Why Is My Area Rug Wrinkling? How Do I Fix It?

Area rugs are incredible for enhancing the overall aesthetics of your room. They also make it easier to make the interior more welcoming.

But, after using them for a reasonable amount of time, you might notice some problems. For example, you can catch them getting wrinkled.

At that moment, it would be pretty natural for you to wonder why is my area rug wrinkling.

Well, it can be due to a couple of factors. In most cases, wrinkles and creases come up due to humidity. The moisture penetrates through the fibers, making the rug buckle in particular areas.

So, is there any way to fix the wrinkles? Absolutely! You can learn about that process by going through what we have in store for the rest of this guide.

How to Fix a Wrinkled Rug?

Stressing about why my rug is wrinkling all day will not fix the issue. And the good news is that there are different methods you can follow to fix the wrinkling issue of the area rug. Here is a brief description of each –

Method 1: Steam the Rug

The most effective method to get rid of wrinkles and creases from the area rug would be to steam it. And there are not that many steps for this process either.

You just have to go through these few steps –

Step 1: Prepare a Surface for Steaming the Rug

Before anything else, you need to prepare a surface for steaming the problematic spot of the rug. Lay down a large plastic sheet on a flat surface.

Make sure that the sheet is larger than the problematic area of the rug. It needs to be at least 1-inch larger.

Step 2: Lay Down Some Towels and Prepare the Rug

Then, you will have to lay down a couple of towels. They are necessary because you cannot assess the wrinkled spots properly without them.

Put at least two layers of them. Place the problematic area on top of the towels.

When you are done with laying the towel, you must get yourself a 100 percent cotton cloth. Again, this piece of clothing needs to be larger than the area where the wrinkles are present. Wet the cloth up and lay it on top of the wrinkled area.

Step 3: Press and Steam

Now, you should get yourself an iron and start pressing on top of the problematic area. When pressing it, you must ensure that the steam gets through the rug’s fibers.

Otherwise, the wrinkles will still be there when you are done pressing the iron.

Alongside that, do not carry out a back-and-forth motion for the pressing. That will stretch out the fibers.

Instead, you will need to move the iron in a circular motion. When you are done with one of the sides, turn the rug over.

Do the same for the other side. Wet the cotton cloth again if you need to.

Method 2: Use a Blow Dryer

Yes, you can fix the wrinkled parts of the area rug using a blow dryer! Here are the steps that you would need to follow for this method –

Step 1: Put the Dryer in the Right Settings

Before anything else, you must ensure that the blow dryer is in the correct settings. Do not turn the heat settings all the way up because that will damage the rug’s fibers.

Instead, put it in the medium settings.

Step 2: Oscillate Over the Problematic Area

Move the blow dryer back and forth on the area with wrinkles. It would be a good idea to check the temperature of the fibers when you are oscillating.

Just touch the surface and see if it is getting too hot or not. If it is, turn down the heat settings to one level and go over the problematic area.

Method 3: Ice Cube Method

When the wrinkles on the rug are semi-permanent, the other methods might not work that well. In that case, you need to opt for the ice cube method. These are the steps for it –

Step 1: Put Ice Cubes on the Wrinkled Areas

As you might have guessed, you would need to put the ice cubes on the wrinkled areas. Yet, you cannot just put them there and take them off.

You should leave the cubes in the problematic area overnight.

However, you should not use too many ice cubes because that will drench the area. The absorption must happen slowly, making the fibers swell up and return to their original shape.

Step 2: Soak Any Leftover Water

Use a clean cloth to get any excess water out of the area. You do not want this water to sit because it might make the area wrinkly again.

To finish it all up, just rake the fibers back into place using the edge of a spoon.

Method 4: Tape Down the Rug

If your area rug is pretty large and the wrinkles are happening on the corners of it, taping it down can help. You can quickly get yourself tapes for carpets and rugs.

Use them to adhere the corners to the floor. Alternatively, you can use double-sided tape if the rug is on top of a carpet. That will help to keep the rug in place.

To ensure that the corners do not move too much, you can weigh them down by placing heavy furniture. However, do not hide the rug’s beauty by letting the furniture take most of the rug.

Final Words

Are you still stressing and asking yourself why is my area rug wrinkling? Although the reason will vary from one to another, it can happen primarily because of the humidity level.

If it is too high in the room, the moisture will get through the fibers and make the rug wrinkle up in some particular spots.

Last Updated on March 17, 2023

John J. Smith

John J. Smith

My team and I are here to offer you nothing but valid pieces of information regarding rugs and carpets. We want to make RugReal the site you want to be in for everything you would like to know about rugs and carpets.

Leave a Comment