carpet as soon as possible. According to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors:

“Molds produce allergens, which are substances that can cause allergic reactions, as well as irritants and, in some cases, potentially toxic substances known as mycotoxins. Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.”

If you can’t get the carpet dry, it’s important to contact a professional. Also consider that it doesn’t take noticeable damage to make a carpet damp. You’ll want to check hidden areas of your home (any carpet that isn’t in regular view) on a regular basis.

Old, Damaged Carpet and Replacement

Have you ever gotten your carpet deep cleaned only to find that some stains and debris seem permanently attached to the carpet? Unfortunately, sometimes even industrial strength cleaning machines won’t clean carpet that’s damaged.

Professional cleaning will remove most stains and dirt, but actual damage is a whole other story. Sometimes the cost and frequency of repair exceeds the cost of outright replacement. Some types of damage that may require carpet replacement include:

1. Threadbare sections in areas of heavy traffic
2. Tears and holes that can’t be patched
3. Noxious pet urine odors that have penetrated the carpet pad or subfloor
4. Wrinkled and severely damaged carpet padding
5. Sustained allergies even with regular vacuuming
6. Carpet that’s over 15 years old (10 in cases of high traffic)

Remember: If you decide that your home is due for a completely new carpet, you’ll want to create a schedule of frequent cleaning. Don’t let that beautiful carpet suffer under ground-in dirt and other damaging debris.

Regular Cleaning Increase the Lifespan of Your Carpet

Hiring a cleaning service helps you keep your home clean and helps your carpet last as long as possible. If you’d like help and information on hiring a cleaning service, download our FREE House Cleaner Hiring Guide.