The fluffiness of a carpet is its beauty, but after a while of constant use, it is reduced, and the carpet begins to feel hard underneath the feet. When this occurs, it might seem unredeemable, but that is not always the case.
There are many ways on how to make carpet fluffy again. These steps will not only unflatten your carpet but also make them look brand new; this process is not in any way difficult and doesn’t require special tools than the ones you probably already own.
The three major method to unflatten your carpet and make them fluffy again includes the blow dryer method, the suction method, ironing method or the use of vinegar. Here’s a more detailed step on achieving that.
Read: How to lay carpet without a knee kicker
How to Make Carpet Fluffy
Table of Contents
Using a rug beater.
A rug beater is a house cleaning tool used to beat and shake dust and dirt out of carpets. It helps you to efficiently loosen dirt that has been deeply embedded in your rug fibers.
This method might be considered old fashioned, but using a rug beater enables you to remove all of the deep-seated dirt and debris which even the best vacuum with brush rollers can only mimic the effect to a small extent.
To use the rug beater, all you need to do is place the carpet over a clothesline or railing and beat the dust and dirt out of the carpet.
Vacuuming
This can come in replacement of the rug beater; you can fix a brush attachment to the vacuum for more efficiency. Vacuum your carpet thoroughly to remove any loose dirt, pet hair, and dust.
You can take this process a step further by sprinkling baking soda all over the carpet and allow it to sit on the carpet for at least fifteen minutes. The baking soda will penetrate the fibers, helping lift ground-in dirt and neutralize odors giving the carpet a deeper cleaning.
Carpet Rake
This looks a bit like a comb with stiff teeth, and it will help to rejuvenate your old and matted down carpet. There are two variations to this item; there is a carpet rake which is best suited for high pile carpets like shag carpets, and a carpet brush for low pile carpets.
Select the best-suited variation for your carpet and run it through the carpet; this should be done before vacuuming to help loosen embedded dirt, and after vacuuming to further fluff up the carpet. You can either focus on the matted areas or fluff the entire carpet.
Methods For Fluffing Up Carpets
Vinegar
Regular old white vinegar can be used to fluff up your carpet; this method also helps to eliminate the smell from the carpet.
What To Do
Mix equal parts of vinegar and water into a spray bottle; you can either apply this mixture to the whole carpet or only on the matted areas. Apply a generous amount this mixture to the carpet, but do it with caution and do not over-saturate it.
Allow the mixture to sit on the carpet for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how flat and deep the dents are. After the waiting period is over, get a clean white towel or rag, the piece of clothing you are using for this step has to be white; this is to avoid bleeding any color into your carpet.
Using your towel, blot out as much liquid as possible, doing it as gently as possible to avoid flattening the carpet more; you also want to use a tapping motion and not a rubbing motion.
Next, get a clean spoon and hold it, so the edge is directly against the area of carpet you intend to fluff. Then press the spoon into the carpet, and scrape it across the carpet in straight lines.
This will help the carpet pile to spring up straight again. You can also try combing the carpet with the tines of a fork if that doesn’t give you your desired results.
A brush with a stiff but non-metal handle or a boar hair brush can be used to even out the carpet when the dent is gone.
Finally, allow the carpet to dry properly before walking or placing anything on it, this can take up to 3 hours depending on the size of the carpet, and you can hasten up the drying process by taking the carpet out to air dry.
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Ironing method
You will need a white towel or washcloth, dampen it with some warm water and place it over the flat or matted area. You may need several towels or repeat the process a few times if you need to fluff a large area or the entire carpet.
Next, plug in your clothes iron and set it to medium heat setting. Once it heats up, hold the iron a few inches above the towel and move it around in a circular motion. You want to do this for at least 60 seconds before lifting the towel and checking the carpet.
You want to avoid placing the iron directly on the towel or carpet as that might damage the carpet fibers. After heating the area, turn off the iron and place it in a safe area where it isnt in contact with an item.
Take off the towel from the carpet and fluff the carpet with your fingers. You want to be careful with the process to avoid burning yourself.
Repeat this process if necessary, and for heavily matted carpet fibers, you can use the edge of a spoon to scrape the carpet or comb it with a fork to fluff it more. You can also use a brush to give the carpet a more even look.
Ice method
Get some ice from the freezer and place it on the matted areas of the carpet; if the dents are in several areas, place at least one ice on each dent. If the dent is wider than 5cm, you will need to place more than one ice cube.
After placing the ice on the dents, allow them to melt completely. Depending on how much ice you placed on each dent and the room temperature, it may take anywhere between 20 minutes to one hour for the ice to melt completely.
When the ice has melted, use a clean cloth or towel to blot out the water. Again you want to make sure you are using a white-colored cloth or towel to avoid bleeding a color on your carpet. Blot out the water from the carpet using a gentle tapping motion to avoid flattening your carpet more.
Read: How to get coffee stain out of carpet
Lastly, run your fingers through the problem areas until they fluff up as they should. If this doesn’t get you your desired results, you can use the edge of a spoon to scrape the carpet or comb it with a fork to fluff it more. You can also use a brush to give the carpet a more even look.
Blow Dryer Method
Get a spray bottle, preferably a new one, fill it with warm water. You want to make sure the water is warm and not hot, as hot water can damage the fibers of your carpet.
Apply the warm water on the flat or matted areas; you want to spray enough but not too much that the carpet is soaked because too much water can ruin your carpet overtime.
Get your hairdryer and plug it in a power outlet close to the area you are working on. Set the dryer to a low heat setting and a high fan setting ( if the dryer has one). Hold the dryer about six inches away from the carpet and move it back and forth across the area.
When the carpet is almost dry, use your fingers to run in between the fibers in a back and forth motion to straighten up the carpet fibers. If the fibers are still not how you want it, you can a brush with stiff but soft bristles and brush the carpet a few times.
Suction Method
If your carpet is flat due to indentations caused by heavy furnitures placed on it, you can try vacuuming the dents and their surrounding areas to help plump the carpet fibers back up into their original positions.
Run your fingers through the carpet fibers a couple of times, rubbing your hands in a back and forth motion through the fibers. You can make use of a plastic gift card to run through the edges of the fibers if your fingers aren’t helping much.
When using the vacuum, If the regular floor vacuum setting isn’t working well, use the removable hose and nozzle to apply stronger suction directly to the affected area, vacuuming both the dents and the fibers adjacent to them.
Related: How to get wrinkles out of carpet without a carpet stretcher
Conclusion
Knowing how to make carpet fluffy again will save you tons of replacement costs, and you get to keep your favorite carpet with all the sentimental value.