Cleaning chewing gum from carpets is a delicate task. If care is not taken, the removal of the gum can damage the carpet. In some cases, the cleaning products used may even discolor the carpet. For most carpets, the freezing method can be used. Depending on the type of carpet, it may be necessary to use a different method.
Remove as much gum as possible by gently pulling at the edges of the gum. Take care that carpet is not pulled up as well. Next, freeze the gum. This can be done by laying a bag of ice cubes over the spot or spraying the gum with a can of compressed air.
Once the gum is frozen, use a metal blade to chip away at it. The metal blade can be a putty knife, screwdriver or butter knife, whatever is on hand. If the gum begins to soften during the removal, refreeze it. After gum has been chipped away, remove debris and vacuum. If a stain remains after all the chewing gum has been removed, use a stain remover made for carpet.
For natural fiber carpets, freezing can not be used as it can cause fibers to break. Instead, use dry cleaning solvent, generally available for purchase at hardware stores. Apply a small amount of the solvent to a white terry cloth towel and blot on chewing gum. After a few minutes, the gum will begin to pull away from the fibers in the carpet and onto the cloth. For large amounts of gum, it may be necessary to do multiple applications to remove it entirely.
While peanut butter is often recommended for gum removal, it is not a good option for use on carpets. Even though it does help dissolve gum, the oils in it can stain the carpet.
