Gum. It’s everywhere these days, on the pavement, under tables and, worst of all, in your carpet! How it gets there may well remain a mystery, and once there, it just won’t come out. But don’t worry, we’re here to help with some top DIY tips to your minty problem.
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When it comes to cleaning those nasty gum stains from your carpet, there are a few tactics at your disposal. If a method doesn’t seem to be working for you, move onto the next one on the list.

To help you keep your cool in this situation, we have the ice method. This method is particularly helpful when the gum has not yet fully settled into the carpet however even if it has, this method could still do the trick.

The Ice Method;
• Fill a small plastic bag with a few ice cubes
• Rub the gum with this ice bag until it feels frozen
• Scrape the frozen gum off the carpet with a spoon, the gum should crumble and fall apart as you do so, gather this gum before it melts and re-sticks
• Repeat these steps until you are satisfied that the gum has been removed, then run over the area with a vacuum

Despite seeming the opposite of our last method, the next solution should definitely help to ease that mess out of your carpet. While this method should get a lot of the gum out, you may need to finish this one off with another method from our list.

The Hairdryer Method;
• Use a warm hairdryer to soften the gum, be careful not to burn the carpet fibres
• After the gum softens pull it up from the carpet gently, we recommend using plastic gloves
• Keep repeating until the gum has been removed
• While the hairdryer method can be used on its own, we recommend getting the majority of the gum out with another method first.

The final method can help to remove the last bit of gum residue.

Our Final Method;
• Choose a mild soap and apply this to the affected area, massaging it lightly into the carpet
• Pour or blot boiling water onto the area (a toothbrush is a very easy way to do this) and use a piece of kitchen roll to blot up the residue
• Gently pull the leftover gum out from the carpet with your fingers or a fork
• Keep blotting until the area is clean then blot the area with water
• Soak up any excess water with a dry towel then leave to dry fully


Our Final Tip

Seek professional help!

While these DIY tips should help get that gum out if you just can’t wait, there is always a chance that they may cause damage or simply just not work for your particular carpet.

By calling a professional you can avoid the risk of ruining your carpet completely and ending up with a very expensive replacement, At A Cleaning Service we have highly trained experts who are experienced at getting out even the worst stains! Call us today!

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