Our customers ask us all the time about “slime.” Whether their child made some slime at school, or you were looking for a hands-on activity during the pandemic or by some other means, most parent have dealt with slime. One of the worst places for slime to end up is mashed into the carpet. These steps are how we remove slime from carpet using only household items.
Slime is usually made in a classroom or kitchen using washable glue or another starch product, meaning the slime will at least partially dissolve in water. You will need hot water and a clean cloth. You can also use a weak acid to help lift the slime. For this, you will need some clear white vinegar from the kitchen.
First, you want to remove any debris or slime chunks by hand and with a tablespoon, scraping the carpet gently to work out the slime. We do not recommend using any utensils made to cut as a scraping device on your carpet, such as a knife or blade.
After the big pieces are removed, you want to apply hot water to the slime in the carpet. Small amounts at a time should be poured onto the spot and worked gently back and forth with the spoon to help the slime absorb the water, become hot and unbind from the carpet. Again, use the spoon to scrape out any slime that comes free and blot the spot with a clean cloth.
Some slime and dye may still be present in the spot. You will want to repeat the gentle scrubbing with a spoon, but this time saturate the spot with vinegar. The acid in vinegar helps to lift dyes and the last bits of slime. Once the spot is removed, lightly rinse and blot the spot with hot water to remove any leftover vinegar.
Following these steps, most homemade and store-bought slime can be removed. Other types of putties and children’s novelties may look like slime but be saturated with oils or other hard-to-remove ingredients that require dry solvents and/or professional grade extraction equipment. If you have followed these steps and did not get great results, then it may be time to get professional help with your carpet.
If you are in the Denver area we would love to help you with your slime removal needs. Otherwise reach out to a local professional and make sure to look for someone with an IICRC certification.