Why Do Carpets Buckle And Wrinkle?
As the years go by, your carpets experience more use and more incidents. One result of incidents is your carpet buckling or wrinkling. Playing with the wrinkles in the carpet is something we remember doing as kids. Stepping on the wrinkle to see it pop up somewhere else on the carpet was hours of entertainment. Unfortunately, a buckling carpet and the wrinkles are tripping hazards and ruin your carpets. Most cases of buckling carpets can be fixed with a carpet stretcher, but it’s important to know why it happened to prevent it from happening in the future. It’s time to fix your carpets!
Moisture
The most common cause for buckling carpets is moisture on the carpets. After a spill, an improper steam clean, or flood, carpet fibers soak up the liquid and expand. If left untreated, the fibers can move before it is completely dry, creating buckles and wrinkles. Extra moisture on your carpets can’t always be avoided, but how you fix it is the key. Be sure to dab the area with towels and set out fans to dry the carpets quickly.
Humidity
High humidity in your home or office can act the same as moisture on your carpets, except on a larger scale. Places like Minnesota that get all four seasons have higher humidity in the summer months, contrasting the dry cold of the winter. What makes humidity worse than spills is the constant moisture from the air going into the carpets throughout the day. If you suspect high humidity to be a factor to your buckling carpets, a hygrometer can measure the humidity levels in your home or office. Once confirmed, a dehumidifier is the best solution to keep your carpets from wrinkling.
Heavy Furniture
If you’ve ever moved, you know the drag it is to move your heavy furniture, both literally and figuratively. Carpets are held together with multiple layers to hold together the carpet fibers and provide comfort. Dragging heavy furniture on a carpet can separate these layers, moving the top and creating a wrinkle. To prevent this from happening, use lifts or carts to move your furniture across or off of the carpets.
Delamination
As previously mentioned, carpets have multiple layers for comfort and stability. The main two layers are called the primary and secondary layers with the primary being responsible for holding the carpet fibers together and the secondary being responsible for supporting the integrity of the carpet with bonding. Both of these main layers have backings, which can separate. This is called delamination. It can happen for two reasons: poor installation or moisture. Check out our section on moisture to know what you can do to avoid it. Unfortunately, poor installation is not easy to avoid. Your best course of action is to get your carpets stretched or replaced.
If your carpets need a little extra care, consider a professional carpet cleaning. Our unique process doesn’t use water, getting a deep clean without the complications of damp carpets. Contact us to request a quote!