How to keep an area rug from creeping on a carpeted floor
Q: I have a 5-by-7-foot area rug in front of a fireplace on a carpeted floor. The rug crawls toward the fireplace, sometimes several inches in a week. This occurs even with end table legs and a recliner base sitting on edges of the rug. Why? And what, if anything, can I do to keep it in place?
A: Carpet and the padding underneath it create too much cushioning for an area rug. When someone walks on it, the foot pressure pushes the rug down; the rug might stretch a bit to accommodate that, but mostly the rug fabric inches toward the pressure point. Placing heavy furniture on edges doesn’t stop that from happening; it just shifts where the movement takes place.
Removing the rug or the carpet is the best option, especially if someone in your household is frail and vulnerable to tripping on a bunched-up rug.
Advertisement
If you want to keep the rug and the carpet, try getting a carpet-to-carpet rug pad. This type differs from the common kinds, which are designed to go under rugs on hard surfaces. Options include the Magic Stop Non-Slip Indoor Rug Pad ($38 on Amazon for one that's 5 by 8 feet) and the Safavieh Pad125 Carpet-to-Carpet Non-Slip Rug Pad ($22.90 for the same size, also on Amazon). Both of these are made of polyester coated with an adhesive that marketing materials claim will last for at least 10 years. You can shorten the pads slightly to fit your rug.
Carpet-to-carpet rug pads perform best under fairly large rugs, such as yours. Even then, don’t be surprised if your rug still has a tendency to creep a bit.
My freezer door pops open every time I close the refrigerator door. I’ve tried using Vaseline, but it only remedied the situation for a few days. Any suggestions?
Advertisement
Ellicott City
You're not alone. General Electric, a maker of refrigerators and freezers, publishes advice about what to do on its Web site (www.geappliances.com). The text begins: "It is not unusual on a two-door refrigerator for one door to pop open when the other door is being closed."
The problem occurs because the two compartments are connected by air channels. Slamming a door shut forces air from one section into the other, forcing that compartment’s door open. You probably use the refrigerator door more often than the freezer, plus the air volume in the freezer is smaller so the added air has more of an effect there.
When a freezer door keeps opening, GE recommends a couple of simple things: Make sure nothing is keeping the doors from closing easily. And put heavier items in the freezer door so it is harder for the air pressure to force it open.
Advertisement
If those don’t do the trick, check whether the refrigerator is level from front to back. If it is, adjust the leveling legs so the front of the refrigerator is slightly higher than the back. That should help the door close and stay closed on its own. If you have a built-in refrigerator, you can’t make this adjustment yourself and should schedule a service call.
GE also makes a recommendation similar to the Vaseline trick you tried, but with a slight difference. The company recommends washing the refrigerator gasket with a solution of one part baking soda to three parts water. Be especially careful to clean the hinge side. Wipe clean and dry. Then rub paraffin wax — not candle wax, the company says — on the hinge side of the gasket.
Have a problem in your home? Send questions to localliving@washpost.com. Put "How To" in the subject line, tell us where you live and try to include a photo.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLmqssSsq7KklWS1sLnEaJ%2Bor12pvG63xJ6nZpmeYq6zscBmqa6fXZu%2FsLmMnKmenaCeu6h5zqdkmmWTlr%2BxsdOem2aenKS8s3uRaWhuZ2BtfHKEjmuZbmxjmoSieZNpnZ9lYWaydnmXmpltZZNsgHqClppobWuUaKy0wM6rsGegpKK5