How to Remove Gum, Play-Doh and Other Sticky Stuff from Your Carpet

People constantly ask me how to get gum or Play-Doh out of their carpet.  I’ve heard a lot of strange techniques and ideas over the years, but there’s one surefire way to easily remove gum or Play-Doh, and I’ll tell you exactly how to do it.

This particular technique works on almost any sticky, gummy substance that’s gotten stuck in your carpet and then dried up and hardened.  Chewing gum, Play-Doh, candy, fruit preserves and similar things are no match for this secret process I’m about to share with you.  To keep things simple from here on out, I’ll use the word “gum”, but the process works on many things. 

However, proceed at your own risk.  I’m not accepting responsibility if you damage your carpet or injure yourself.  As a professional carpet cleaner, I truly believe you should call a pro, but I understand not everybody can afford to do that.  If that includes you, I still want to help, which is why I wrote this article.

Are you ready?  Let’s get started!

I’m sure you’ve probably seen the following in a movie.  A character uses liquid nitrogen or something similar to freeze an item.  Then, he shoots the item or hits it with a hammer and it breaks like glass.  A good example is the shapeshifting killer cyborg near the end of Terminator 2.  The bad guy gets frozen by liquid nitrogen, then “Ahhhhhnold” shoots him with a pistol and he breaks into a thousand pieces.

Well that’s exactly what we’re going to do with the gum stuck in your carpet, and it’s going to be fun!

To start, go to an auto parts store and buy a product called Super Cold for about $10.  It’s a spray that comes in a metal can.  The employees at the store will know exactly what you’re talking about if you ask for it.  We’re going to use it to deep-freeze the gum in your carpet so we can break it up.

You can also use a can of compressed gas duster, like what you’d use to clean a computer keyboard, but it doesn’t work quite as well.  Yes, it gets very cold when you spray it, but you have to shake the can, and sometimes you even have to hold the can upside down.

But you don’t have to do any of that with Super Cold.  It’s designed specifically for freezing stuff, so you can hold the can upright, which is much more comfortable. 

Now all you have to do is spray the gum for about 15 seconds.  You won’t be able to see the freezing gas come out, but that doesn’t mean it’s not working.  Just keep spraying until about 15 seconds have elapsed.  Don’t get your fingers too close, though.  You could get painful freeze burns.

Once you stop spraying, you may notice the area around the gum looks wet and is beginning to frost up.  Perfect!  Use a table knife or flat screw driver to chip away at the gum, and you’ll see it break apart and fall away. 

Combine the chipping action with occasional scraping to further break down the gum.  Just be careful not to scrape too hard, or you might damage the carpet.

In less than a minute, you should be able to remove the average sized wad of gum.  If it’s a big, thick chunk of gum, you may have to repeat the process a time or two. 

Pretty cool, huh?

Not only is this technique easy, it’s fun.  Of course, if you’re not the do-it-yourself type, you could always call my company, All Points Carpet Care.  We’d be happy to take care of whatever you need.  Feel free to call anytime at 310-872-0453.

Until then, happy gum freezing, everybody! For more information follow us at Los Angeles Carpet Cleaning, Grout Cleaning Service LA