Occasionally, the current arrangement of furniture in your home might start to feel stagnant. After the winter months pass, many households take the opportunity of spring cleaning to spruce up the décor by adjusting furniture positions. In fact, if you keep your window shades open to let in natural light, rearranging the furniture helps to avoid gradual discolorations from carpet and upholstery fading. But shifting your sofa, bookcase, coffee table, or favorite recliner might expose another reason to periodically reposition the furniture: indentations where the furniture met the carpet.
If not moved frequently, the weight of furniture forces the carpet fibers underneath to stay in that dented position. With enough passing of time, it becomes increasingly difficult to restore them to the same condition as the rest of your carpet pile. Fortunately, there are simple methods that could reduce or even eliminate dents in your carpet.
The Hot and Cold Treatments for Carpet Dents
Some homeowners have success by placing an ice cube over the dent and letting it melt. The cold water often revitalizes the carpet fibers. If the ice cube hasn’t fully melted in an hour or two, remove the remainder and use a towel to soak up the water that melted into the carpet. Lightly vacuuming and then brushing the area allows the affected carpet fibers to return to their original position.
If cold doesn’t do the trick, applying heat is often effective. Place a damp towel over the dented fibers, then use an iron or hair dryer to steam the area. The steam helps to loosen the fibers from their dented position. Be very careful, however – keep watching and testing the heated area to make sure the heat does not singe or damage the carpet fibers. While the fibers are still warm and relaxed, use a brush to lightly fluff the fibers to match the rest of the carpet. If neither of these methods seem to remove carpet dents, contact Preferred Carpet Care in Redding for assistance.
Carpet Dent Prevention
Another way to stop these dents from forming is to spread the weight of the furniture over a larger area of the carpet. You can do this by placing furniture disks under the feet of your furniture or placing a large piece of wood or other device under the edges or bottom of your bookcase or lampstand. Your carpet may still develop dents, but they won’t be as deep, and your carpet will be able to recover more easily.
While this method might work for sofas, beds, and stands, it might be counter-productive to use furniture disks under chairs and dinner tables. The best option for such furniture is to move them a few inches every two or three months. This allows the forming dents to recover instead of becoming permanent, allowing the fibers a reprieve.
There are times when the dents just won’t go away. That’s simply because they need stronger restoration methods, ones with a professional, experienced touch. Thankfully, Preferred Carpet Care in Redding fills that role. Our training from the IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) provides us with the knowledge and skill to remove carpet dents with powerful steam cleaning for carpets. If you are tired of seeing dents in your carpet, give us a call or schedule an appointment online. We’re happy to restore your carpet to it’s fresh, fluffy condition.