| The tan carpet in #216 was shot. | | | | but no tan. |
| It was hopeless. | | | | So, I bought RIT's dark brown dye. |
| A new carpet was needed. | | | | This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. |
| That meant pulling up the old one, scraping off the pad, | | | | I put 4 tablespoons of this darker dye into my 2 quarts |
| and then calling the carpet man and shelling out $1000 | | | | of steaming hot water, pumped up the sprayer and |
| or more. | | | | applied another coat. |
| It wasn't anyone's fault. | | | | That's when the magic began to happen. |
| The carpet had served well. | | | | The darker brown really kicked in. |
| But, upon closer examination, I decided it wasn't really in | | | | The trails down the hallway disappeared, as did the |
| that bad of shape. | | | | light spots under the windows. |
| It didn't have frayed edges, or worn down spots, and | | | | The carpet started to look like a real carpet again, but |
| the nap was still pretty good. It just looked terrible. | | | | the bleached out spots still dyed a slightly darker shade |
| Bleach spots, stains, dark trails down the hallway and | | | | than the rest of the carpet. |
| into the living room, and light spots where the sun had | | | | To compensate for this I dyed other parts of the |
| hit it on a daily basis through the windows. | | | | carpet darker by spraying more dye on them, and |
| No one would rent the apartment with a carpet in that | | | | continued using my carpet sweeper to even out the |
| condition. | | | | dye and work it into the nap. My goal was to blend |
| I steam cleaned it in hopes that it would be | | | | everything together. |
| miraculously healed. | | | | It worked... somewhat. |
| No such luck. | | | | I applied two coats of the dark brown dye, about $12 |
| Then it hit me. | | | | worth of dye, over a 700 square foot area. |
| Why not try dyeing the bleached out spots to blend in | | | | It was easy, and fun to do. |
| with the carpet. | | | | By the time I applied the second coat the carpet |
| I purchased an 8 ounce bottle of RIT tan dye (the kind | | | | looked almost new. |
| you use for dyeing clothes) at the drug store for $4, | | | | Because I've obsessed over the bleached out stains in |
| mixed a little in a spray bottle with steaming hot water, | | | | the carpet I can still find some of them, but not all. |
| shook it up and sprayed the spots. | | | | There is a slight darkening in the carpet where they |
| They came out a brassy brown, nothing like the color | | | | once existed, but when a potential tenant came |
| of the existing carpet. | | | | through to rent the apartment, and I explained to her |
| I had the carpet professionally steam cleaned. Surely | | | | what I had done, she glanced at it, said it looked fine, |
| they could perform a miracle. | | | | and went to look at the kitchen. |
| Nope. | | | | My daughter and my neighbor also viewed the carpet |
| But I noticed that my dyeing job over the bleached out | | | | and both stated it looked great, better than their own |
| spots had maintained its original color. | | | | carpets. |
| Then it occurred to me, why not try dyeing the entire | | | | But I know it's not perfect. It went from a D- or F to a |
| carpet to match the spots I had sprayed? | | | | C+/ B- or maybe even a B, and those grades really |
| Two pictures came to mind on how I might do this. | | | | depend on what angle you look at the carpet from. |
| I could mix the dye with hot water in my little steam | | | | My father mentioned that the dye might be toxic. |
| cleaner (one like you would rent at the market) or I | | | | I hadn't thought of that. I figured if you could dye your |
| could use a pump up garden sprayer. I decided on the | | | | clothes with it you could certainly do a carpet. |
| sprayer because the tenant below had suffered | | | | But to be safe I called RIT, the makers of the dye, and |
| through enough steam cleaning noise. | | | | their representative assured me that all their dyes are |
| I purchased an ACE Sprayer for $24. | | | | non-toxic, but that they don't recommend using them |
| I mixed 8 tablespoons of dye into the 2 quarts of | | | | on carpets because some of their customers have |
| steaming hot water in the sprayer, screwed in the | | | | called and said the dye rubs off over time. |
| pump, shook up the contents and pumped it up. | | | | I went back up to #216, soaked a rag with steaming |
| I placed four 1"x 6" x 3' pieces of wood along the | | | | hot water, and tried to rub off the dye in several spots. |
| edges of the walls so as not to get dye on the white | | | | Nothing happened. |
| paint. I adjusted the nozzle on the sprayer to a fine | | | | Maybe in time the dye will wear off in well traveled |
| spray and began. | | | | areas. |
| I moved the boards as I dyed, but after a while as I | | | | I'm not sure. |
| became familiar with the sprayer, I didn't really need | | | | Time will tell. |
| them. | | | | But if it does wear off, and the carpet is still usable, |
| Also, after dyeing a section, and before reloading the | | | | why not dye those areas again, like repainting walls, or |
| sprayer, I used my little Bissell carpet sweeper to even | | | | staining wood doors and trim that experience wear |
| out the areas I had sprayed and work the dye into the | | | | and tear? |
| carpet. | | | | P.S. My daughter suggested that I include this following |
| But still, the bleached out spots didn't match the overall | | | | idea: Why not cut out a stencil of your favorite design, |
| carpet color after I finished dyeing. | | | | say a star or elephant, place it over the stain or |
| So the next day I applied another coat. | | | | bleached out spot, and then spray the dye into the |
| Better, but still not good enough. | | | | stencil. A lot easier than dyeing the entire carpet! |
| Then I went back to the store for more dye, but they | | | | Just a thought. |
| didn't have anymore tan. I went to three other stores, | | | | |