How to Keep Curled Area Rugs Laying Flat

Bringing home new area rugs for the first time can be very exciting. You wait with breathless anticipation to see how this new feature will set off your room only to be met with the problem of curling. This can be quite disappointing when you first bring an accessory home but it is relatively easy to make curled area rugs lie flat. 

Step 1 - Steaming

Curling is a common problem for area rugs due to the fact that they have spent most of their life rolled up in some form or other. Fortunately, there are several things that can be done to remedy this situation. Take a steam cleaner or a wet sponge and moisten the areas where the curling is at its worst. The water will help loosen the fibers and enable it to lay flat. Once the water dries there should be some improvement. If not, there are still other methods that can be tried. 

Step 2 - Ironing

Take a wet towel and moisten the areas where the carpet is curling. Next, take an iron and set it to a medium heat. With the towel still covering the carpeted area, hold down the iron and press. This should flatten the areas out. Do not set the iron at too high a heat as this could leave burn marks on the new carpet. If this method proves unsuccessful, move on to the following steps. 

Step 3 – Use the Furniture

Take the carpet and place it in the affected spot. Take available pieces of furniture and place it around the corners. This is usually where the curling is particularly bad. It may not be the best look for a room but it is only temporary and should sort the problem out within a week or so. Once that time has passed, remove the furniture to reveal a hopefully flattened area rug. If this has not worked, more drastic measures will be needed. 

Step 4 - Use Books

For some, space limitations may not allow for furniture to be used. In this situation, get your hands on all of the large sized books that you have to hand. Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, phone books and so forth are the best but any large, heavy book will do. Leave the books in place for a week or two. Remove again after the time has passed and a flat rug should be evident. 

Step 5 - Off to Bed!

For really stubborn area rugs there is one final solution to be tried. Remove the area rug from the floor and place it between your mattress and box spring. Make sure it is laying completely flat. Leave it for at least a week before you checking the result. This method should work for rugs that are badly curled at the corners. The rug needs to be the size of the bed or smaller for the best results. 

Step 6 - Reverse

Simply taking the carpet and laying it upside down will also help stop curling. It may look odd for a while but you should have a flattened area rug in about a week or so.