Young House Love

Home Decorating, DIY Tutorials, & Shenanigans

  • Shop Our House
  • Our Previous Homes
    • Our Richmond House
    • Our Beach House
    • Our Duplex
  • Before & Afters
    • Our Current House
    • Our Previous House
    • Our Beach House
    • Our Duplex
    • Our First House
    • Our Second House
    • Our Showhouse
  • DIY & Decorating Tips
    • Most Popular
    • Home Improvement
    • Painting
    • Cleaning & Organizing
    • Crafting & Art
    • More . . .
  • Podcast
    • Getting Started
    • Show Notes
  • Shop
    • Our Fav Home Finds
    • Our Lighting Line
    • Our Books
    • Book Club Picks
    • Black-Owned Businesses

Young House Love » Cleaning, Organizing, & Eco » How To Remove Furniture Dents From A Rug

| By John Petersik | November 20, 2008 | 16 Comments

How To Remove Furniture Dents From A Rug

Ever move a piece of furniture and find a big dent in the rug or carpet staring back at you, a constant reminder of where your couch/chair/table once lived?  We recently had a run-in with a few when we transplanted our rug from the living room (under our couch and coffee table) to our guest bedroom:

Img 4778

I had always been a fan of the rub it out with your toe technique… until Sherry taught me a more effective, less foot-crampy way to make those indentations disappear: a simple ice cube. And the method is actually Heloise approved.

Img 4782

Just put an ice cube on the troublesome dent and leave it alone to melt.  As the cold water slowly seeps in, your carpet will rise back up and no one will ever know a couch or coffee table once lived there. Look ma, no dents!

Img 5331

(Just be sure to keep any thirsty chihuahuas away from the ice cubes during the process.)

We’ve also heard you can use a spoon or fork to fluff the rug afterwards, but we’ve never had to resort to that second step since the ice cube seems to work thoroughly enough without any poking or prodding. Oh and many a wool rug is supposedly not the best match for water, but the small amount of liquid contained in the ice cube has never hurt any of our 100% wool ones (like the one pictured above- from JC Penney by the way). Anyone else found success with this trick?  Anyone have another one up their sleeve to share?

More posts from Young House Love

Filed Under: Cleaning, Organizing, & Eco

An In-Cabinet Pinboard For Recipes
A DIY Paw Print Painting (Great Gift For A Pet Lover!)

Comments

  1. Avatar for jbhatjbhat says

    November 20, 2008 at 11:47 am

    You are releasing your inner Heloise. That’s a marvelous tip. Who knew? Seriously? Who figures stuff like that out? Amazing.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for DianaDiana says

    November 20, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    that is incredible. We’re in the process of moving and have so many carpet indentations staring us in the face. I was just racking my brain yesterda as to that trick I read about in readers digest 10 years ago… back before I needed it…
    Thanks so much!

    Reply
  3. Avatar for PamelaPamela says

    November 20, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    ice is also really helpful when removing gum from clothes, carpet anything. (my little brother used to fall asleep with it and get it stuck to the pillow case.)

    i’ve heard a dryer sheet works in that case as well…

    Reply
  4. Avatar for meganmegan says

    November 20, 2008 at 1:16 pm

    I haven’t heard of this before; thanks!
    I don’t have a carpet trick, but one that relates to freezing (one you may have heard). When a candle melts to its glass holder, put it in the freezer for a while and then it is easy to remove.

    Reply
  5. Avatar for StephanieStephanie says

    November 20, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    That’s a great trick! I’ve used the fork before and it does work. Also, if you have a really thick carpet, you can use a pet hairbrush to “brush” out the dent.

    Reply
  6. Avatar for AmberAmber says

    November 20, 2008 at 1:51 pm

    That is a wonderful idea! I’ll have to try that when I go moving furniture around the next time. Thanks!

    Reply
  7. Avatar for Alana @ Gray MattersAlana @ Gray Matters says

    November 20, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    We recently moved into a home where the previous owner had a pool table set up in the living room. Needless to say the dents were large and deep and this trick worked wonders!

    Reply
  8. Avatar for Abbie in COAbbie in CO says

    November 20, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    I used this trick when we moved stuff before putting our house on the market. Worked like a charm!

    Reply
  9. Avatar for AshleyAshley says

    November 20, 2008 at 3:10 pm

    Hehe! I was going to make the dog comment. Ice on a rug surely wouldn’t last too long if Rafa was around.

    Reply
  10. Avatar for KristyKristy says

    November 20, 2008 at 7:57 pm

    I have no carpet tricks but for years I struggled trying to clean old candles and their drippy wax off of glass or ceramic surfaces (ie: the candleholders, etc). I now put them in the freezer and after a few hours take the item out and the wax comes out in one chunk. The temperature change causes the wax to release. It’s glorious I tell ya!

    Reply
  11. Avatar for Diva StyleDiva Style says

    March 2, 2009 at 2:12 pm

    I tried this once on my carpet, but it’s berber, and it didn’t really work. :-/

    Reply
    • Avatar for SeanSean says

      December 26, 2013 at 9:27 pm

      Yaa, with berber carpet it is really difficult to get out carpet indentations. Even professional carpet cleaning that doesn’t even work very often.

  12. Avatar for JaneJane says

    November 23, 2009 at 6:25 pm

    Another good way to get rid of difficult carpet dents is a good blasting with a Shark hand-held steamer or similar brand steamer. Blast, work it with a spoon, blast, work it with a spoon until fluffy again. You have to really get the nozzle down in there and kind of aim it so it’s close to parallel to the floor. I did this all over our 3 bedrooms of berber carpet when we moved out and the house was still for sale.

    Reply
  13. Avatar for MikeMike says

    September 11, 2012 at 4:12 pm

    It’s amazing how simple tricks like this make your life so much easier – and save you money since you don’t have to get a new carpet :)

    Reply
  14. Avatar for BeckyBecky says

    October 15, 2013 at 6:14 pm

    I’ve never even heard of this before…where do you guys come up with these ideas :)

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      October 15, 2013 at 6:56 pm

      I don’t even know where I heard it! I think it’s funny that it’s Heloise approved though!

      xo
      s

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

John and Sherry Sitting On Woven ChairHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
*This site contains ads and affiliate links*
See our disclaimer & privacy policy to learn more

Latest Finds

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

SHOP OUR LIGHTING

Young House Love Shades Of Light Capiz Chandelier

GET POSTS BY EMAIL

We’re Digging

Traditional Rug
The “Magic” Rug
Smokeless Solo Stove Firepit
Smokeless Firepit
Woven Storage Ottoman
Storage Ottoman
Subtle Pink Rug
Our Bedroom Rug
Blue Air 211 Air Purifier
Our Air Purifiers
Faux Potted Olive Tree
Faux Olive Tree
Kohler Memoirs Toilet
Our Favorite Toilet
Soft Striped Rug
Soft Striped Rug
SEE MORE OF OUR FAVORITE FINDS > >

  • About
  • FAQs
  • Press
  • Contact
  • :)

© 2023 Young House Love ® · Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · A Fun Wordpress theme on Genesis Framework · Hosted by Liquid Web