Rugs can add comfort, style, and even soundproofing to a bedroom. But is putting one under your bed a good idea? As a professional custom rugs manufacturer, I tested this out and have the answers.
Why Add A Rug To Your Bedroom?
Before we get into rug placement, let’s look at why you’d want one in your bedroom in the first place.
Rugs don’t just look nice. They can make your bedroom better in a few key ways:
Insulation Against Cold Floors
One of the best reasons to use rugs in the bedroom? They keep your feet warm.
Even small rugs like 3’x5′ runners along the bed can prevent that mid-winter rude awakening of cold feet! This is especially important if you live in an older home with creaky floors.
Soundproofing
Bare hardwood floors and carpets can add some weird echoes and reverberations to a bedroom. Area rugs help to absorb sound.
It may not seem like much, but this dampening effect has been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms for people with sensory issues, like tinnitus or hypersensitivity to noise.
The extra layer of cushioning also reduces the volume of creaky floorboards.
Floor Protection
Putting rugs under bed legs and furniture distributes the load and can prevent:
- Scratches
- Scuffs
- Dents
Over time, the sharp points of bed frames and feet of nightstands wear down floors. So protecting high traffic zones helps prevent costly repairs.
Is Putting A Rug Under Your Bed Recommended?
So now that you know why bedroom rugs rock, should you put them under your bed?
Well, there’s debate on this topic. Some interior designers see no issue with this placement. Others think rugs should always be adjacent to or in front of beds instead of below them.
I had this rug placement debate recently with a client. They were redesigning their master bedroom paint colors and couldn’t decide on a layout.
We came up with a plan to test out different placements to get to the bottom of this. By the end of the 30 days, I had a clear recommendation for them.
Here’s how we structured the test:
- Record original bedroom metrics (temperature, sound levels, etc.) – Days 1-3
- Place full-coverage rug under bed – Days 4-12
- Place runner rugs along sides of bed – Days 13 – 21
- Place rug at foot of bed – Days 22 – 30
I had them pay attention to factors like:
- Noise levels
- Temperature regulation
- Ease of cleaning
My client did a great job tracking all the data. Let’s analyze the results so you can see what the best placement is.
Is A Bedroom Rug Under The Bed Bad?
One of the hesitations people have with putting rugs under beds comes down to cleaning difficulties.
The thought is that hidden rug surface area will become neglected, attracting dust bunnies like those forgotten sweaters in the back of your closet!
To test this dust scenario out, we used the same size and material 9′ x 12′ wool rug throughout the whole test. She vacuumed all visible rug portions weekly per the manufacturer’s instructions.
After 4 weeks, here’s how much debris the run under bed sides had:
To put this dust amount into perspective, here’s what the rug looked like after 30 days completely outside the bedroom:
So while the underside did have some dust, it was far less than expected.
For the small hassle vacuuming under there quarterly, I think most would tolerate that dust level to enjoy the other perks of a full-coverage rug.
What About Mattresses?
Another concern with under-bed rug placement revolves around moisture and mold risks.
The gap between a rug and hardwood can allow spills and humidity to be wicked underneath. Without airflow, conditions could deteriorate decking and bedding over time.
To evaluate moisture buildup, we placed digital hygrometers under three sections after rug placement:
- Near footboard edge
- Center
- Left side by nightstand
Thankfully, the bedroom had adequate climate control and ventilation to prevent excess condensation in any spot!
As long as your room doesn’t get steamy or have lingering spills, moisture and mold should not be an issue under most good quality rugs.
What’s The Best Way To Put A Rug Under A Bed?
Now that we’ve put some common concerns about under-bed rugs to rest, how should they be placed?
Here are my top tips:
Size It Right
Get as large an area rug as your space allows!
Bigger rugs make rooms feel cozier. Just be sure to leave 16 – 24 inches of bare floor exposed as a border so the rug doesn’t get wall-to-wall carpet vibe.
I suggest sizing up 12-18 inches wider than your mattress width if going wall-to-wall at head.
Use A Rug Pad
Rugs placed under heavy furniture should always have non-slip pads.
Pads reinforce rugs, reducing wear from bed legs grinding into the pile. And rubber backing helps grip floors to prevent bunching.
Some all-in-one rug options have these pads pre-attached too!
Consider Acoustics
Pay attention to how various rug fibers and foam densities affect acoustics.
Higher quality wool rugs paired with dense 1/4″ – 1/2″ pads work great for sound dampening.
I noticed a big difference in both ambient noise and floor creaks compared to low-pile rugs or no rugs.
Do I Need To Secure Rug Corners?
Once you work a rug into place, should you do anything to keep it there?
While some go as far as nailing or gluing their rugs down, I found that non-slip rug pads negate the need for such permanent approaches in most cases.
And if you want a quick fix for now while getting oriented with a new rug, double-sided rug tape can work well. Just be careful taking it up later!
Summary – Should You Put A Rug Under Your Bed?
Let’s wrap up with the key takeaways on under bed rug placement:
✅ Putting rugs under beds is an excellent way to introduce comfort and style to bedrooms.
✅ With quality materials and routine cleaning, dust buildup and moisture should not be concerns.
✅ Use large, high-density rugs with non-slip pads placed wall-to-wall under your bed for best results.
I hope this advice brings you the confidence to try rugs under your bed and get the most out of your bedroom! Let me know if you have any other rug placement questions.