How to Remove Chewing Gum From Carpet on the Floor

Freeze chewing gum to remove it from your carpets.

Gum will inevitably get tracked into your home on shoes or accidentally dropped onto carpet, creating a sticky mess. As a last resort, gum may be cut out of many carpets, but you can remove the substance without damaging the carpet. Remove chewing gum by freezing the gum. Once the gum is out of its natural rubbery and sticky state, it is more likely to come free from your carpeting and not leave any residue behind.

Things You'll Need

• Freezer storage bag
• Ice
• Thin fabric
• Butter knife

Instructions

1. Grab a quart size plastic freezer storage bag and fill it with ice cubes. Press the bag's zipper lock together with your fingers and wrap the storage bag in a thin fabric cloth.

2. Place the ice bag on the chewing gum and allow it to sit for 10 minutes, until the ice begins to freeze the chewing gum.

3. Remove the ice bag from the chewing gum and scrape the gum away from the carpet with a butter knife. As you get down to smaller pieces, place the ice bag over the gum periodically to harden it again, then remove the gum with the butter knife.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also heat the chewing gum with a hair dryer set on high. Instead of hardening, the gum will become stickier. Pull the sticky gum away from the carpet with plastic wrap until all is removed from its fibers.

• If you choose to use commercial adhesive removers follow the directions on the package carefully. Apply the remover to an inconspicuous spot on your carpet to ensure it does not damage the carpet.

References

• University of Wisconsin Extension: Home Works News - Carpet Care
• Utah State University Extension: Carpet and Upholstery

Resources

• Home Repair Geek: How To Remove Chewing Gum