How to lift your carpet pile

Carpet is one of the most popular floorings for homes in the UK, particularly in rooms where we want to feel cosy like our bedrooms and living rooms. It can stand the test of time thanks to its strong fibres and bright colours, but it’s no secret that after a long time of having heavy furniture on top of it or being in a busy area, carpet pile can begin to look rather flat.

If your carpet is beginning to look a little flat and you’re unsure of how to bring it back to life again, then this is the perfect guide for you. We’ll take you through the different ways in which your carpet pile can be flattened, and then how to lift a carpet to make it look good as new. We’ll also have some preventative tips to ensure you don’t need to lift your carpet pile as regularly.

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What is a carpet pile?

Going back to basics, the pile of your carpet are the loops that make up your carpet. The loops can affect the look, feel, and thickness of your carpet, and come in several different styles. There are loop pile carpets, woven carpets, and Saxony or twist carpets too. Each of these piles is made in a unique way to give a different look and feel to the carpet.

They also have different densities and resistance levels, meaning that some are much more hardwearing, without having to regularly lift the carpet pile. For example, loop pile carpets are particularly dense and great for busy areas as they bounce back easily, while velvet carpets have a sheared surface pile, which can shade easily when walked over or even vacuumed! Velvet carpets are very luxurious, but best kept to quieter rooms.

However, it won’t matter how dense the pile of your carpet is – over time, it will begin to flatten, and we’d much rather have fluffy, springy carpets in our homes! So, there’s no better time than the present to learn how to lift a carpet to give it a new lease of life.

How to lift the pile on your carpet

There are some basic ways to lift the pile of your carpet:

Vacuum your carpet
Fluff your carpet pile with your fingers or a brush
Use a warm iron covered with a damp cloth on flat patches – be very careful with this one, and go gently so as not to burn any of your carpet fibres!
Melt ice cubes into your carpet pile and brush the fibres when dry

Here’s a more in-depth look at how to use these tactics on different problem areas.

How to lift the pile of your carpet – furniture marks

Vacuum – running the hoover over your carpet will help to pick up any extra debris and dirt which can get in the way of whichever carpet treatment you opt for. It also helps to move the carpet fibres around, causing them to look fuller and fluffier.
Grab some ice cubes – this is a tried and tested method of getting furniture indentations out of your carpet pile. Fill the indentations with the ice cubes and let them melt completely. Then use your fingers or a strong brush to brush the carpet fibres up and repeat the process if you’re not 100% satisfied. Try not to repeat the process too many times, as your carpet doesn’t like too much water, and neither will your subfloors!
Vacuum – get that hoover back out of the cupboard and run it once more over the dry carpet to see your carpet fibres come back to life.

How to lift the pile of your carpet – busy areas

Vacuum – begin the process as you would with furniture indentations, by running the vacuum over the flattened carpet. The suction from the vacuum will help to pull the fibres upwards, making them look springier and fuller.
Get your iron and a damp cloth – using an old towel or a thick cloth, wet and wring it out so you have a damp, thick barrier between the carpet and the iron. Iron on medium heat, as you don’t want to damage the towel/cloth on too high a heat, but you also won’t nudge the flattened fibres if the iron is too cool. Move the iron around for 60 seconds, never letting it touch the carpet directly.
Fluff the fibres – using your fingers or a brush, fluff the fibres to make them similar to the rest of your carpet. You can also use the edge of a spoon or even a hairpin if the fibres are particularly small.

How to lift the pile of your carpet – entire carpets

The previous methods are great for small areas of carpet, but you don’t want to iron your entire living room or bedroom carpet. If you have an entire carpet to rejuvenate, try this overnight method:

Get some baking soda – sprinkle a layer of baking soda over your entire carpet, using a stiff brush to get it into the fibres of the carpet without damaging them.
Allow the baking soda to sit on your carpet overnight - it even cleans your carpet while it’s on there, killing off bacteria and bad smells.
Spray water and vinegar – get a spray bottle filled with 50% water and 50% vinegar (white/clear is best). Spray all over the carpet, enough that the carpet is damp with the mixture. Don’t worry about the smell, it will go away after a few hours. Most important to note is you should give enough time between vacuuming the baking soda and spraying the vinegar mixture, as the combination of the two can result in a sticky mess that will take even longer to clean up!

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How to prevent lifting your carpet pile again

Now that you’ve gone through the stages of lifting your carpet pile, you’d probably like to ensure you don’t have to lift your carpet pile again for a while! Here are some top tips for keeping your carpet pile looking luscious and lively:

Move your furniture regularly. Keeping heavy objects in one position will easily cause indentations, so just moving them a little bit each day allows the fibres time to readjust, keeping them from flattening too much.
Put down a rug or furniture foot pads. Having a barrier between your carpet and the furniture you’re putting on top of it can help to relieve the pressure and weight on the carpet fibres. Felt pads are one of the best solutions as they have similar resistance to the carpet fibres and therefore won’t crush them as solid furniture would.
Buy high-quality carpets. Ensuring your carpets are high quality will make all the difference with flattening – better quality fibres will have much more resistance to flattening than low-quality carpets. For peace of mind, get your new carpets from Tapi.

Check out our guide on cleaning a carpet for more helpful tips on how to look after your carpets and keep them in tip-top-Tapi condition. If you’d like to speak to one of our Floorologists about your carpet, then why not pop down to your local Tapi store.

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Post author

Jeremy Garrish Buyer Jeremy has 35 years of carpet industry knowledge

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Published: 19-08-2022