Method for treating a nonwoven material, namely for bulking a nonwoven material, comprising the following steps: - providing a web-like nonwoven material having a web plane, a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, wherein the nonwoven material has, in the transverse direction, a first effective transverse extension Q1, a first thickness D1, and a first weight per unit area FG1, in each case within the first effective transverse extension Q1, - conveying the nonwoven material in a machine direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the web-like nonwoven material, - wherein the nonwoven material is a thermobonded non-woven material which is carded in the longitudinal direction and machine direction and which, as a result of the thermobonding, has a plurality of fusion bonds between fibers of the nonwoven material, - feeding the nonwoven material to a stretching station, - stretching the nonwoven material in the stretching station in the transverse direction, orthogonal to the machine direction, and in the web plane, such that at least some of the fusion bonds are broken and detached, - wherein a second effective transverse extension Q2, and a second thickness D2 and a second weight per unit area FG2, in each case within the second effective transverse extension Q2, are formed in the nonwoven material as a result of the stretching and after removal of a measure effecting the stretching, - wherein the second effective transverse extension Q2 is greater than the first effective transverse extension Q1, - wherein the second weight per unit area FG2 is smaller than the first weight per unit area FG1, wherein the second thickness D2 is greater than the first thickness D1. - providing a web-like nonwoven material having a web plane, a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, wherein the nonwoven material has, in the transverse direction, a first effective transverse extension Q1, a first thickness D1, and a first weight per unit area FG1, in each case within the first effective transverse extension Q1, - conveying the nonwoven material in a machine direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the web-like nonwoven material, - wherein the nonwoven material is a thermobonded non-woven material which is carded in the longitudinal direction and machine direction and which, as a result of the thermobonding, has a plurality of fusion bonds between fibers of the nonwoven material, - feeding the nonwoven material to a stretching station, - stretching the nonwoven material in the stretching station in the transverse direction, orthogonal to the machine direction, and in the web plane, such that at least some of the fusion bonds are broken and detached, - wherein a second effective transverse extension Q2, and a second thickness D2 and a second weight per unit area FG2, in each case within the second effective transverse extension Q2, are formed in the nonwoven material as a result of the stretching and after removal of a measure effecting the stretching, - wherein the second effective transverse extension Q2 is greater than the first effective transverse extension Q1, - wherein the second weight per unit area FG2 is smaller than the first weight per unit area FG1,