What are your best tips for getting a rug to lay flat?
Getting rugs to lay flat can be quite tricky. Our number one tip is to do what you can to keep the problem from arising in the first place.
The way that you store your rugs will have a huge impact on how well they lay. Never fold your rugs. Folding puts stress and stretches them. Once they have a stretched hump, it is very difficult to get the original shape back. You can try spritzing them with water or steaming them, and then hitting it with a hair dryer to try to shrink it back. Be sure to protect any wood floors underneath when doing this.
Standing rolled rugs upright can cause the same problem, especially for large rugs, where the weight of the rug will cause them to slouch and bend. Heat and humidity will accelerate the stretching issue.
If possible, store your rugs rolled and laid horizontally in a climate controlled environment.
When loading your truck for a staging job, put the rugs on last so that they are the first things to be unloaded. That way the rugs are laid first, before any furniture is brought in and gets in the way. If the edge is curling up, roll it under in the opposite direction and set your bins on top to hold it in place while you stage. By the time you are finished with everything else, the curl should be settled out.
For a stubborn curl, spritz it with a bit of water – again, protecting any wood floors. If spritzing doesn’t do the job, you can try ironing at a low setting, using a paper bag between. Warning: Many carpets are synthetic and can melt (Don’t ask us how we know).
Give the rug some time to sort it out on its own. It may take a while for the fibers to relax, but they usually eventually will on their own.
For more info on how to store your rugs, check out this blog:
https://www.stagingstudio.com/blog/how-to-store-rugs-in-your-home-staging-warehouse
Staging Studio’s goal is to ensure that every stager has access to the best resources that will rocket their staging business to success. Debbie, and her best friend-turned-business-partner Julie Young, foster a supportive staging community with their free Facebook group, Staging Studio Society, and an award-winning staging blog full of the latest trends, news, and more from the staging industry.
Together with other industry leaders, Debbie and Julie co-authored the Amazon #1 bestseller, Marketing for the Staging + Design Industry. Debbie and Julie have won numerous awards for their staging and training program, including RESA Real Estate Staging Industry’s Most Influential People; RESA Top Ten Luxury Vacant Staging Team of the Year RESA; RESA Top Ten Home Stager of the Year - Vacant; HSRA Top Five Staging Companies; Freshome Best Interior Designers; and Feedspot Top Home Staging Blogs for StagingStudio.com/blog.
Staging Studio is built on the belief that the home staging industry should be open to anyone who loves home decor and has an entrepreneurial drive. That’s why they work to keep tuition low and donate 10% of all course fees. Those funds go to scholarships for Staging Studio students, to help them get the training they need to run a profitable business, and to nonprofits that benefit women and children.
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