How Do You Get Burn Marks Out Of A Carpet?

When you are running around the house trying to get errands done, small accidents can happen quite easily.

You may topple a hot straightening rod or an iron may fall flat onto the carpet – I know I have done it more than a few times.

Perhaps, an unruly guest was not careful about where they ashed their cigarette.

All said and done, accidents happen quite frequently and easily and you’re left with a gaping hole in your carpet that looks back at you angrily.

There’s no need to worry, folks! The following are some ways you can get burn marks out of your carpet.

Small Burn Marks

If you’re dealing with only small burns where only the carpet fibres have become charred, that should not be too hard to fix.

To begin with, you can use sandpaper to sand the affected area. Then use a carpet vacuum to clear out any extra debris.

This ensures you have a clean workstation to operate in.

If there are still more charred fibres despite using sandpaper and a vacuum cleaner, use a pair of scissors to cut the burnt edges off.

Following this step, you can use a wide toothed comb or a brush and run it through the fibres to make it even and bend in the direction of the other fibres.

Scorch Marks And Discolouration

If scorch marks still remain after you’ve treated the burns or if you are dealing with discolouration from scorch marks, to begin with, there’s nothing to worry about.

Scorch marks can be quite easy to clean if you act on it fast enough.

Scorch marks typically appear when the fabrics don’t actually burn but come very close to high temperatures.

You can make a cleaning solution of one part hydrogen peroxide and 10 parts water.

Hydrogen peroxide is easily available at a nearby pharmacist and when diluted with water, it is perfectly safe to use on carpet fibres of all kinds.

Dip a sponge into the cleaning solution and start working on the stain inwards from the outside.

Keep repeating this step until the stain has gone.

Once the stain has been removed, you can dab the area with a soft cloth and then wait for it to dry completely.

Using a wide-toothed comb again, you can even out the carpet fibres so that they look in place.

Cigarette Burns

If you stubbed a cigarette your carpet by mistake, the resulting hole can be an eyesore, to say the least.

You can use the following steps to fix the burn marks:

• Use sandpaper to sand away the scorch marks.
• Then, use a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the extra debris from the area.
• If there are any other burnt fibres left behind, trim them with a pair of scissors.
• If there are still scorch marks, use a cleaning solution of one part hydrogen peroxide and 10 parts of water and sponge the stain away from outside in.
• Once you can see the hole clearly, you can remove fibres from a less noticeable part of the carpet to cover up the hole.
• Roll the new carpet fibres into the shape of the hole you have to fill.
• You will then need some carpet cement. Pour it into the hole and then push the new fibres on top of the cement.
• Cover the area with a paper and a heavy book so the cement settles.
• Let it dry for several hours before removing the book.
• For the final step, you can use a wide-toothed comb to even out all the carpet fibres.

Larger Burns

Larger burns may be trickier to treat.

If the carpet has burnt more than you expected, you may have to remove the burnt area altogether.

This may sound like a lot of work and you may be afraid you will end up doing more damage than repair, but it’s actually a simple process if you follow the steps carefully:

• Vacuum out any debris from the area.
• Using a scissor or a utility knife, cut out the area that has been burned. Be careful not to cut the carpet lining underneath, however.
• Cut out a matching piece of the carpet from an area that will not be noticeable. Perhaps a section from underneath the couch or from inside a cupboard. If that is not possible, try looking for a swatch in the market that matches the print of your carpet.
• Lay the new piece on top of the scrap piece and re-adjust it to ensure all the patterns are in the right alignment.
• Use the removed piece as a pattern and cut around it to ensure it’s the same size as the scrap piece you want to replace.
• Vacuum to carpet fibres once more.
• Apply carpet glue or some kind of adhesive to the carpet lining at the bottom.
• Then, paste the removed piece on top of the cut-out area, making sure it has a snug fit.
• Press the piece firmly so that the adhesive takes on. You can also place a heavy book on top of the cut piece to allow the adhesive to do its job.
• Remove the book after a few hours.
• Once you are certain the adhesive has dried, use a wide-toothed comb to even out the fibres.

Final Thoughts

Burns, large or small, can be an absolute eyesore on your carpet.

You don’t want your guests to walk in and see a gaping hole in your carpet fibres, do you?

Now, you can try to cover it up with a coffee table or try to rearrange the carpet so that the burn marks are in a less noticeable place.

But this is not always possible. Your best bet would be to get rid of the marks themselves.

All you may need is a pair of scissors, the hydrogen peroxide cleaning solution described above and carpet cement or adhesive as required.

If even after you arrange all the required things to fix the burn, you don’t feel confident to treat the burn yourself, feel free to call for professional help.

It may cost you more than you hoped, but at least your carpet will look as good as new!

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