To Freshen a Faded Carpet

In some cases a carpet can be brightened considerably, after cleaning in the usual way, by washing with a prepared carpet soap or soap jelly. If a special soap is used, care should be taken to use a soap of a trustworthy make containing no free alkali. The carpet should be washed in small patches, rubbing first of all with a cloth wrung out of hot water and then with a cake of carpet soap. If soap jelly made by dissolving ordinary soap in water is used, this should be rubbed over the surface with a small scrubbing brush. All traces of the soap used must be rinsed away afterwards, by rubbing with a cloth wrung out of fresh water, and then the surface should be dried as far as possible by rubbing with a clean soft dry cloth.

Another method of treatment is to rub either with a cloth or brush dipped in petrol. This being exceedingly inflammable, however, the work must on no account be done where there is a fire or naked light either in the room or in its vicinity.

If the carpet is too worn or faded to profit by treatment such as the above, it can either be sent away to be dyed professionally, or, if it is not worth this, it is possible to recolour it fairly satisfactorily at home. Any good make of home dye can be used for the purpose, and a hot, strong solution of this should be made. To keep it as hot as possible, the dye solution should be stood in a pan containing boiling water, and the solution applied to the carpet by means of a brush. Naturally, when a carpet is dyed in this way, the colour is not so permanent as when treated professionally and actually immersed in the dye bath, but the treatment does not take any very considerable time, and can be readily repeated when necessary.