Remove a dent in your carpet

10 minutes
Professional cost £67: To patch a 20cm x 20m area
DIY cost Free
1 out of 5 1

You will need
  1. • Steam iron
  2. • Coin
  3. * Ice cubes

Heavy furniture left standing in one place will leave dents in your carpet, as will the feet of chairs that have to take the weight of your frame. How you eradicate these blemishes depends on the severity of the dent.

For a small dent

Fire up a steam iron and hold it 15cm above the dent until the carpet becomes moist. Once moist, work the fibres of the carpet back and forth with the edge of a coin until they're standing proud once more. Alternatively, an ice cube left to melt on the dent will also reinvigorate the fibres. Sponge up the excess water before working the carpet back to life with your coin.

For a deep dent

Dampen a tea towel or bath towel and lay it over the affected area. Apply gentle pressure to the dent with an iron switched on to the wool or cotton setting, then leave the towel in place until it has dried fully. The heat plus the moisture can often combine to miraculously lift the dent.

Stain buster: treating soft furnishing

Act quickly and don't use hot water or soap as these can set many stains. Try cool water, or soda water. Dab with a paper towel. Alternatively, mix 50ml of biological detergent in five litres of lukewarm water and apply the foam with a sponge. If that doesn't work, identify the stain and tackle with the appropriate remover.

Wine, ink, newsprint and red juice: use milk, applied with a sponge. Remove excess milk with washing-up liquid.

Old wine, coffee and tea: moisten the area with water, then dampen with glycerine, rubbing in with your finger. Another solution is to mix half a teaspoon of borax substitute with a tablespoon of water and drip over the stain. When it turns black, rinse with cool water.

Blood: remove with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and apply with a clean white cloth.

Grease spots: use diluted washing-up liquid. Only add a drop of it to the water otherwise you'll spend an age getting rid of the excess bubbles. Alternatively, for grease spots on delicate silk upholstery, dust with cornflour, leave for 10 minutes then brush it off with a dry, clean cloth.

Crayon, lipstick and other tough stains: use WD40. Don't apply directly (it will leave stains), but with a cloth. Remove left-over grease with washing-up liquid. Also suitable for marks on walls.

As a last resort: get out the methylated spirits and ammonia. Ventilate the room well, wear a mask and gloves, and ensure children and pets are very far away. It can irritate the eyes, skin and throat and exposure can cause serious health problems.Apply a 50/50 mixture to the stain with a clean white cloth and rinse thoroughly with water. Repeatedly dab with vinegar:

this acid will­ neutralise the alkaline ammonia.

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