There aren’t many things that can make a room look unkempt and unwelcoming more than an ugly carpet. When your carpet was first installed, it was fluffy, thick and cosy underfoot. But as time has gone by, it’s likely lost a lot of its bounce and become flat and sad-looking. But that doesn’t mean you need to rip it up and start all over just yet. If you’ve been asking how do I stop my carpet from flattening; you’re in the right place.
If your carpet has already gone flat then you’ll need to take steps to revive it. However, by regular maintenance, cleaning and attention, you can keep your carpet looking its best for much longer.
There are a few things you can do to breathe new life into your carpet. In this guide, we will be talking you through some of the easiest and most effective. Don’t worry, you won’t need any special equipment, most of what we will discuss can be done using your regular household items.
Spread Weight Evenly
Placing furniture on your carpet can cause indentations which can be tricky to get rid of. It’s recommended to wait at least 24 hours before putting furniture onto a new carpet but even after this, dents are possible.
This is because of the weight of the items but there’s no getting away from it; you have to have furniture in a room. To better distribute the weight, you can use castor cups or furniture coasters. These slip under the legs of the furniture and spread out the weight, therefore preventing dents.
Another alternative is to make sure that you opt for furniture with already wider legs as this will prevent the need to use additional accessories like caster cups.
Steam Your Carpet
If there are specific parts of your carpet that have started to flatten because of foot traffic or furniture, then you should tend to these as soon as possible. Leaving them longer will only make them deeper and more difficult to get rid of.
You can use something as simple as your iron to get your carpet fibres to fluff up again. Place a damp towel over the affected area and then steam it with your iron. You can then use your fingers to fluff up the fibres and it’ll look as good as new.
It’s also possible to achieve the same results using ice cubes. But this does take longer. You’ll need to place the cubes onto the area and leave them to melt. The water will cause the fibres to expand and then you can manually fluff them up.
Vacuuming
Your vacuum is designed to keep your carpet clean, right? Well yes it is but it can do so much more than this as well. If you are rearranging the furniture in your room, take this opportunity to give everywhere a good vacuum as well. You will notice that the carpet is indented where furniture has been but by vacuuming these areas regularly, you can refluff the fibres.
Related Article: Does Vacuuming Damage Carpet
There are two things that force carpet fibres down; dirt and pressure from furniture or foot traffic. By using your vacuum, you’re effectively killing two birds with one stone. Not only this but your carpet will look generally fresher and newer for longer.
In high traffic areas, it is super important to vacuum more regularly. If at all possible, we would recommend doing this on a daily basis. This will keep the carpet fibres fluffy and free from debris which will in turn prevent them from flattening.
Move Furniture Regularly
As we have discovered, your carpet will flatten if furniture is left on it. While it is impossible to prevent flattening from this altogether, you may be able to reduce affected areas by regularly moving your furniture. This applies especially to heavier items.
You don’t need to do an entire room rearrange, even just moving furniture by a couple of inches can make a difference. You want to aim to do this every few weeks to reduce the pressure on the flooring.
Moreover, it’s a great idea to create different walkways between and around your furniture from time to time. This will prevent one area from experiencing heavy traffic and flattening unevenly compared with other areas.
How Can I Make My Carpet Fluffy Again?
There are several ways you can breathe new life back into your carpet and they’re all incredibly simple and take a short amount of time.
- Try using a carpet rake which is a small tool designed to lift and refluff the fibres. They’re affordable and very easy to use.
- For patches of flattened carpet, place a couple of ice cubes on the area and leave them for a few hours. The moisture will cause the fibres to puff up and you can then use your fingers to fluff them up.
- You can spray a little warm water onto the affected area and use a hair dryer to dry it while using your fingers to fluff the fibres back up.
Conclusion
Nobody wants a flat carpet that looks tired and unkempt. However, with day to day use, the carpets fibres can and do flatten, leaving marks and indentations. But there are a few things you can do to prevent this including regularly moving and vacuuming underneath furniture and making sure that weight is spread evenly.
We would also recommend treating any flattened areas as soon as possible as this will prevent permanent damage.
If you find that there are seriously flattened parts of your carpet, all is not lost. There are some handy tips that will puff the fibres back up and have your carpet looking like new in no time.