How to Make Carpet Fluffy Again (3 Easy Methods)
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Many homes have carpet in bedrooms, living spaces, and hallways. Not only do they look great, but they’re also comfortable and warm to walk on, particularly if you choose a high-pile carpet that’s super fluffy. But over time they can get flattened and feel less fluffy making many wonder how to make carpet fluffy again.
However, carpets can also be extremely high-maintenance, more so than most vinyl, tiled, or laminate flooring, in many cases.
Carpets tend to cling to hidden dirt particles and odors, and can also become worn and flattened, particularly in areas of high traffic. In order to maintain your carpet, it’s likely to require regular cleaning and intermittent deep cleaning.
While this will keep your carpet looking and smelling fresh and clean, it might not restore it to its full fluffy potential. So what is the best way of ‘re-fluffing’ your carpets? Well, you have a few options, many of which we’re going to cover here.
When it comes to your carpets, it is always best to go for chemical-free, non-toxic cleaning and maintenance products. Harsh, chemical cleaning agents are likely to damage the fibers of the carpet, impacting its color, softness, and overall finish. They’re also incredibly bad for you and anyone else in your household, so definitely best to avoid if you have any children or pets running around.
Let’s take a look at some of the most effective methods to make carpet fluffy again, using only natural, easy-to-find household products.
Related: My Shampooed Carpet Now Smells Musty. What Should I Do?
How to Fluff Up Your Carpet: Start With a Pre-Clean
Step one should always be to make sure you have a thoroughly clean carpet to work with. This will remove any dirt or residue that may be causing your carpet to look flat and lifeless.
To do this, you could hire the services of a professional carpet cleaner. Lots of companies also offer equipment for rent, which may be a cheaper option. This option typically involves water and cleaning solution being expelled into the carpet and then sucked back out with a high-power vacuum. This is generally a very effective way of removing stains, odors, and hidden dirt from your carpet.
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You could also go in with a steam cleaner to make carpet fluffy again. These will use hot steam to kill any bacteria within the carpet and neutralize any unpleasant odors. You can then follow this by vacuuming any loose debris or dirt particles. Just be sure that the carpet is totally dry before going in with your vacuum. Vacuuming wet carpet is likely to lead to excessive pulling and tearing of the carpet fibers.
Now that you have a fresh, clean carpet to work with, it’s time to get to work on restoring it to its full fluffy potential. Here, you also have a few different methods to choose from, we’re going to give you our top three…
1. Use Baking Soda & Vinegar
The first option involves using baking soda and white vinegar. Both ingredients are easy to find and very affordable. They make great cleaning agents, are completely natural, and with antibacterial, natural deodorizing properties, they can be used in multiple ways throughout your home.
After cleaning and vacuuming your carpets, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over the entire floor space. This might call for several boxes of baking soda; you want the carpet to be fully covered if possible.
Then, go in with a stiff brush to really work the baking soda into the carpet, getting right down into the base layers. Allow this to sit and soak in for several hours. Depending on the condition of your carpet, you could leave this for anywhere from 2 to 24 hours. For stubborn stains or badly flattened carpet, we recommend leaving this for as long as you possibly can.
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Follow this by vacuuming again, removing any remaining baking soda from the carpet. You might need to go over this a couple of times to make sure all particles are removed.
Now, take a clean spray bottle, mix equal parts white vinegar and water, and give this a quick shake to combine. Spritz this mixture all over your carpet. Be careful not to over-saturate the carpet, as this can cause residual moisture to be left behind, leading to mildew growth and unpleasant odors.
Go back in with your stiff brush to fluff up the carpet. You might find you have some shedding at this point which shouldn’t be too much of an issue. If you find that the carpet is too wet and is simply pulling, just wait for it to dry off a little and then go back in with the brush.
Now you need to dry your carpet thoroughly; to do this, ensure there is plenty of ventilation in the room. Open all windows and doors if possible to allow plenty of airflow. If you have a dehumidifier, these are also great for removing moisture from carpets and should significantly speed up the process. Avoid walking on or placing any furniture on your carpet until it is fully dried, as this will cause the carpet to flatten back down immediately – reversing all of your hard work!
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This should leave you with a clean, fluffy carpet once again!
2. Use Heat and Humidity
Alternatively, you could use heat to re-fluff your carpets to make carpet fluffy again, this can be extremely effective, but should obviously be done with great care to avoid burning yourself or the carpet.
