How to Remove Gum From a Floor
Finding gum on your floor is a disheartening sight. Whether it is on carpeting or a hard-surfaced flooring, you likely want it gone. Removing gum from a floor must be done carefully so that the gum does not spread further. There is no need to run out and buy a pricey gum removal product; you likely have all you need right at home. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Ice cubes
- Plastic zipper bag
- Comb or carpet pick
- Terry cloth towel
- Iron
- Carpet spot remover
- Plastic putty knife or plastic spatula
- Rag
- Mineral spirits
- Specialty floor cleaner
Instructions
-
Removing Gum from Carpet
-
1
Place a few ice cubes into a plastic zipper bag. Seal the bag tightly to ensure no water leaks out.
-
2
Situate the bag of ice directly onto the gum spot. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes to freeze the gum.
-
-
3
Scrape the gum from the carpet. Use a comb or carpet pick to break the gum up from the carpet. The gum will come off in chunks now that it is frozen but residue will likely be left behind.
-
4
Dampen a terry cloth towel with water. Fold the towel in half and place it onto the spot.
-
5
Heat an iron to its lowest setting. Run the iron in a circular motion for about a minute over the terry cloth. Do not place the iron directly onto the carpet.
-
6
Remove the terry cloth from the spot. Scrape up any of the gum residue from the carpet with the carpet pick or comb.
-
7
Clean the area with a carpet spot remover. This will ensure that no traces of the gum are left on the carpet. Follow the instructions on the bottle of spot remover as this will vary among products.
Removing Gum from Hard-Surfaced Floors
-
8
Scrape off as much gum as possible. Use a plastic putty knife or plastic spatula to carefully lift the gum from the floor. Do this with caution so the gum does not spread further onto the floor.
-
9
Rub an ice cube over the gum spot. Hold the ice cube on the gum for a couple of minutes to make the gum brittle and hard.
-
10
Scrape the hardened gum from the floor with a plastic spatula or putty knife. Apply the ice again if the gum begins to soften.
-
11
Clean the affected area of the floor once all of the gum is gone. Wipe the area with a rag dampened with mineral spirits if the floor is hardwood or laminate; for other hard surfaces, clean the area with a cleaner made specifically for that flooring type.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit stale gum image by easaab from Fotolia.com
