When you bring home your new area rug, you’re probably super excited to get it out of its packaging and into its new space. While you may have done tons of research on what kind of rug will best suit your style and lifestyle, and feel certain you’ve found the perfect piece to match your home decor and really tie your room together… it’s hard to know until you actually have your rug in place.
But now you have a new problem: after being rolled up or folded to get it to your home, your new living room rug is covered in unsightly creases and uneven bunching. Plus, you just can’t seem to make the corners of your rug lay flat. Not only does this not really meet most people’s interior design standards, but it’s actually a tripping hazard..
Don’t panic — your rug will lay flat once again. And while it’s possible that over time the creased areas in your rug will flatten naturally after enough vacuuming and proper rug care, certain rug fibers are more structured than others and may require a bit more intervention. There are three main tactics you can pursue to flatten your rug, so here’s your complete guide on how to have your rug looking its best in no time at all.
1. Reverse Roll Your Rug
While Tumble rugs don’t arrive rolled, most conventional rugs are transported by rolling them into a tube. It’s an easy way to make even the largest rugs comfortable to carry, and they’re much more likely to fit into your car. Not to mention the fact that if you have a high pile rug or one made of firm, natural fibers, it can be pretty impossible to fold them, which is the only real alternative.
Unfortunately, rugs that have spent a long time rolled up will often retain that curl when you unroll them. However, Tumble rugs feature a patent-pending system by which the rug pad tucks into pockets on the underside of the rug in order to prevent any curling - learn more about it here.
On the upside, curling corners on conventional rugs can an easy problem to fix. Fibers are more malleable when warm, so start by placing your rug upside down in a sunny spot. This will help encourage the rug to bend, and placing the rug upside down will counteract its curved shape. On the off chance your rug was rolled up inside out, place it right side up. The idea is simply to let it rest in the opposite direction that it's curling.
If this doesn’t completely solve the problem, with the now slightly softened rug, roll it up in the opposite direction. This should help your rug reach the equilibrium it needs to lay flat.
2. Apply Weight To Flatten It
This is probably the most intuitive solution to a rug that won’t lay flat. Whether it’s curling corners or a bend or dent in a certain area of your rug, find a heavy object. Some heavy books, a storage box, or even furniture will do.
Place the object on the part of your rug that’s sticking up, and leave it for a few days. Remove the objects and see how your rug looks — if it’s flat, mission accomplished! If not, pay attention to whether or not it looks any flatter than it did when you started. As long as progress has been made, replace the heavy objects and let them rest a little longer until the rug lays flat.
One thing to be mindful of when using this method is that certain objects may create additional creases or marks. For instance, the leg of a chair or table. While they may be heavy enough to help your rug to lay flat, they’re likely to create an additional divot.
If you don’t plan to leave that piece of furniture there full time, consider using something broader and flatter. We’re sure your Amara Rug will look amazing in your dining room, but you’ll want to keep it free of the pressure of furniture until you’re satisfied it’s smooth and flat.
3. Moisture May Relax the Fibers
This is actually how many professionals force a rug to lay flat! Professionals typically use a rug-safe wrinkle removing spray to help quickly relieve a rug of its wrinkles. You can certainly seek out your own wrinkle removing spray to help your rug relax. You’ll just want to be super careful to find a spray that’s safe for your rug.
Certain rugs, particularly antique or vintage pieces, don’t do well when exposed to liquid. High pile rugs like shag rugs, too, probably aren’t the best candidates for this method. You’ll want to use your wrinkle releasing spray liberally, and liquid can easily get locked into the fibers of these rugs and create mold and mildew, which can affect the air quality of your home.
If you can’t find a suitable wrinkle removing spray, or would just prefer to use something simpler, a spray bottle full of water will do the trick. After spraying the area and fluffing it back up again, use a blow dryer to ensure your rug dries properly and doesn’t retain unnecessary moisture.
You could also try using a clothing steamer! This, again, will depend on your individual rug, and how worried you are about the dye running, or fibers melting — make sure to check care instructions, or contact the manufacturer for reassurance. Keep the steamer further from your rug than you generally would with a clothing item to be safe, and fluff up the fibers of the rug as they relax until the dent or crease is gone.
Another great way to flatten the rug out? Washing it! Tumble rugs are all washable. If you simply give them a wash, the crease will go away and the rug will smooth out.
What Else Can You Do?
If you’re trying to prevent your rug from denting, creasing, or otherwise not laying completely flat, there are two things you can keep in mind when choosing a new rug.
The first is to seek out a rug that utilizes a rug pad. One thing that can commonly lead to rugs curling or bending out of shape over time is getting caught under furniture or other objects. This is more likely to happen if your rug is sliding all over the floor!
Tumble rugs come with a rug pad. This rug pad not only allows Tumble rugs to be washable (more on that in a second!) but it also helps hold your rug in place, so when you lay your Shiraz Rug down, for instance, you know it isn’t going to be shifting all over the floor and getting caught in ways that may bend it out of shape. It also means you’re less likely to trip!
Our rugs also come with rug grippers. These are silicone (not adhesive) and they stick to the four corners of the rug. As a result, the corners are held down in place. This creates tension in the four corners and keeps it laying flat.
You can also try ironing the rug. We recommend ironing the rug with a clothing iron on the lowest setting with some steam.
The other thing to consider when choosing your rug is how washable it is. This is useful in general because your lifestyle should factor into your home decor choices. For instance, if you have children or pets in your house, finding a machine washable rug will mean less stress for you because spills and stains won’t be a concern with a washable, spillproof Tumble rug.
But it also means when you’re looking to smooth out dents, creases, or other flaws in your rug, you don’t have to worry about using a wrinkle removing spray or just a spray bottle full of water. That liquid won’t absorb into your Tumble rug, and it won’t create any mold or mildew due to Tumble’s water-based, spillproof coating.
In Conclusion
There’s nothing more disappointing than waiting patiently for your new area rug to arrive and realizing that you’re going to have to wait even longer for the rug to flatten out completely so you can get a full picture of what your new space really looks like.
Luckily, there are ways to help your rug flatten out and acclimate to the space more quickly. Try one of these three tactics next time you bring a new rug home!
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