Take either an iron or hairdryer and a slightly damp cloth or towel. Place the damp cloth on the surface of the carpet and then run over the cloth with your iron or hairdryer. If you’re using your iron, be sure to move it around consistently to avoid overheating one specific area, as this could lead to the burning of the carpet fibers.
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The moisture and the heat will loosen the fibers of the carpet, increasing their pliability and flexibility. Now that they’re hot, go in with a stiff brush or regular comb and work through the area of carpet until the fibers are separated and adequately fluffed.
You’ll need to do this over the entire area you’re hoping to re-fluff, so this could be pretty time-consuming, but it’s also typically very effective and doesn’t require any specialist equipment or products.
Once you’ve covered the entire carpet, allow it to dry off thoroughly using the same methods mentioned previously (lots of ventilation and minimal footfall), then go back over any areas you’re not happy with and finish off by vacuuming the carpet. This will lift the carpet fibers more, leading to an even fluffier look.
Related: How to Sanitize and Disinfect Carpet Without a Steam Cleaner
3. Use a Carpet Rake
Finally, if you’re looking for a super quick and easy method to make carpet fluffy again, you could invest in a specialist carpet rake. These are generally less sharp than the kind of garden rake you might be familiar with. A carpet rake is typically made of plastic or rubber, to allow effective fluffing of carpets without tearing or excessive pulling of carpet fibers.
Grandi Groom AB24 Carpet Rake
Use the rake to pull the carpet in one uniform direction, to begin with. This will loosen any stubborn fibers and lift any flattened areas. You might need to spend a little longer on any really stubborn spots.
Then, vacuum the carpet to further loosen and lift. You might find that some of those really stubborn areas, such as spaces where furniture has been stood, have gone back to their flattened position. This is fine, simply go back in with the rake and then repeat the vacuuming step.
Do this as many times as necessary, until you achieve the desired effect. Just be careful not to be too aggressive with the rake, as you really want to avoid as much pulling and tearing of fibers as possible. If you’re having particular troubles with one spot, you could go in with some of the water and vinegar solution mentioned in the first method, or with a little heat as outlined in the second, and then go back in with the rake once the fibers are a little more flexible.
Once you’re happy with the look of the carpet, vacuum once again and then groom with a stiff brush or comb. Move the carpet in vertical, horizontal, and circular directions to get that really fluffy, voluminous look.
Maintaining Your Fluffy Carpet
Once you have restored your carpet to its full fluffiness, you’re probably wondering how best to keep it this way without the need for frequent deep cleans and treatment sessions.
Well, each of these methods can be adapted to offer a quick re-fresh for your carpet. Once a month, before vacuuming, go in with the baking soda method to remove any dirt and stains that might be weighing your carpet down. Rake this through the carpet and then go in with your regular vacuum. For any really tough spots, just go in again with the heat method!
In areas of high traffic, such as staircases or entryways, it’s a good idea to keep a good quality stiff-bristled brush to hand. This can then be used every now and then to loosen any flattened areas and prevent lasting damage to the carpet.
Depending on the size of your space, these methods should be pretty efficient and extremely cost-effective, so they’re super easy to combine and implement into your regular routine.
Additionally, it’s also important that any spills are cleaned up as soon as possible. Leaving liquids or debris to sit on the carpet is likely to lead to matting and flattening of the fibers. By cleaning these off immediately, you avoid lasting damage and unpleasant odors within your carpet.
Related: How to Unclog a Vacuum Hose
Final Thoughts on How to Unflatten Carpet
Stepping onto a fresh, clean, and fluffy carpet is one of the small pleasures in life. A good-quality, well-maintained carpet can truly transform the look and feel of your home. With that being said, maintaining that fluffy, fresh look can also require a lot of work and ongoing effort. When carpets are walked on frequently, or have lots of furniture weighing them down, they can quickly become flattened and worn, losing that comfortable, inviting look!
Carpets can be expensive investments, particularly if you’re working with a large space; so when they lose that initial bouncy, fluffy feel, it can be disheartening and frustrating. But all is not lost! As we’ve detailed above on how to fluff up your carpet, there are several steps you can take that will give you back that fluffy, fresh-looking carpet finish. By using some of these basic techniques and methods, you should be able to restore your carpet to its former glory.
The maintenance and prevention tips listed above will also enable you to keep your carpet looking great consistently, without the need for too much effort or any harsh or expensive chemical cleaning products.