How to Fix a Cigarette Burn in a Carpet

Cigarette burns may be small, but they often happen in high-traffic areas where you are bound to notice them. Maybe you took over a home or office that already had cigarette burns, or maybe this is a recent burn – whichever the case may be, it doesn’t take much to fix these unsightly burns at home. Your carpet may not be quite as good as new, but it will look perfect to all but the most intent observers.

FIRST STEP

The first thing you need to do when fixing a cigarette burn in a carpet is to replace the burnt fibers. To do that, you’ll need scissors, carpet cement, sandpaper, a small vacuum, and tweezers. The first thing to do is to sand away the scorch marks using the sandpaper. It may feel odd at first, but this helps ensure that no stains are left behind, and allows you to make a smaller cut.

Vacuum up the debris from the sanding, and then remove any black fibers with the scissors. Don’t cut anything except the fibers that are clearly burnt. If after this step, the hole left behind is not noticeable, then congratulations! You’re done. But if you want to take it a step further, here’s what you can do:

SECOND STEP

If sanding away the burnt parts and cutting out black threads didn’t take care of all the stains, it’s time to grab a mild cleaner and blot the stain. Work from the outside of the hole towards the middle to avoid spreading the stain anymore. After you’ve used the cleaning solution on the area, soak with water and leave to dry overnight. This may help the burn hole look completely inconspicuous. If not, however, there’s one more step you can take.

THIRD STEP

If none of the above steps have made the hole unnoticeable, you can also try to give the hole a “comb over”. Grab the tweezers from the first step, and remove some fibers from the carpet in some hidden spot, such as under a baseboard or in a closet. Remove some of the “fuzz” by pulling or shaving at the carpet with tweezers. You only need a small amount.

Then roll those fibers into the shape of the burn. Apply the carpet cement to the hole itself, and press the fiber roll into the cement. Cover this area with something heavy – such as a book. Just put a piece of paper down first to protect the book. Let this dry overnight, or for several hours. When you remove the book, the new fuzz should blend in with the old carpet.

CALL THE PROFESSIONALS

If a cigarette burn has resulted in major staining or a very large area of damaged carpet, you may need to consider calling the pros for an in-depth repair.