Do you have a bump that keeps reappearing no matter how many times you smooth your rug out? Do the corners of your rug curl up, making a booby trap for anyone walking by? Maybe you just moved the furniture around and now you have bothersome little dents all over your rug. Wrinkles, bumps and dents are common with any rug. While annoying, these simple tricks can do the job and your rug will be obediently laying flat in no time.
Bumps in a rug occur when the fibers and yarns of the foundation are stretched or bent. To remove the bump, the fibers have to relax and return to their natural shape. There are a few ways to do this:
REVERSE ROLL THE RUG
Gently turn the rug face down and reverse roll it. Leave the rug rolled up for a day or two. When you unroll the rug it should lay much flatter. If you hear any cracking sound when youâre rolling the rug, STOP to avoid damaging the rug and try a different method.
USE WEIGHT
Place heavy items such as books or plants on the curled or bumpy parts of your rug. The weight will help the bent fibers to relax.
LET THE SUN SHINE
Turn the rug upside down and place it in the sun for a few hours. The heat and light will help the yarns to soften so they are more pliable.
USE STEAM POWER
A steam cleaner pushes steam into the fibers of the rug. The fibers will absorb the moisture, helping them to return to their normal shape. A professional steam cleaner can do the trick. If you have a steam cleaner at home, carefully test a corner of the rug to make sure the colors donât run. Then run the steamer over the rippled part of the carpet several times until the fibers loosen up and lie down flat.
NOTE: HEAT SHOULD NOT BE APPLIED TO A SYNTHETIC FIBER RUG AS IT CAN CAUSE IT TO MELT.
IRON IT
If you donât have a steamer at home, you can try using an iron. Again, itâs important to test this method on a small corner of the carpet. Place a damp towel over the bump in the rug. Turn your iron to the Steam setting. Quickly iron over the bump in short bursts. Keep the iron moving to avoid burning the fibers.
STRETCH IT OUT
A final option to try is to take the rug to a rug or carpet store to have it stretched. Professionals will slowly stretch your rug to smooth the fibers and help them return to the desired shape.
STICK IT DOWN
Once youâve removed bumps, curls, and wrinkles, you can help prevent them from reforming by using double sided carpet tape. Apply the tape to the back of the rug, especially in places where there were bumps. This tape is made to work on carpet, tile and hardwood floors.
COOL IT
To remove dents in carpet and rugs from heavy furniture, place an ice cube on the dent overnight. As the ice cube melts, the fibers will slowly absorb the moisture, helping them to return to their original form. In the morning, remove the excess water and fluff the fibers with the edge of a spoon.
RUG PAD
To prevent bumps, wrinkles, dents and curling use a high quality rug pad under your rug. Rug pads help to avoid stretching and folding by keeping the rug in place.
Now that weâve walked through some of the most common ways to get bumps out of your rug, enjoy your new bump-free rug for years to come!
