Welcome to this guide on how to get bumps out of area rugs.
This guide is useful if you see bumps on your rug, your rug’s corners keep curling up, and you notice dents on your area rugs after you move the furniture or walk on it.
Therefore, it is a guide that will give you tips on:
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- How to get wrinkles out of area rugs
- How to get creases out of area rugs
- How to get dents out of rugs
- How to stretch a rug
- How to keep rug corners down
- How to uncurl/fix a rug that is curling up?
- How to flatten a new rolled up rug that has been folded
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In summary, this is a rug flattening/stretching/ uncurling guide which will show you how to remove any types of folds, such as bumps, wrinkles, creases, dents, corner folds, and bunching up folds on your rug.
The good news is that it takes straightforward steps and tricks to solve one annoying and bothersome job.
What causes rugs to ripple & Buckle?
Rippling is the formation of waves, while buckling is the presence of bends. Therefore, it is merely the same as asking why bumps, creases, wrinkles, and dents appear on area rugs.
The answer is tension. Putting together the fibers of a rug requires tension. More stress is mainly applied on the edges and the middle sections, which is the reason you are likely to see curls on the rug corners or bumps at the center.
That is the reason why heat, moisture, or stretching is used to help relax the areas with high tension to restore the rug to its original shape.
Read the ten ways below, which show you how you can use heat, moisture, and stretching techniques to remove bumps, creases, wrinkles, curls, and dents from area rugs.
Contents
BY USING STRETCHING TECHNIQUES
1. Add some weight
The goal is to help the rug relax and to reduce the tension so that the rug can go to its original shape, form, and position hence removing the bumps.
Adding some heavy weights, such as books, coffee tables, furniture, and house plants, can help with that. Remember to allow the weight to sit there overnight.
2. Use a Rug Pad
A rug pad has many benefits, such as protecting the floors the rug is placed on and prolonging the lifespan of the rug.
A rug pad also adds comfort and security because it prevents slip and fall accidents.
Apart from the benefits above and many others, a rug pad will help to keep your rugs in place.
If a rug remains in its original position, you will not experience any stretching, curling up, buckling, rippling, or folding of the fibers.
3. Stick it down
A double-sided rug gripper tape can help to hold your rug down on the carpet, tile, and hardwood floors.
This is a strategy that works well when you are trying to remove folds/curls on the corners of the rug.
Remember, you must first apply other methods to remove any visible bumps, kinks, wrinkles, and creases on the rug before using this method.
Thus, this is more of a last-end precautionary measure, which prevents the bumps and wrinkles from reappearing again in the future. In short, it helps to keep your rug flat and well-stretched.
4. Play the waiting game
Most times, when you buy a rug, it comes all folded up for easy transportation.
That folding causes lots of creases, wrinkles, and dents. Once you unfold the rug, you need to give the rug some time to relax and adapt to your home atmosphere.
Sometimes those bumps will go away on their own after a few days of using the rug.
5. Take it to professionals
Have you tried all these how-to flatten-a-rug methods, and none seem to work?
It is now time to consider hiring professionals who offer services for stretching rugs.
6. Reverse roll your rug
Reverse rolling means folding the rug from the opposite direction of the curl, bump, or crease.
Leave the rug folded overnight or for a couple of days.
The rug should be straight and flat when you unfold it to its original position. If you hear any cracking sound or high resistance during the rolling or folding, stop the process immediately.
That could indicate that the rug is too dry and probably rotting on the back, or it could also mean that its fibers cannot handle rolling tension.
BY USING MOISTURE
7. Cool the rug down
In this step, we use moisture from ice cubes. Place the ice cubes on the areas with dents or bumps.
Let the ice cubes melt down during the night, then use a paper towel or clean towel to soak out the excess water.
Remember to air dry the rug with a fan or take it out in the sun. You cannot leave the rug with any moisture because it will cause pungent mildew smells.
8. Steam it up
Applying some moisture and heat on the rug using a steam cleaner will help to loosen up those fibers returning them to their original position and shape.
You must always test on small hidden portions of the rug to see if there will be an adverse reaction.
For example, you can never use heat on synthetic fiber rug materials because they will melt.
Also, moisture cannot be used on rugs where the colors run because you will end up creating a mess and destroying the original look of the rug. Therefore, take the time to test your rug out before using this method.
The moisture must be completely dried out to keep pungent smells out of the rug.
Pro Tip: Avoid these two methods if the moisture water is likely to cause discoloration or color bleeding to your rug.
BY USING HEAT
9. Take the rug out on a sunny day
Applying some heat on a rug is one way to take away the tension, which causes bumps and creases to form.
Remember to place the rug upside down when using this method to avoid damaging the fibers of highly sensitive rug materials.
You must make sure you read your rug buying guide to make sure the use of heat is supported.
10. Iron it out
Never use the iron directly on the rug. That is why you will need to take a damp cloth/towel, then place it on top of the rug, and you can proceed with the ironing process.
You must also remember to test how you’re your rug’s fibers react to heat on a small hidden portion of the rug.
Watch the video below to get a more visual and detailed DIY guide on how to get wrinkles out of area rugs using the ironing method.
Pro Tip One: You cannot use heat on rugs made from synthetic fiber, such as nylon and polypropylene, because it will melt.
Pro Tip Two: Additionally, you can use a blow dryer instead of the steam iron. If you choose this option, remember to spray water on the rug first using a spray bottle. Blow dryers mostly work on rugs with longer piles and taller fibers.
How To Get Bumps, Wrinkles, Waves, Ripples, And Creases Out Of Area Rugs
