How to Fix a Carpet Dent from Heavy Furniture

Robert Anderson from Curtain Clean (Hawkes Bay Chem-Dry)

It’s a moment of horror – moving a piece of furniture and realizing what it’s done to the carpet. In fact, some people even refuse to move their furniture around because they don’t know how to get rid of the carpet dents that the heavy pieces have left. Luckily, there is a fix!

The only things you’ll need are ice cubes, and a vacuum or hairbrush.
1. Place an ice cube on the dent. If the dent is large or long, use extra ice cubes as needed
2. Allow the ice cubes to melt.
3. Once the ice cubes have melted, the carpet will fluff back up.
4. After the area has dried, vacuum over the dents or gently use a hairbrush to further fluff the carpet if needed.

Additional Tips:
Moving furniture a few inches at regular intervals can help prevent carpet dents from becoming severe. Every couple months, scoot the couch or other heavy items a couple inches to one side and fluff up the dents. If this is done, the dent can often be fluffed simply with your fingers; no water necessary.

Scraping a coin over the dent can also work to fluff it up if your fingers alone aren’t getting the pile back up.

Another method of fluffing the carpet is to use a spray mister to slightly wet the dent, then use a hair dryer on warm or cool air (holding it several inches away from the carpet) to dry the area while gently fluffing up the pile with your fingers or a hairbrush.

Another method of fluffing the carpet is to use steam. Hold a clothing or upholstery steamer several inches above the carpet and quickly blast the dent with steam. Let the dent cool, then use your fingers or a hairbrush to fluff it up. However, most carpets are nylon, and nylon can melt easily, so it’s best to test the steam on a small hidden area first, such as in the corner of a closet, to see how the carpet fibres react to the heat. Again, be sure to hold the steamer several inches away from the carpet when applying the steam.