How To Fix Matted Carpet – Tips You Shouldn’t Miss

Matted carpet is not a serious problem, but it isn’t very pleasant and does not make your house look good at all. Many years ago, when I did not know how to fix matted carpet, I used to try many ways to straighten it, but it was really hard. 

Fortunately, I have been working with housing problems for a while now, and I can say that this problem is not too difficult to handle. 

In the following sections of my blogs, I will show you what causes the carpet to be matted so you can avoid it. Moreover, I will also guide you on straightening your mat and prevent the same issue from happening again. 

how-to-fix-matted-carpet

What Causes Matted Carpet Pile? 

There are quite a lot of external factors that can cause matted carpet as follows:

Heavy Foot Traffic

If you pay close attention, you will see that the most used carpets will scroll and mat more. Their appearances are also bad as many people step on them and use them. Moreover, the action of cleaning your foot with the carpet will also cause it to curve.

Heavy Furniture

Many people put carpet under their furniture to protect the flooring’s surfaces and balance the furniture better, which is good. However, if your furniture is too heavy, the carpet will eventually be crushed down and matted because of the weight. 

Dirt, Dust, And Mud

Dirt might not be a reason you think about it, but it can really affect the look of your carpet. In higher traffic areas where people use carpets more frequently, their shoes will add more debris, dirt, dust, and mud. These factors will mat the carpet with time. 

Lack Of Cleaning And Maintenance

Dirty carpets tend to mat easier

If you clean your carpet, you might notice it gets slightly straighter in many cases. Besides other factors, the lack of cleaning and maintenance also causes the carpet to mat easier.


How To Fix Matted Carpet?

There are several ways you can make your carpet flat, and the following methods are what I normally use and get good results. If you use one method and do not have the result you want, try the most effective method for me – ironing. 

No? Let’s take a look at all the tips I have for you:

Vacuuming 

As mentioned above, dirt can also make the carpet mat, so vacuuming your carpet will help remove the dirt. Moreover, the power of the vacuum can help straighten your mat, too.

Sprinkling Baking Soda

To clean the grease and dirt on your carpet, baking soda is also recommended. You can simply do it by sprinkling some baking soda powder on the carpet. 

Using Damp Cloth And Iron

Not all matted carpets are easy to deal with, and sometimes, we do need iron to straighten the carpet just like we do to our clothes. As the carpet might be made of some materials that the heat can melt, you can use a damp cloth to put on the carpet’s surface before ironing. 

First, you need to soak the damp cloth in water, rinse it, and apply it to the carpet. Remember that when the heat of the iron dries the damp cloth, you will need to add more water to the cloth by soaking and rinsing it again or using a water spray bottle. 

Using Carpet Rake

You will not have to use an iron for less matted carpet, but a carpet rake is enough. In general, the carpet rake will do the same thing a vacuum does: putting your carpet in the original shape and crushing down the swollen edges of the carpet. 

In case you want to use both rake and vacuum, use the rake first and the vacuum later.

Using Moisture

Earlier I showed you how to use heat, and now, you can use the ice to flatten your carpet. It is really easy to do it. All I do is put a block of big ice with a cube shape on the swollen areas of my carpet. After that, the ice will melt, and I will run some stiff brush on these areas to straighten the carpet. 

If you do not use ice, water alone is enough. You can spray some water on your carpet, then run the stiff brush back and forth to flatten it. This method is like combing your hair. 

Using Baking Soda and Vinegar

Vinegar will help with fixing your matted carpet (source)

Baking soda and vinegar will clean your carpet well, and yes, it will also give a flat look back to the carpet. When the carpet fiber is softened by vinegar, the fibers will relax, and therefore, the carpet will look flat. 

Before starting, remember that you should not mix baking soda and vinegar like you normally do to clean your house. Instead, use them separately to avoid the paste of these two ingredients remaining on the carpet after cleaning. Here is what you should do in the right order:

  • Step 1: Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet and leave it for hours or overnight. 
  • Step 2: Vacuum the carpet.
  • Step 3: Mix vinegar and water together (suggested ratio of vinegar and water: 1:4).
  • Step 4: Spray the mixture on the carpet and brush it with a stiff brush. This step is really important as it will help the fiber to relax and flatten.

Using Steam

This method is similar to using an iron because the heat will be the factor that deals with the matted areas. For the best result, you should choose the medium heat, not the highest heat.


How Do I Stop My Carpet From Matting?

Now that you know how to deal with matting carpet, the next thing you should do is prevent the same issues from happening again. Here is what I do to ensure my carpets will not be likely to mat again in the future. 

Rotate The Furniture

Remember when I told you that heavy furniture could be the cause for a matted carpet? Not just the furniture with legs, but even furniture with broader bottoms might also cause matting. 

To prevent this problem from happening again, you can just rotate the furniture or put the legs of your furniture in different areas of the carpet. 

Regular Vacuuming

Maintaining the habit of vacuuming your carpet will make it cleaner and flatter for a longer time. When vacuuming, you will solve the dirt problem that causes the carpet to swell and straighten it with the vacuuming motion at the same time. 

While doing this step, focus on heavy traffic areas of the carpet more. Normally the center of the carpet is the dirtier. 

Get Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned

If you want, you can also get your carpet cleaned professionally with the septic system or the HVAC system. This method will give you better results as your carpets will be cleaned carefully and their look will also be better. 


Final Thoughts

So, straightening a carpet is not as difficult as you used to think, right? Now that you know how to fix matted carpet, sure that you will be successful if you follow these steps. Also, do not forget to prevent the carpet from matting in the first place with the tips I provided you!

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