Q:I saw this rug at walmart and i think its called a flokati rug and it was really fuzzy and soft and i cant find it online so does anyone know how much it is at the store?? PLEASE ANSWER!!!! thanks. and its not the L.A. rug becasue i know it wasnt that much money!

Standard okorder for more handy ideas in forums and blogs.

Q:Okay so I know a lot of you are like ew, why does your carpet smell? But I need some serious help its embarrassing. My aunt smokes and I borrowed some shoes from her and if you've ever come in contact with a smoker you know the smell gets into everything. My room started to smell of musty cigerette's and I found it was the carpet because of the shoes. I've tried this Glade Carpet Room Odors but it just seems to mask the smell terribly instead of getting rid of it. I'm thinking I might have to clean it on hands and knees, using some soap and water.

Remove it and burn it. Then get polished boards or tiles.

Q:So somebody spilt hydrogen peroxide on the carpet and now it's bleached! The original color was kinda a beige color and I need to know is there any possible way at all to get rid of this or kinda dirty it up to look beige... Please help!

I don't know if it will work. Spray the carpet with hydrogen peroxide. Then think about dying the carpet back to beige.

Q:My mother wants to get an oriental rug appraised before perhaps selling it to be cut up. (It's very big but has some rips.) Is it worth getting it cleaned before the appraisal? Thanks!

Places that appraise handmade oriental rugs are often also equipped to repair them. It can be surprising what even torn rugs are worth, depending on age and quality. I moved into an apartment back in college where someone had left an old wool oriental with frayed fringe and a couple of spots worn smooth. It was pretty so I kept it for years and eventually took it to be professionally cleaned -- they told me it was worth over $1000 if it was fixed up! They charged me about $100 to repair the fringe and the bald spots and another $50 to clean it and moth prrof it (probably costs a bit more now). I used it for a few more years and then sold it for $800. The appraisers will be able to look beyond it being dirty to evaluate it so don;t worry about doing that before they see it. Please DON'T wash it with rug shampoo and a hose like the other guy suggested. That would ruin the weaving and run the colors if it is made with old vegetable dyes and would likely shrink the cotton warp and really trash it.

Q:I want to put a rug down in the middle of my living room that has laminate wood floor. I have a couple of larger dogs that tend to run aound on occasion. The current rug has a smooth back and slides when they skid to a stop on it. The replacements that I've looked at all have the jute back and I'm concerned that when they cause this type to slide across the floor, over time it will behave like sandpaper and scuff the floor. I know I can put a rubber anti slip pad on the back to prevent some of it, but won't it still eventually scuff the wood laminate over time around the edges?

You need a rug grip for a rug to floor application. You can get these inexpensively at Target or Home Depot, although they can vary in quality, so buy the best one you can afford. They come in standard sizes, but can easily be cut to fit. Get a size that will cover the entire area of the rug up to one inch of the edges. You'll be glad you did.

Q:I have a big rug in my bathroom (Not huge, its about 5' x 3').. it's thick and has a thick rubber back. I don't know how to describe what it's made of, but it's not the usual kind of rug you would find to go around the toilet (with a toilet seat cover to match), it's a more expensive rug and the threads kind of loop up and back in.. lol Does that make sense? Anyway, it's been in my bathroom for a while and I want to wash it but I don't want to ruin it. Help?

You can wash rubber-backed bathroom rugs right in your washing machine...Warm water setting, regular detergent. However...how to dry it? That's a dilemma. The rug looks better if you dry it in your dryer, but eventually the dryer will cause the rubber backing to come of in little pieces. I dry our bathroom rug in the dryer anyway, but end up having to replace the rug every couple of years because the backing has come off. The backing won't come off if you hang the rug to air dry, but the rug doesn't look nearly as fluffy or pretty. It's a personal choice on how to dry it...machine or air dry, but you can wash that rug right in your washer...warm water not hot. Again, hot can ruin the backing. -

Q:my baby girl is 16 months old . she makes mess in her room. i have hardfloor, was wondering what kind of rug would be ok as she makes a mess. and can u plz suggest me other things to buy for her room to make it beautiful and nice at reasonable price thanx

You can go to Home Depot and ask for there pieces that they had left over from big orders. Way cheaper than getting it cut. I got a real big piece for $15.00. I'm sure she is walking and sitting up by now so I would get her carpet like anyone else. They do have real short looped carpet that sweeps and vacuums easy. If you don't care about looks and she's that messy they have indoor/outdoor carpet that looks real close to reg. carpet.

Q:Last night we found our basement carpet soaked after a rainstorm---there was not standing water (until we pulled up the carpet and padding), but it was set enough to squish when you walk, etc. We pulled up the carpet and threw away the padding. We've been trying to dry it out with a fan, but it doesn't seem to be helping. What steps should we take to save the carpet? We really can't afford to replace it right now. Also, we live in Colorado, and there is almost no humidity. Thanks!

You may have to rent a real fan, one that is made for flood restoration

Q:I want to clean our carpets, but I have a 10 month old who is crawling everywhere and I don't want to use a harsh chemical cleaner. I have a Bissell Carpet Cleaner. Any suggestions on what I can put in it to clean the carpets that won't ruin the machine, but is baby friendly? Thanks

Here is a site that I would highly recommend. They have very high quality stain removal techniques. They have a list of stains to choose from, but in your case I would just look up the solutions that they tell you how to make. I would suggest repeating the process after the first application, and rinsing the rug out with cool water in between applications. Best of luck!

Q:How easy and sensible is it to lay a new carpet over an old one? How would you do this?I cannot rip the current one out as I am renting

No you can t put wall to wall carpet and have it not effect the lower carpet because on the installation needed. But small area rugs and larger rugs can be used and then taken with you as you move. Special thin pads are used to help prevent the top rugs from moving and wrinkling. These to can be taken with you w/o harming the original carpet. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar. GL