About a year ago I made a long-awaited area rug purchase for my dining room. We chose a Ruggable because we thought it would be the most ‘washable’ type rug to put under a table that a family of five eats at. However, a more apt name might have been Struggable.
When it arrived, I was very pleased with the look and shape in our space. It was just the right size – my measuring and taping had paid off. And I loved the look of the distressed print. However, over time, as we used the rug and went about our lives, a major problem crept up: the edges started to curl up and they would stay curled up no matter how many times I smoothed them out. And then, once they were curled, the kids would catch the edges with their toes when they walked through, or worse, they would reinforce the curl by stepping on it. UGH. The corners are weighted so they always stayed in place. But the sides of the rug were no match for the high traffic location of the rug edge – between the kitchen and the dining room.
BEFORE:
I tried googling a solution but the only real suggestion I could find was to steam the edges weekly. With wood floors, I knew there was no way this was a possibility for me. Plus, I don’t own a steamer and weekly rug maintenance was not something I signed up for.
I tried crowdsourcing via Instagram. There were many folks offering solutions and just as many commiserating. Some of the suggestions included ironing and rug tape.
I contemplated finding a dumpster. I even mentally pictured myself dumping the rug, that’s how frustrated I was. I was so tired of a disheveled-looking rug cluttering up my space.
But ultimately, I knew that would be terribly wasteful, and my husband and I figured there must be away to salvage it. Eventually, he threw out the idea of adhering something flat and weighted to the bottom of the rug edges. He even talked about making something to put on there. We remembered the tape suggestion and then had the idea to order thick, double-sided tape, but only adhere it to the rug and not the floor. (We didn’t want to do anything that would potentially mar our oak floors.) This is the product we eventually ordered:
We put them on the bottom of the edges of the rug on November 20th, and it has worked like a charm! I almost forgot about the whole debacle. I haven’t touched my rug, other than walking over it and it looks so much better.
AFTER:
Stella and Leidy agree. If you’re struggling with curling edges on your Ruggable (or any other area rug), I hope this helps! And for the curious, my rug is the Kamran Hazel Rug with the Classic Rug Pad underneath.
This post is not sponsored, but it does contain affiliate links.
Have you washed the rug yet? Curious how easy it fit and washed. Thank you for this post:) I have been considering the purchase of a Ruggable.
I have this question too!!!
Hi Kate and Anne! I have NOT washed my rug. I am not sure I will unless I feel in dire straights about how dirty it is. But I have done lots of spot cleaning and it cleans up well. To be honest I am scared to put in the wash! Feels like a job. But the top layer, aka the rug, is pretty thin so I think it will fit in my (full size) washer just fine. BUT, I have not done it. As for the strips, I’ll pull them off and re-use them. They are supposed to be reusable.
Hahaha it DOES sound like a job! I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve visualized myself stuffing a Ruggable into my washer… will it work? I’m stressed just imagining it!
Okay, that’s good feedback, thank you!! I super appreciate real-life experiences – especially when it’s a common problem that you can’t seem to get the right solution for through googling (looking at you new LG TV menu!!).
Thanks!!!