Cleaning Tip: How To Remove Gum From Rugs

Aside from being an aesthetic item in your home, the rug serves as a filter that catches the dirt and dust in the atmosphere of your home. Unfortunately, it catches some other stuff that could prove to be stubborn.

Take the case of chewing gum. There are several ways a piece of gum could end up in your rug. Your shoe may have accidentally picked up a gum from the outside. It could be from your kids who unknowingly drop the sticky glob on the rug.

If you find gum sitting on your rug, do not panic! Here are tips on how to effectively remove gum without damaging the rug.

Freezing

You may rub ice directly on the gum to freeze it, or you can put the ice cubes in a resealable plastic bag and place it over the gum. After a couple of minutes, you should notice the gum becoming brittle and easier to scrape using a spatula or butter knife.

Peanut butter

Apply a minimal amount of peanut butter on the affected area. This method may be quite tricky as it will leave some oil stains behind. To remove the stains, dab the rug with dishwashing solution or a carpet stain remover.

Mayonnaise

Use this in the same manner you would use a peanut butter to remove the gum. Again, this may leave some oil in the rug.

Hair Dryer

Position the hair dryer directly onto the portion of the rug with gum, just enough to make it soft. Use a skewer to remove the gum.

Vinegar

Apply the vinegar directly to the gum and leave it for about 15 minutes before scraping. Make sure not to keep the rug soaked in vinegar for too long, to avoid bleeding the rug dye.

“Goo Gone” solution

This product is designed to remove gums and sticky substances, but it could be a bit expensive compared to the abovementioned methods. Apply the solution directly on the affected area and remove the residue with a moist cloth.