Gum on Carpet
 

It never fails. I spent a few hours last evening washing, vacuuming, cleaning the windows, cleaning the interior etc on the car and had it in "showroom" condition in and out. After work today I put the top down and my wife went for a cruise as it is a beautiful evening here in Nova Scotia. My wife unknowingly had a large piece of gum stuck on the bottom of her shoe and needless to say there is now a blob of yellow gum on my black carpet. I got most of it out except for the gum that is stuck in the carpet. Does anyone have any secrets (tricks of the trade) or what cleaners work best to get the rest of the gum out of the carpet. Thanks in advance!

Just like gum in your hair my friend, try a dab of peanut butter and work it in. :)

You let your wife wear SHOES in your Boxster????

:D

Ice also is supposed to work. It freezes the gum and make it brittle so it breaks up. Then vacuum it up before it warms back up.

I've never tried PB...I'll have to remember that.

I would try peanut butter or ice, and cut out as much as you can. Then get some carpet cleaner. I just cleaned my floor mats yesterday, and used $4 foaming auto carpet cleaner from target. It worked great, and pulled all the little things stuck in the carpet out.

There's some household carpet stain cleaning advice here -

http://www.jamescaine.com/carpet/care-of-your-carpet.html

May be worth a try if the peanut butter / ice method doesn't work

Mike

Hey Nick:

I called my good buddy Bill Wrigley this morning, and he e-mail this to me from his web site:


"For washable clothes, you might first try scraping off any excess gum with a dull knife and then rubbing the area with ice until the remaining gum rolls off into a ball. Another method is to seal the dry garment in a plastic bag and place it in your freezer. After the garment is frozen, remove and gently scrape off the gum with a dull knife.

There are also natural solvents extracted from citrus peels which are environmentally safe and work quite well in removing chewing gum from various surfaces, including cloth. As a matter of policy, we don't give out specific brands names, but you can find these citrus-based solvents in food and drugstores, as well as health food stores.

While there are no "guaranteed methods" for gum removal, please check the National Association of Chewing Gum Manufacturers at www.nacgm.org for more information. They have a section on their web site called "Tips for Getting Unstuck". You may also contact them at:
NACGM
17000 Commerce Parkway Suite C
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054
856-439-0500
856-439-0525
nacgm@ahint.com"

Lay a peice of writing paper over the gum and Iron on top of the paper until the gum becomes soft, then lift the paper and the gum will lift off attached to the paper.

I veto this method and opt for the freezing approach. Getting the gum warm and gooey will also allow the compound of it to become more personally involved with the fibers.

Dont knock it till you try it buddy, I've used this method twice in my house to get gum off the carpet and it worked on both accounts flawlessly. But to each his or her own! :D

I still vote for the peanut butter. The peanut oil will counter the stickiness of the gum and will leave your carpet with a fresh sent.


By the why, Nick 986, which method worked?

Quote:

"I still vote for the peanut butter. The peanut oil will counter the stickiness of the gum and will leave your carpet with a fresh sent.
"

Posted by Jaxonalden.

This technique may well work, so please take no offense, but...

WHO WANTS THEIR BOXSTER TO SMELL LIKE PEANUT BUTTER??

I had this same problem, and used peanut butter. It worked like a charm. After the gum is out, just mat it down with water, and the peanut butter smell will be gone. Excellent method to remove gum, and you will not have to cut any of the carpet fibers out.

I wonder why it didnt work in Lisa Simpsons hair.... :D

I don't think PB will work when you also have ice and an octopus stuck to your head.
(I love that episode! :D)

LOL I forgot about the octopus! I remember now, the Pirate was there too hahaha

Thank You to you all for your tips/advice. I did use the peanut butter method and I admit, I was skeptical, but it worked awesome. Thanks again!!

I'm going to have to remember the peanut butter if I ever get gum in my hair again. I once spent a VERY long time in the bathroom at a party with a guy behind me with a cup of ice trying to get some idiot's gum out of my hair. He ended up having to cut part of it out.

goof off works well.

Kind regards,
Halo