Easy Fixes for Carpet Stains and Dents

The carpets in your home receive a lot of wear and tear over the course of its lifespan. Keep your carpet looking its best with the following tips and tricks for everyday carpet problems.

Whatever you've spilled on your carpet, start by blotting up as much of the liquid as possible with an absorbent white paper towel before dabbing with your solution of choice. Never scrub the carpet — you'll end up pushing the stain deeper into the fibres.

1. Ink stains: Spray the area with WD-40. Leave for 15 minutes before dabbing the stain with a cloth soaked in warm water and detergent. If this doesn't work, try dabbing the stain with a cloth dipped in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.
2. Grease and oil: Sprinkle the mark with salt, baking soda or cornstarch; don't rub it in — allow it to work for at least a couple of hours before vacuuming the area.
3. Fruit juice: Gently work a little shaving cream into the stain, then wipe it away with a damp sponge.
4. Coffee or tea: Sponge on a 50:50 mixture of warm water and white vinegar, then blot the stain clean with an absorbent paper towel.
5. Red wine: Deal with red wine stains as soon as you can after the spill — if left, the stain turns purple and becomes near-impossible to remove. Pour some white wine directly onto the stain; dampen a cloth with cold water and dab the stain to lift out the wine. Alternatively, cover the stain generously with table salt; allow to dry before vacuuming.
6. Pet urine: You'll smell this but may not see it! Buy or borrow an ultraviolet light — it makes urine stains glow in the dark. Mark the outline of the stain in chalk, blot thoroughly and treat with a specialist enzyme cleaner from a pet store or a "biological" washing agent.
7. Mud: Allow the mud to dry completely and vacuum thoroughly using a machine with a beater brush. If marks remain, saturate the stain with soda water then blot with a clean cloth. Repeat until the stain has vanished.

Lay a freezer block, a handful of ice cubes wrapped in a plastic bag or a packet of frozen peas over the chewing gum to chill it. Then peel off the gum.

The pressure of heavy furniture will leave long-lasting dents in carpets that become glaringly obvious when you rearrange the room. For a quick fix, try putting an ice cube on the indentation. Allow it to melt and dry. If the dent is more stubborn, try the following.

1. Plug in your steam iron near the dent, setting it to a medium heat. Dampen a clean cotton rag with water and place it over the dent.
2. Lightly run the iron over the dent; the fibres should spring back up.
3. Allow the carpet to dry fully, then run over the edges of the dent with the side of a coin to fluff up the final reluctant fibres.

1. Clean your carpet regularly — don't wait for it to look dirty. Grit and dust work their way down into the carpet pile and act as abrasives as you walk on them, destroying the carpet fibres.
2. Change the layout by moving furniture around in a room every six months or so. Changing the direction of traffic in the room will even out wear and tear and extend the life of your carpets.
3. Close blinds when you're out because strong sunlight will bleach exposed areas of carpet, leaving behind darker patches beneath objects that become all too obvious when the objects are moved.