Many people like to chew gum, and most people will dispose of their gum in the proper way. Sometimes though accidents do happen and gum can find itself in places where it shouldn't be. One of the most troublesome of these places is the carpet. People are often worried about how to remove gum from carpet, knowing that it often seems impossible to remove without the use of scissors. There are though a number of tips to remove chewing gum from carpets.

There are many products available to buy which will remove gum from carpet, some are general carpet cleaners, and others are specialized chewing gum cleaners normally only available from janitorial suppliers. There though a number of other solutions to removing chewing gum from carpets, solutions that make use of products often available in the home.

-Best Methods for Removing Gum from Carpets

-Removing gum with ice

When chewing gum is discovered on a carpet it is often in a tacky condition, making it virtually impossible to remove from the carpet fibers. One of the most successful methods to remove gum though is to change the gum from being tacky to being hard. This is something that is easy to achieve through the use of ice. Ice cubes placed in a freezer bag, and then placed on top of the gum for fifteen minutes will cause the chewing gum to become rock solid. Hard chewing gum can be broken easily through the use of a hammer or side of a knife, and picked away. A similar freezing can also be achieved through the use of compressed air, as used to clean computer keyboards.

-Removing gum with peanut butter

It is now quite well known that peanut butter can help in the removal of chewing gum from hair, but peanut butter also works on carpets. Peanut butter can be worked in with the chewing gum and after a few minutes the mixture will just easily scrape away, the mixture being less sticky than the gum by itself. There will of course be left behind a residue of peanut butter that will need to be cleaned away, but this is something that can be done with soapy water and some elbow grease.

-Removing gum with WD-40

WD-40 is also a proven method for removing chewing gum from carpets, and is something many people have lying around their garage. By spraying the WD-40 on the gum, it should be possible to simply slide the chewing gum off of the carpet fibers. This method though does require testing first on a hidden area of carpet jus tin case there is damage caused to the carpet.

-Removing gum with a hairdryer

Ice can be used to remove gum from carpet, but so can heat. With careful use of an electric hairdryer the gum can be heated up until it is soft enough to be removed. The best method being to make use of a plastic bag to scoop up the soft gum. Care though of course does need to be taken to ensure that the carpet itself is not damaged from the application of heat.

Even after the chewing gum has been removed from the carpet there might be a stain remaining. Chewing gum stains though are easily removed through the use of a mild detergent cleaner or as an alternative some white wine vinegar. Both products only need to be used in a blotting motion, and the stain will quickly disappear, with a final wipe over with the use of a clean, damp cloth.

Removing chewing gum from a carpet may seem initially to be a hard task, but with a little care and effort, all evidence will quickly disappear.

Learn more about this author, Tim Harry.
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