Is It Normal for Carpet to Buckle After Cleaning?

by | Nov 23, 2022 | Carpet Cleaning

Why did my carpet buckle after cleaning? This is a question many homeowners ask — your carpet likely bulked after shampooing or deep cleaning your carpet. Typically, a carpet does not buckle from regular vacuuming. However, it may buckle slightly from general use and heavy wear and tear, such as moving furniture.

Carpet often buckles after cleaning due to latex displacement — this is when hot water heats the latex, causing it to expand and buckle. However, in most cases, the carpet will straighten itself out once it dries. In the meantime, avoid walking on and using the carpet if possible.

If the carpet does not straighten itself out after cleaning, you may need to re-stretch the carpet. The remainder of this blog post will discuss more on carpet cleaning and bulking — how to prevent it and what to do if the carpet ripples after cleaning and does not go away by itself.

What is carpet buckling?

Carpet buckling is when the edges of the carpet curl inwards, causing the carpet to become unlevel. This leaves what looks like ripples in the carpet — it not only looks bad, but it can also be dangerous, perhaps creating a trip hazard.

There are numerous reasons why your carpet may have buckled, such as moving furniture or other large objects across the carpet, or there being an excessive amount of moisture in the room. However, cleaning your carpet may also cause the carpet to buckle — more on this below.

Why did my carpet buckle after cleaning?

If you’ve cleaned your carpet with a shampoo or other wet cleaning solution, it’s possible that your carpet buckled after cleaning. In most cases, this is completely normal.

But why does this happen? This is due to what is known as latex displacement — when the carpet is stretched, causing it to expand and buckle.

Latex displacement and carpet ripples after cleaning are common.

If you use a steam cleaner or another cleaning solution — especially those that use heat — your carpet may buckle due to excessive heat, perhaps causing the carpet to shrink temporarily. And in some cases, this can cause permanent damage if excessive heat or other elements are used.

How do you fix carpet that is buckling?

If your carpet has buckled after cleaning, the fix is usually an easy one — leave the carpet to fix itself.

Let the carpet dry, and it should return back to its original shape. Avoid walking on the carpet if at all possible while it’s drying to prevent any damage.

However, if your buckled carpet does not return back to normal once dry, the carpet may need to be re-stretched to sit correctly, removing the wrinkles, ripples, and bumps.

Although, we’d avoid re-stretching the carpet yourself as it’s very easy to cause further damage. Instead, we’d recommend working with a professional carpet fitter or carpet cleaner to take care of the job. The last thing you want is to be paying for new carpets!

Choose professional carpet cleaning services to prevent buckling

If you’d rather work with a professional and avoid carpet buckling altogether, then we recommend working with a professional carpet cleaner.

The Eco Clean Team provides professional residential carpet cleaning in San Antonio, Texas, and the surrounding areas. We tackle those hard-to-clean and heavy footfall areas, keeping your carpets clean and ensuring they last a long time.

Get a free carpet cleaning quote in San Antonio, Texas, today.

FAQs

Why did my carpet buckle after shampooing?

Your carpet likely buckled after shampooing due to what is known as latex displacement. However, in most cases, your carpet should return to normal once dry.

How do you straighten a carpet after washing it?

After shampooing or cleaning your carpet, you should avoid walking on it. You need to let the carpet dry fully to let it straighten back out. If it does not straighten by itself after it’s dry, it may need to be re-stretched.

Will carpet buckle after cleaning?

Your carpet is likely to buckle after cleaning, whether that’s large bumps and ripples or smaller bumps in the carpet. But this is completely normal — avoid walking on the carpet to avoid causing damage, though.