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Five Tips for Keeping Rugs and Carpets as Safe as Possible

Updated: Feb 2, 2022

Rugs and carpets are a huge tripping hazard. They can slip and slide on flooring or develop worn spots that create problems. Learning what to look for and how to deal with potential issues is really important for safety in your senior’s home.

Look for Anything that Slips and Slides

Rugs or carpets that have any sort of slipping or sliding about them could very easily contribute to a fall for your aging adult. Look for carpets or rugs that slip, even a little bit. These are potential trouble spots that you need to correct as soon as possible.

Purchase Throw Rugs with a Non-slip Backing

One of the best ways to deal with this issue is to replace old and worn rugs with newer ones. When you do this, make sure that you look for a rubberized or non-slip backing on the rug. Another option is to purchase a carpet liner. This is a non-slip piece that you can cut to fit under the rug. The grippy surface holds onto both the rug and the hard floor underneath to reduce the likelihood of slippage.

Examine Rugs and Carpets Regularly

Make it a point to look closely at rugs and carpets as often as you can. Weekly is perfectly fine and allows you to spot worn areas and potential problems. When you do spot a problem, do something about it as quickly as possible. Waiting just increases the risk of a fall.

Use Carpet Tape Wherever it’s Safe to Do So

Carpet tape is another option, but you need to be careful with it. Some types of carpet tape use an adhesive that can damage hard flooring. You might want to test the carpet tape in an inconspicuous part of the flooring before you use it over large areas.

Vacuum or Clean Rugs and Carpets Regularly

Regular vacuuming is really important during this process. It’s much more difficult to spot issues on dirty carpeting or flooring, so when you’re regularly cleaning the carpets, you’re going to find inspecting these areas much easier. If rugs are too small to vacuum, taking them outside to shake them out is the next best option.

Hiring home care providers can be a huge help in finding all sorts of tripping and falling hazards. They’re well acquainted with all of the potential issues your senior faces and they can help you to manage those issues on an ongoing basis.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering home care in Bowie MD, please contact the caring staff at Serving You Home Care today. Call 410-980-3145. Proudly Serving the following counties: Montgomery, Prince George, Howard, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Carroll, and Charles.

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