Can You Dye Carpet?

We all know that carpet can stain over the long term, especially if you have a lighter color.

The longer you have your carpet, then the higher the chances of you getting wine, dirt and other ugly-looking stains on it.

But what if, rather than applying another dose of carpet cleaner, why not dye it a darker color so that the stains will not be as visible?

But will you always have to hire a professional for this job? The answer is, luckily, no.

How much does it cost to buy some decent carpet dye? How can you apply it quickly and cleanly to your carpet? What colors are available when it comes to carpet dyes?

Well, if you want to know the answers to these questions and a lot more, we would suggest that you keep reading.

Why Should You Dye Your Carpet?

As we all know, carpets can become susceptible to stains over the course of many years.

If you have a cream carpet, then you can be almost certain that coffee, wine and dirt could stain your carpet irreparably.

Another reason why you want to dye your carpet will be purely aesthetic reasons.

A brand new color of carpet can completely transform a living room or bedroom.

Dyeing your carpet will also save you the costly expense of having to completely replace it.

It will save you money on labor and the time taken for you to rip up all the carpet in your house, which can often leave your home out of bounds for a few days.

What Tools Will You Need To Dye Your Carpet?

Here are a few of the things that you’ll need to dye your carpet:

• Scissors
• Vacuum cleaner
• Masking tape
• Gloves
• Protective goggles
• Carpet steam cleaner
• Bucket
• Pry bar

Of course, one of the other main things that you’ll need is the carpet dye itself. You should avoid getting fabric dye.

You’ll also need to make sure that your carpet can actually absorb the dye properly without leaving streaks.

Only nylon and wool are dye-friendly, so you should check that this is the type of carpet that you have before picking up some dye.

How To Dye Carpet

Can Your Carpet Take Dye?

This will be the most important thing that you’ll have to determine.

If your carpet is made from anything other than nylon or wool, then we would suggest that you don’t opt for dyeing your carpet.

There is a method of testing whether or not your carpet is nylon or wool. If you cut a tuft of your carpet’s fibers and then set it on a plate.

You’ll need to take a lighter and set fire to the fiber. If it melts and bobbles, the chances are that you have a nylon carpet.

However, if it is wool, then it will be naturally resistant to fire and will smell faintly of burning hair.

You can also take a square of your carpet and give it to a specialist and they should be able to determine whether or not your carpet is nylon or wool.

Remove The Furniture

You’ll need to make sure that all the furniture is cleared out of the room.

This is because when the dye is first applied, it will stain everything. So if you have furniture nearby, then you might accidentally stain it.

Once your furniture is stained, then it will be almost impossible to remove.

If you have baseboards around your room, then you should try and remove them with a claw hammer.

This is because if you keep the baseboards, then the edge of your carpet might be a slightly fainter shade of dye than the rest of the room.

You should also try and get some new baseboards for your living, as this will really add to the rejuvenating aspect of the dye.

Vacuum Thoroughly

Remove the bag from your vacuum cleaner so that you can be sure that the suction will be top-notch.

Once you have done this, then you should make sure that every inch of your carpet has been completely vacuumed.

You should also make sure that your carpet has been steam cleaned before you dye it.

Otherwise, there will be short specks that will be dotted around your house.

If you have a nylon carpet, then we would recommend steam cleaning. You can get a decent steam cleaner for around $30 from your local hardware store.

If you have a nylon carpet, then we would recommend washing the carpet completely.

You can pay a specialist to do this. They might also wash the carpet for you.

Once you have washed the carpet completely, then you should leave it to dry overnight.

Protect The Walls

Often if you are spraying your carpets, then there will be a little bit of spray that will reach the walls.

If you attach some protection to your walls with plastic sheeting and some masking tape, then you’ll be sure that you won’t stain them.

Balance The Ph Levels Of The Carpet

You’ll need to make sure that the Ph levels of your carpet are completely balanced, otherwise, you could end up with some very uneven results.

You can get some pretty decent carpet cleaner from your local hardware store.

You should make sure that you follow your manufacturer’s instructions to the letter.

Fill The Bucket With Dye

Use your bucket to mix in the dye as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

You should make sure that you have plenty of mixture and that the bucket is at around 1 gallon.

Pour The Dye Into A Sprayer

Pour the dye into a decent sprayer. We would recommend a sprayer that you can alter the width of the spray.

Once this is done, then spray the dye about 2 feet away from the carpet to ensure an even spread and no clumping.

Let The Carpet Dry

You should allow the spray to dry overnight. Once it has completely dried, then replace the baseboards and bring the furniture back into the room.

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Conclusion

We hope that our guide to dyeing your carpet has helped you to decide whether or not you have the patience and the time to embark upon this task.