The Shabby Carpet

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 482, 17 September 1948, Page 27

The Shabby Carpet

Dear Aunt Daisy, We have a large catpet square which has a good foundation but a very shabby face. It is really» too good to just throw away, without giving it a chance te redeem itself. «I thought maybe you could offer some suggestions, We would rather have some way of changing its colour, other than dyeing, as it would be rather a clumsy job to handle a 9 x 12 carpet in a copper. A shampoo wouldn’t answer the purpose either, as that treatment is more for a good carpet that just wants refreshing, isn’t it? So what can you suggest?

A.

M.

Waikato.

Certainly do not condemn the faithful old carpet without making an effort to rejuvenate it. Scores of people have done up their carpets by applying the prepared dye with a .brush to the carpet as it lies on the floor. One lady even did an Indian carpet, with all its varied, colours! The dye used is an English aniline dye, and I can give you the name if you send me a stamped envelope. Choose dry breezy weather and have the windows open, to help in the drying; but you need not make the carpet very wet. Prepare the dye or dyes according to the directions on the packet, by boiling in a saucepan. People mostly take some out in a jam-jar or clean tin, and use a fairly large brush, going over the carpet carefully and refilling the tin as necessary. Have the dye fairly hot. Test the colour first on an old piece of carpet, because you must make sure of the shade, and can dilute with water as desired. You may use all one colour, or two, or several, If you have a small old rug, you could practice on that before starting the big job. The carpet must first be shatmpooed, and the dye applied while still damp, according to directions, The shampooing of the carpet is not a very arduous job-we quite oftens do our carpets and rugs-and I can give you the name of the carpet shampoo also. One man has written to say that he made an excellent job of dyeing his large carpet in this way, but he turned it over, as he found the dye "took" better on the wrong side. He used three colours and made an artistic job. Most people, however, use the pile side. If, after reading all this, you consider | it better to send your carpet to a dyeing company to be professionally done I can suggest the name of a company.