I tried this ice cube hack to remove a carpet dent in 3 steps

Table legs on blue rug (Image credit: Shutterstock)

It’s always annoying after rearranging furniture to find a dent (or two) in your plush carpet or rugs. These unsightly impressions are usually left from heavy furniture such as sofas, coffee tables, or chairs resting on top of them, and can often ruin the overall aesthetic.

The good news is most carpet dents are not permanent, and can be fixed by a rather unusual hack. This trick involves a simple household item — an ice cube. Yes, you heard right! The humble ice cube could well be the quick-fix solution to your carpet dent problems. Which is particularly handy if you have to move out of a rental apartment, or want to decorate a rental property without annoying your landlord.

Best of all, you don’t even have to buy expensive tools or products to get your carpets in top shape again. So, if you want an easy method, here’s what happened when I tried this ice cube hack to remove a carpet dent.

How to remove carpet dents with an ice cube

1. First, place a large ice cube to cover the area of the carpet dent. Depending on the size of the indentation, you may have to use two or three ice cubes.

Admittedly, I don’t have carpeting in my home, except for the stairs and upper landing. So to be able to do this trick, I left a heavy stool on the carpet for a few hours or so, until a dent was clearly visible.

2. Next, leave the ice to melt completely into the area. This can take from one hour to two, depending on your room temperature. Once melted, use a sponge to blot away excess water. If it’s a large area, you may need a dish towel to absorb any moisture, and eliminate any mess.

Dent in beige carpet (Image credit: Shutterstock)

3. Now for the tricky part. To get the fibers back into shape, gently lift up the compressed carpet threads with a spoon or even a coin to get it back to its original form. This might take a while (and patience!). However, the carpet does appear to be dent-free, and evened out.

Two ice cubes on carpet dent (Image credit: Shutterstock)

How does the ice cube hack work?

Ice cubes in a tray on a cutting board (Image credit: Shutterstock)

The idea is that once the ice cubes melt into the carpet dent, the fibers will soak up the water and rise. So once water is absorbed, the compressed fibers will naturally inflate back to its original shape. Who knew?

Of course, if you find the ice cube trick doesn’t work on your carpet dents, you can call in a professional carpet cleaning service that might be able to fix them. However, it’s recommended that if your carpets are 10 years old or more, it might be time to replace them. In any case, at least you know a simple and handy solution to banish those unsightly carpet dents, and look as good as new!

If your carpets have seen better days, here’s how to clean carpets, or how to clean a rug. Also, if you're looking to upgrade to one of the best vacuum cleaners, these are 5 things to look out for before buying a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Or you might want one of the best robot vacuums to do all the work for you instead!

As the Homes Content Editor, Cynthia Lawrence covers all things homes, interior decorating, and garden-related. She has a wealth of editorial experience testing the latest, ‘must-have’ home appliances, writing buying guides and the handy ‘how to’ features.

Her work has been published in various titles including, T3, Top Ten Reviews, Ideal Home, Real Homes, Livingetc. and House Beautiful, amongst many.

With a rather unhealthy obsession for all things homes and interiors, she also has an interior design blog for style inspiration and savvy storage solutions (get rid of that clutter!). When she’s not testing cool products, she’ll be searching online for more decor ideas to spruce up her family home or looking for a great bargain!