Carpets add glorious pleasure to your feet the moment you kick off your shoes from a very busy day at work and stroll over these smooth and comfy floor coverings. Finally, you are free from the confines of leather and thick socks. You sit on your couch while your toes caress the woolly fiber on your floor. Then suddenly, you feel something sticky. You look down and to your horror, chewing gum is stuck on your white carpet!

 

Don't panic! Carpet stains from chewing gum can be lifted easily. You just have to control yourself and do it carefully. Before you know it, the dirty sticky slime will be gone. Here are some tips you can follow should you wish to remove that once-sticky and stubborn stain on your revered Persian carpet. Make it a point to follow these instructions in the right order, especially if you want to save money.

 

Assess The Situation First: How Bad Is the Stain?

Chewing gum stains very according to the type of gum. Try to assess your gummy culprit.

• Is it a stain from a colored Tutti-Frutti gum which you bought from a gumball vending machine?
• Is the gum stain stretched out and stepped on?
• Is the stain just a piece of sticky mass that's still intact and not quite spread?

Sometimes the best decision on what to do next comes after touching and inspecting the "evidence". Touch the gum on your carpet and feel it. It should give you a clear picture of just how problematic the stain is. The better you assess the stain, the more you will know what technique will resolve this bubble gum issue.

Technique #1: Freeze It!

What you need: ice, a plastic bag, spoon or spatula, a vacuum cleaner.

• Get some ice cubes. Place them in a plastic bag (thin condoms without lubricants work best) and put it on top of the gum stain. Leave the ice on top of the stain—enough to make the gum a bit harder.
• Once the gum freezes, you can easily scrape or chip the gum off with a spoon or a spatula. Do the scraping slowly but surely, and make sure it's hard enough to be scraped so that you don't create further damage.
• Get the vacuum cleaner and suck out the loose pieces. You can use the brush attachment while vacuuming to also brush the loose gum fragments while sucking them into your cleaner.

If the freezing technique turns out to be anything less desirable than you expect, you can try the second option.

Technique #2 : Blow Dry!

What you need: a blow dryer and a plastic bag.

• Aim the hair dryer at the chewing gum and blow some heat directly on the stain. Be careful not to melt carpet fibers, especially if your carpet is synthetic.
• The moment you see that the gum has melted, lift the softened gum using a plastic bag or a plastic wrap. Just allow the gum to stick to the plastic and pull it up.

This technique may not completely clean the stain, especially if it's a huge one, but it's enough to get some of it off so you can work on a smaller stain.

Technique #3: Muscle Rub!

What you'll need: Ben Gay (extra strength), plastic bag, dish soap, rag, an electric fan.

• Apply Extra Strength Ben Gay to the affected area on the gum stain. If you don't have Ben Gay, you can use any muscle rub ointment that contains methyl salicylate. Check the product labels at your drugstore or ask for assistance.

• Take the plastic bag and use it to pull the gum off the carpet. Repeat this process until the entire gum mass is completely removed. There will be small and obvious marks and smudges as a result of all the pulling. Don't worry: the next step shall solve that problem right away.
• You can start cleaning the spot by preparing a mild detergent solution. Get a cup of warm water and place a few drops of liquid dishwasher soap. Stir the solution to evenly dissolve the soap in the cup.
• Use this solution to rinse the spot. Pour it slowly and in small portions.
• Blot the wet spot with a dry rag and towel. Just blot it and do not rub the rag with much force against the carpet; this will spread the wetness instead of drying your carpet. Better yet, after blotting, get a fan and use it to air-dry the spot much faster.

Technique # 4: Commercial Stain Removers!

It wouldn't hurt to use commercial stain removers. These products remove the most common carpet stains, including chewing gum. Use these products after removing much of the gum stain using the methods above. Take note that some commercial carpet stain removers may damage the carpet fibers (paricularly sythentic ones). Be sure to read the warning note first before buying one.

• Goo Gone - Many say that this brand works well in removing gum stains. After pulling some gum, heat the remaining gum using the blowdryer. Then, using the brush or the apparatus at the edge of the Goo Gone cap, apply the formula and work it in to break up the gum. After application, you can just pick up the gum fragments one piece at a time, until everything is spotless. You can also do the same procedure with the carpet cleaner of your choice.
• Don't forget to dry the area as fast as you can. Fast drying prevents any stain that's left deep down in the carpet from wicking up to the surface very quickly.

Last Resort : Carpet Cleaners!

If you have money to splurge, you can always purchase a carpet cleaner, specifically those with hot water extraction units. This machine can easily get rid of gum stains. The machine's powerful suction combined with hot water shall solve your problems in no time!

Take Care of Your Gums!

Many studies show that chewing gum is the world's most common habit. Every year, an estimated 100,000 tons of chewing gum goes into the mouths of people all over the world. A 2005 UK report even showed that local authorities pay 150M Euro per year just to rid the streets of chewing gum stains. Research also labels it as one of the most detestable environmental contaminants. Don't allow a disgusting blob of used chewing gum to land on your carpet in the first place. Prevention is always the best solution.