Gum Removal From Carpet

 

If you were to search the internet for ways to remove gum from carpet, and maybe you are, you will find countless remedies.  This is because there truly are countless ways to remove gum from carpet.  You can freeze it and smash the gum.  You can use lemons, peanut butter, and any number of chemical concoctions.  You can scrape, poke, prod, pinch, and pull.  The truth is that when removing them yourself, any number of these will work.  However some of these methods have a risk involved; Using utensils, brushes, and rags can all wear out the carpet around and under the carpet fraying the fibers.   Any method using natural or unnatural chemicals can bleed, bleach, or leave an oily residue that will attract dirt.  Pulling on gum can pull fibers out of the carpet leaving a hole or fibers that stick out higher than the rest of the pile.

The best method of course is to have a respected professional carpet cleaner with a direct drive truck mounted carpet cleaning unit remove the gum.  These professionals will use citric acid on the gum to loosen the bond of the gum or “emulsify” it.  After emulsifying, this professional will use the heat and pressure from their cleaning solution to strip away the gum and also rinse any potential residue away.  This cleaner should rinse thoroughly and use extra vacuum strokes to dry the carpet as much as possible.

In extreme cases, due to the type of carpet, volume of carpet, type of gum, or a combination of the three, the complete removal may be not feasible.