5 Simple Ways To Get Slime Out Of Your Carpet
Slime is very popular with kids, according to BBC Science Focus, because of its tactile nature and children's natural curiosity about the world around them. From butter slime to fluffy slime, there seems to be a huge amount of different ready-made options available in the shops, and there are plenty of kits to make it at home. However, when your young ones are making or playing with slime, you will probably end up with accidents, and slime in your carpets is bound to happen.
BBC Good Food says that slime comprises school-style glue, bicarbonate of soda, contact lens solution, and optional food coloring and glitter. If not dealt with properly, some of these ingredients could spell disaster when spilled onto your carpet. Disintegrating the glue is one of the problems to tackle, and the other is removing any marks left by the food coloring in the slime. Thankfully, removing slime from your carpets is not as tricky as it sounds, and there are a few simple steps you can take to get your carpets back to their best, whether the slime is fresh or dried in.
Vinegar
When it comes to cleaning slime, the faster you act the better. But with any method you try, check the products first on a small inconspicuous area of the carpet to ensure it won't damage it in any way. The Maids have a simple method for quickly and effectively tackling a fresh spill of slime. You will need a spoon, a paper towel, ⅔ cup of white wine vinegar, ⅓ cup of water, a spray bottle, a scrubbing brush, a clean absorbent cloth, rubbing alcohol, and baking soda.
Carefully scrape as much slime as you can out of the carpet fibers using the spoon and paper towel. In your spray bottle mix the white vinegar and water together. Saturate the slime-covered area of the carpet with the cleaning solution and leave it for a few minutes to penetrate the area. Scrub with the brush to disintegrate the slime and break it down and then blot the area with a clean absorbent cloth until all the slime has been removed. For stains left over from any dyes, gently apply the rubbing alcohol to remove them. If there is any odor of vinegar remaining afterward, sprinkle the area with baking soda and vacuum away.
Hot water
As mentioned, the main problems with slime in your carpets are the glue and the food coloring. All slimes are made with school glue and according to Remove And Replace, this type of glue is water soluble. So this method is very simple. All you need is hot water, a spoon or blunt knife, and some clean cloths.
Scrape off as much excess slime as you can. Soak the cloth in hot water, as hot as you can stand to touch, and place it over the slime. The hot water will dissolve and break up the glue in the slime. Leave for a couple of minutes and scrape up the remaining slime. Repeat this step as many times as needed to remove all slime residue. If there was coloring added to the slime, as before, some rubbing alcohol gently applied to the area should take care of it.
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is used in so many products, from toothpaste to hair dye, and it's in many cleaning products as it cleans at a molecular level. This, combined with its effervescence makes it highly effective when tackling things such as slime spillages. One thing to note before using any cleaning method that incorporates hydrogen peroxide, according to EndoSan, is that it has bleaching qualities and will lighten fabrics, so only use this method on light-colored carpets, and always remember to spot-test it first.
Using Hydrogen Peroxide says to always stick to the 3% version for cleaning your carpets, as it is unlikely to cause any damage and it is effective at breaking down stains. After removing any excess slime, apply the hydrogen peroxide to the remaining slime and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, then blot the area with a clean cloth or sponge, repeating as many times as necessary until all the slime has gone.
Club soda
There are many uses for club soda, cleaning being just one of them. Aquamist explains that it is the carbonation of the club soda that breaks down stains and lifts them away effectively without leaving behind any residue. Arch Ziner suggests that the reason club soda could be so good at removing wet slime stains is due to its carbonic acid, this should break up the slime and make it easy to wipe away and remove from the fibers of your carpet.
To allow it to work, soak the area and leave it for at least 5 minutes, and then use a clean cloth to remove the broken-down slime residue. As club soda is essentially just water, you shouldn't have any worries about it ruining or damaging your carpet, and a spot test won't be required. If there are any stains left behind, then rubbing alcohol should again take care of it.
Ice cubes
If you don't notice the slime spillage when it happens and you only come across it when it has dried out, it can be a little trickier to remove. Today suggests using ice cubes to freeze the slime, which hardens it, making it easier to remove. After removing as much as you can by hand, place ice cubes on top of the remaining slime and wait for it to become very hard. Pick as much as you possibly can out of the fibers and then use hot water and a small amount of washing detergent on a clean cloth to break up the remaining bits, gently rubbing to remove it all from the fibers of your carpet.
Another option, after using the ice cubes and removing as much as you can, is to soak a cloth in rubbing alcohol to tackle the leftover slime. Gently rub the carpet with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol to remove what's left of the dried slime.