How can a single evening of childhood fun wreak havoc on a rug? One word, gum!
Nothing is messier and harder for a homeowner to get out of their carpet than sticky chewing gum.
At McCartin's we use simple trick that has worked for us eveytime.
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. You can also find this on Amazon. 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.
If strands of carpet fiber become separated from the carpet backing or foundation, stop and call a professional. You do not want to go from a carpet rescue to a carpet repair.