Rippling or buckling of carpet is common after cleaning carpet, especially if the carpet was not properly installed (power-stretched).

Below is an example of a carpet that was already rippled before cleaning from Kennays Carpet Cleaning in Dixon, IL. Per Randy Kennay, “It was like that before I started to clean it.” Kennay’s has been the most trusted carpet care company in northern Illinois since 1991, with a 99% customer retention rate.
Many of our Bane-Clene customers have seen buckling or rippling like this many times, especially when carpet was just knee-kicked-in instead of being properly power-stretched in.

CAUSES of Carpet Rippling, Wrinkling or Buckling:

1. Failure to acclimate new carpet before installation.
2. Failure to power stretch the carpet.
3. Loose tackless strip on concrete sub-floors.
4. Natural tendency of polypropylene backing to “relax” in time.
5. Absorption of moisture by hygroscopic materials.
6. High humidity.
7. Adhesive failure on direct glue installations.
8. Over-wetting during cleaning or flooding.
9. Delamination
10. Dragging Heavy Furniture Across Carpet.
11. Heavy rolling traffic on direct glue-down carpet.
12. Wrong type of carpet padding.

How to Fix or Correct Carpet Rippling:

1. After cleaning - do nothing until humidity stabilizes. The carpet may “re-tighten” once it’s dry.
2. Use a knee kicker to “run the perimeter” of the room.
3. Restretch (double stretch) and trim.

Related Carpet Manufacturing and Fibers Information:

• Delamination
• Zippering of Loop Pile Carpet