Loose Carpet Bumps

Expansion/Contraction

• Carpets are prone to expand during the warm summer months and contract during the winter. A carpet with bumps in the summer may not have them in the winter simply from the expansion and contraction of its woven fibers. With an adequately insulated room and setting the thermostat at an mild temperature, drastic temperature fluctuations in the space can be avoided.

Correcting the Installation

• Perhaps, in the original installation, the carpet was installed improperly. This can be corrected by reinstalling the carpet. Clear the room of furniture, and roll up the carpet. Inspect the tack strips that grip the underside of the carpet's edges -- make sure that there are enough of them installed around the interior. Check the perimeter of the room. Hammer down additional tack strips where needed.

  Position the carpet roll at one end of the room, and roll it out, laying its edges onto the tack strips. Use a carpet stretcher to stretch the carpet over the tack strips and a knee kicker to attach its edges to the tack strips. Work your way around the room, starting from the center of a wall to its corners.

Re-Stretching

• Re-stretching is necessary when a carpet has expanded from heat or use and now has bumps in it. This is often seen in carpets installed in late winter -- when it's very cold but often quickly followed by a warm spring. It is not necessary to remove the entire carpet to re-stretch it. Instead, working in the areas of the bumps, loosen the carpet's edges, and use a carpet stretcher to stretch the carpet, starting from the interior of the carpet and working toward its edge. Tack the carpet back down with a knee kicker.

Carpet Maintenance

• It is also wise to investigate the percentage of moisture in the room's air. Increased humidity causes condensation that permeates the carpet with moisture. This moisture not only contributes to carpet expansion. It can also encourage mold and mildew development and shorten the life of the carpet.

  Carpet maintenance includes regular vacuuming, periodic deep cleaning and proper ventilation. In humid air, regular use of a dehumidifier removes and condenses the moisture from the air into water that can be poured down the drain. Regular carpet maintenance will lessen the development of carpet bumps.