Chewing gum can be a quick cure for bad breath or even a fun bubble blowing experience for chewers of all ages. For the most part, I’m sure those are a couple of the most common associations when we think about good ole gum. That is unless you find yourself amongst the unfortunate bunch that know the dark side of what gum can do.
In terms of small life problems, there’s not many situations that are worse than stepping in chewed gum. Especially an unknown strangers chewed gum that you brought all the way home on the bottom of your shoe. Worst of all, you didn’t notice the gum until you felt your shoe awkwardly stick to the living room carpet.
Before the panic, or perhaps anger sets in, there are suggestions for how to get gum out of carpet with easy instructions and common household items. Take a deep breath and rest assured that help is on the way so that pesky gum won’t have a chance to stay.
How To Remove Gum From Carpet
For those experiencing a “fresh” glob of gum that’s begun making itself comfortable in your living room carpet, it’s best to take action sooner than later. It’s bad enough having to figure out how to remove gum from carpet on the surface, so just imagine how bad it would be to get out after it’s had time to really sink into the fibres.
Dealing with a sticky, unpleasant mess like gum is something we’d prefer to handle in the quickest way possible. After all, it’s understandable to not want to set aside a chunk of time to clean someone’s “ABC gum”, (already been chewed, yuck!). Whether your carpet material is polyester or wool, there is a simple 3-step solution for that gum to come out but not ruin your carpet in the process.
Quick Tip To Keep Control While Removing Gum From Carpet
Before selecting the preferred method that will handle the actual cleaning, we suggest sectioning off the area of carpet that the gum has become stuck to. This can be anything that will help draw attention to that specific area, even a piece a paper with a big red arrow that reads ‘Do NOT step here!’.
Hopefully doing so will prevent another unsuspecting victim from stepping the gum even further into the carpet.
How To Get Gum Out Of Carpet Using Ice
The first suggestion for a gum removal method will require having access to ice cubes, a freezer bag, and a blunt-edge knife. Before anyone gets carried away, the blunt-edge knife is not for dramatic effect to keep future chewers from spitting their gum onto the sidewalk.
Take a minute to get the items together then follow the steps for how to get gum out of carpet below.
Gum Removal Method: 1
- Put the ice cubes into the freezer bag and seal it shut. Make sure the freezer bag is fully closed so water will not leak out when the ice begins to melt. If necessary, a plastic bag can be used in place of the freezer bag but will have a likely chance of water leaking from the melted ice.
- Take the freezer bag and ice over to the carpet and place it directly on top of the gum.
- Leave the ice bag on top of the gum until it hardens. Depending on how much gum there is, it should take approximately 3-5 minutes to harden.
- After a few minutes have passed, find an empty spot of the freezer bag to use as a finger cover and gently press on the gum to see if it has become hard. If the gum still feels soft keep the ice on top of it for a few more minutes, then repeat this step until it has fully hardened.
- When the gum has completely hardened remove the bag of ice.
- Take the blunt-edge knife and use it to scrape out the gum from the carpet. [1]
The hardened gum should come out easily by using gentle force with the blunt-edge knife. Make sure to scrape in same direction until the gum is completely removed. While scraping, if you notice that some of the gum is still soft stop scraping and reapply the freezer bag with ice for a few more minutes.
Trying to scrape and remove gum from carpet while it’s still soft can spread the gum even more, or potentially pull out and ruin the carpet fibres. It takes patience to remove gum from carpet, but it doesn’t take a lot of time or energy when done properly.
After the gum is physically out of sight the memory may still linger. To give yourself piece of mind that the gum is truly gone for good, run over the area with a wet dry vacuum to deep clean out any last remaining particles.
How To Get Dry Gum Out Of Carpet
At some point in time, most of us have probably witnessed or even owned a carpet with what can best be described as fossil gum. It’s not prehistoric chewing gum, but gum that has long dried and looks almost like a tiny smoothed down tar bubble on a carpet surface.
Save wondering about the origins of the fossil gum for a shower thought, because it’s time to learn how to get gum out of carpet that has dried and settled.
For this gum removal suggestion you’ll need access to ice, a freezer bag, and Goo Gone Wipes.
Gum Removal Method: 2
Begin by repeating the first 3-steps of the process from ‘Gum Removal Method 1’. Quickly summarized, put ice into a freezer bag and seal it shut. Place the freezer bag of ice on top of the dried, fossil gum for approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the ice filled freezer bag that will have loosened the dried gum.
- Take a goo gone wipe and place it over top of the dried gum.
- Locate the gum under the wipe and pinch hold with your fingers.
- Begin gently pulling up the gum from the carpet using the goo gone wipe.
- Continue using the goo gone wipe by repeatedly pulling up the gum until it is completely out. [2]
Since the fossil gum has likely had plenty of time to embed deep into the carpet fibres, following the ice removal method will only really target the surface. The chemical components of the goo gone wipe are the final ingredient that will help to break down the remaining adhesive from the gum below the surface. [2]
It’s never too late to remove gum from carpet when you have the right tools for the job. With the help of a little elbow grease and patience fossil gum will become extinct.
Quick Tip For How To Remove Gum From Carpet In Car
Having a car is a great convenience for hopping in and out at the destination of choice; until the moment you hop back in with gum on the bottom of your shoe. For those of us that rarely have a tissue handy after an inopportune sneeze while driving, getting gum on the floor mat is going to be a challenge to clean. Worry no more, whether the gum is soft or dry, goo gone wipes have you covered. Keep goo gone wipes stored in your car to remove gum from car carpet before you even start your engine. [2]
How To Get Gum Out Of Carpet Using Peanut Butter
Life happens, like when you get chewing gum stuck in your carpet. To lighten life’s more dismal moments it can be helpful to look into an unconventional solution for a common problem.
For those with a synthetic carpet; such as nylon or polyester, that is featuring a fresh glob of gum, a common pantry item can come to your rescue.
The tastiest way to remove gum from carpet is a sandwich favourite, peanut butter.
Gum Removal Method: 3
Before you reach for bread to go with the peanut butter, there are a couple other items needed to begin removing gum from carpet. Grab the peanut butter from the pantry, a tablespoon, an unused toothbrush and a wash cloth or paper towel.
- Start by using the tablespoon to scoop out a dollop of peanut butter.
- Place the dollop of peanut butter on top of the piece of gum, this should make the gum become less adhesive to the fibres of the carpet.
- Leave the peanut butter on top of the gum for approximately 3 minutes.
- After the 3 minutes, use the toothbrush to pull the gum out of the carpet with gentle, repeated strokes in the same direction.
- Once the gum is completely out, use a damp wash cloth or paper towel to clean up any remaining peanut butter from the carpet. [3]
Now that the gum has been successfully extracted from the carpet, enjoy a dollop of peanut butter as your reward for a job well done.
A Review On How To Get Gum Out Of Carpet
The first or next time you get stuck with gum in your carpet, keep calm for simple solutions await. As long as there’s ice, goo gone wipes or peanut butter near by, gum can say so long to staying as an unwanted guest crashing on your carpet.
Always remember that patience is key to remove gum from carpet. Follow the steps for whichever method works best for your gum situation, and have a cleaned carpet without causing damage.
References
[1] How to Get Gum Out Of Clothes (howstuffworks.com)
[2] Remove Gum From Carpet (googone.com)
[3] Gum Stuck On Your Clothes? Here’s How To Easily Remove It (usatoday.com)