How to keep your outdoor rug in place

Having trouble with an outdoor rug that is always blowing up and moving around when it catches the wind? Try this simple DIY fix!

One of the strangest parts about our house is that it's elevated with the garage underneath the house. That means not everything is in the traditional location.

For us, we have a patio on the first floor off the garage, but it's not actually right outside the house. But we have done a nice job making it a nice sitting area for when we're outside and playing with the kids.

One of the things we have down there is a really large outdoor rug to cover the slick concrete pad that is the patio. But we have had a lot of problems with it blowing around in the wind.

Heading into summer, we had to find a permanent solution.

Keep your outdoor rug from blowing

Previously, we've tried industrial strength velcro on the edges of the rug, but over time the adhesive gives when when it gets dirty or the rug shifts. On one end of the rug, we have a DIY planter bench to hold it down, but the yard side of the rug is always catching the wind.

The wind gets under the rug and blows it up and it looks bad and is very annoying. So I had the idea to weigh down the rug to keep it from being able to blow up and away.

How to weigh down your outdoor rugs

Before you get started, here's the two things you'll need to get this project done:

• ½" x 3' Flat aluminum rods
• Knife or scissors

Step one: open end seam of rug

Start by flipping your rug upside down. On the edge of the rug, find the seam, specifically the end.

If the end is not open to the inside of the seam, cut a stitch or two to give you access to the inside.

Step two: file down corner of aluminum bars

This step is not mandatory, but it makes it easier. These bars are only ½" wide and about ⅛" thick, so they are easy to file down.

I did the first bar without doing this, then a second bar with it and it was much easier the second time.

File down the corners and end edge into a rounded smooth shape so that they don't catch on the fabric as you slide it in.

Step three: insert bars

Slide a bar from one end of the rug into the seam until it is all the way inside. Work slowly and smoothly, being careful not to bend the aluminum bar as you push.

It's easier to work a couple inches at a time instead of trying to push it really far at once. That can bend the rod and make it harder.

Repeat on the other end with another rod if working on a large rug.

The bars are very lightweight, but their length and weight is just enough to keep the wind from getting under it and letting it curl up. Trust me, I blew it with a leaf blower too to test it and it hasn't happened since.

Step four: enjoy!

I'm so excited that our rug isn't flopping over in the wind anymore! It's so nice that it just stays in place because of this simple little trick.

No more worrying about my kids tripping over the floppy rug or the wheels of my pizza oven cart getting caught up on it.