How To Remove Gum From Carpet - Tips And Techniques

by Taylor

Below I've collected several tips for how to remove gum from carpet, several of which have videos included to allow you to watch how it is done.

As usual, there is more way than one to do things, and with gum removal it is no different.

The most important things to remember though, no matter what method you choose, is to deal with the gum as quickly as possible after you discover it. The longer it is left, the more chance someone has to accidentally walk on it and grind it in further, or otherwise to let it set and attach itself more firmly to your carpet fibers.

In addition, please note there are actually two parts to the process of removing gum from carpet. First, you have to remove the majority of the gum, and then you need to deal with any stain from the gum, and also the little pieces which continue to cling to the fibers even after the majority of it is gone.

You can share your own tips for chewing gum stain removal here, or share your own carpet stain removal tips here.

Photo by Patrick Hoesly

Remove Gum From Carpet - Video And Tips

Here are tips for removing gum from carpet, along with an instructional video.

To remove the chewing gum from the carpet the first step is to get the gum as cold as possible so that it will be hard.

In the video below she lays a piece of ice directly onto the gum on the carpet.

However, the problem with this is that as the ice melts it can wet your carpet, which can interfere with getting the gum out of the carpet.

Therefore, you may want to place the ice in a baggy, or use an ice pack so there is less dripping.

Once the chewing gum is cold then you take a dull knife or spoon and slowly scrape the now hard gum off the carpet fibers.

If you watch the video fully you will see that after she removes a lot of the gum, the gum which is closer to the bottom of the fibers is not cold and was very sticky.

Therefore, once she got to this portion of the gum she placed on it again, and got this cold also.

Therefore, you may need to alternate between icing and scraping for full removal of gum from the carpet.

Here is the video so you can watch the full demonstration:

You can submit your own chewing gum stain removal tip here, or read other tips already submitted.

You can also read Stain-Removal-101.com's advice for gum stain removal from carpet here.

Photo by specialists8

Gum Removal From Carpet - Video And Tips

Below is a video showing techniques for gum removal from carpet.

There are several things which are interesting about this video.

The first is that in this video the man, a professional carpet cleaner, does not use ice on the gum to cool and harden it until after he has removed the majority of the chewing gum.

He does eventually use ice, but only once he is picking at a much smaller amount of gum than was originally on the carpet.

The other thing that is interesting about this video is that instead of using a chewing gum remover to get rid of the little bits of chewing gum particles on the carpet fibers, he suggests to just snip these carpet fibers with scissors.

After cutting away the last little bit of gum he then blots the area with a detergent solution to clean up the sugars from the gum.

Watch the video for a full demonstration of his technique for gum removal from carpet.

I would say that there are advantages and disadvantages to the cutting method for gum removal from carpet. Obviously, you don't have to go out and buy a special cleaning supply if you don't already have it, if you just choose to clip some fibers, but I think you may really damage your carpet if you cut too much.

Photo by CharlotteSpeaks {Charlotte.Morrall}

Removing Gum From Carpet - Getting Rid Of Gum Residue

I hate it when you scrape most of the gum off your carpet, and there are still really small bits of gum residue on it.

First, for these small bits you can chill the gum with ice and then scrape it away, but if these is still some gum left here's what else you can do.

Use a solvent gel, such as Goo Gone, and spray it onto the carpet. (There are other brands of gum remover available besides this, if you want to choose something else.)

Then, use a white cloth to blot at the chewing gum in the carpet and to remove the last remaining particles.

Then, you need to remove the solvent gel, so you create a solution of dishwashing liquid and water and blot this onto the carpet. (You can read this article on removing gum from carpet with Goo Gone for additional tips on how to remove any greasy spot left by the solvent on the carpet.)

Goo Gone {Referral Links}

You can submit your own chewing gum stain removal tip here, or read tips already submitted.

In addition, here is my article for gum stain removal from not only carpet, but also from other surfaces like clothes, upholstery and inside your dryer.

Photo by muohace_dc

Related Links On This Site

100's Of Stain Removal Tips

Carpet Stain Removal Tips

Chewing Gum Remover Reviews

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