Moving into a new residence can come with a few surprises. If you move into a new home or apartment that already has carpeting, you may have to deal with carpet indentations. Or, you may notice these unsightly markings after rearranging some of your own furniture. Here is how you can deal with and prevent carpet indentations.

Carpet dents can occur with essentially every type of carpet and furniture. Even natural fiber carpets with stronger fibers are not completely immune to this problem. Under the right kind of pressure, carpet dents can happen anywhere with heavy and sometimes light furniture. Most of the time these marks will go away once the pressure is removed. Other carpet dents will require additional treatment in order to fully resolve them.

The best thing is to prevent carpet dents from even happening in the first place. Prevention can save you from potentially having to replace your carpet in the near future. Any heavy furniture item should have some layer of protection between it and the carpet. Known as castors or coasters, these carpet protectors are widely available in most furniture stores. When you purchase your furniture, you can also ask for protection that will work specifically with the pieces you buy. These will typically work by helping to distribute the weight evenly through the carpet.

Moving your furniture more frequently is another way to practice prevention. Having your carpets professionally cleaned on a regular schedule can also help to restore the carpet pile. For home offices, you may need additional protections. If you have a rolling chair, you will need plastic matting designed to protect the carpet and prevent tearing and damage.

Some dents can be removed through cooling. Place ice cubes on the dented area and allow it to melt. Use a clean towel or sponge to absorb all of the moisture. Then use a carpet rake or fork to carefully and gently lift the fibers. If that doesn't work, it may respond better to heat. You can apply steam heat to the area. Test a small area of your carpet prior to using high levels of heat in order to prevent damage. After the fibers have been heated, use the same method as previously to try to lift up the fibers. Keep in mind that over time the carpet pile will return to normal.

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