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How can I restore my carpet?

Having shifted a heavy piece of furniture, I've found the wool cut-pile carpet beneath its feet is crushed. I tried vacuuming but it didn't bring up the pile. Is there a way to restore it?

One of the benefits of wool as a carpet fibre is its ability to recover. Fill a steam iron and, with the iron hovering over the area of carpet to be treated, direct steam on to the crushed pile and tease it up with a blunt darning needle. The steam relaxes the pile, allowing it to recover. The only reason this might not work is if the backing of the carpet has also been distorted by the weight of the furniture, which is less likely on a woven carpet than on a tufted one. In this case, even if the pile is restored, the backing can remain deformed. With heavy furniture, it's always a good idea to spread the load by fitting furniture shoes.

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