water bottles in sun 'melt' some carpets

Q. Last fall I placed several bottles of water on the carpet beside our French glass doors. In a few days three spots appeared on the indoor-outdoor carpet which made the carpet appear melted. Is there any way to repair this unsightly condition other than having to replace the carpet? A reader

A. Alas, the water in the bottles acted as a magnifying glass and actually has melted the carpet!

Most indoor-outdoor carpets are woven from a type of yarn that has the lowest melting point of any fabric. Thus, the only solution to the problem is to replace or patch the damaged carpet.

The dealer from whom you bought the carpet may have matching remnants which you could use to replace the unsightly area, and the cost should be low.

However melancholy this problem may seem to you, please take comfort. Your experience should alert other readers of this column to avoid putting bottle s of water between the hot sun and a cold carpet.