Something slimy is happening to American teenagers. In recent years, many thousands of these kids have caught on the slime-bug. Historically, slime is a widely popular science project that teaches students about polymers, viscosity, and chemical reactions.
Yet, in the past couple of years, it has transmuted into an authentic cultural phenomenon, with influencers such as Karina Garcia making nearly $2.5 million annually from paid advertisements on her slime recipe videos.
Today, you can have many variants of the substance—from glitter and fluffy slime to borax-fee and glow-in-the-dark slime. In fact, this squishy substance has gained so much mileage that the American Chemical Society published a comprehensive scientific fact sheet to explain the process.
Slime sounds so much fun, right?
Yes, until it wedges into the fibers of your carpet!
Then it’s a nuisance.
Fortunately, this sticky mess is not as permanent as it initially seems.
We have taken the time to detail how to “un-slime” your precious wool carpet to ensure that your kids and you (who’s judging?) can continue squeezing and squishing without a care in the world.
SO, LET’S GET STARTED !!!
Slime? What’s That?
Slime is a thick substance that is neither liquid nor solid. It kind of looks like dough and was made primarily to entertain kids. It is mainly made of borax and polymeric molecules with a tiny percentage of polyvinyl alcohol.
Simply put, it is glue. The initial product was green in color, but nowadays, you can get your slime-fix in many colors such as red, purple, pink, black, and neon.
These blobs are made of:
- Polymeric molecules
- Borax
- Water
- Fool colors
- Starch
- Glitter
- Gluet
Your Carpet & Slime
Courtesy of the slime’s adhesive nature, it catches up with your carpet—compelling you to deploy some serious efforts to remove it. Otherwise, it will house itself in your carpet to destroy its comfort and aesthetics.
We understand that it is extremely frustrating when you’re making your home spick and span for the weekend bash with your loved ones, but this cringy slime is neither getting off nor helping with your time schedule.
What to do?
Read ahead.
How to Get Slime Out of Carpet
For starters, do not panic!
(1) Top Solution
Our top solution to remove slime from your carpet is as easy as watering your plants. Yet, it calls for some smart purchases. For instance, a good quality carpet slime removal.
If you are a supermom, who’s always juggling tasks to add more value to your family and community, then this smart solution is for you. You should have:
- Carpet Slime Removal
- Water
Move 1
First up, soak the infected area of your carpet with the carpet slime removal. You can easily get one online or from a brick and mortar store. We suggest carpet spot remover by TRINOVA.
Move 2
Spray the damaged area with the slime removal every 15 minutes—and continue doing so or two hours.
Move 3
Immediately after the two hours spraying routine, inspect the area to check if the slime has softened up or is still dried?
If the latter is the case, go back to Move 1.
Move 4
Once the slime has eased up, scrub the carpet with a hard carpet bristle brush, and do it in circular movements and do it for about 30 seconds.
Move 5
Keeping on scrubbing until you see a foamy substance coming out of your carpet. You can clear this foamy material with a butter knife.
Move 6
If there are still slime specks on your carpet, keep on repeating Move 1 – 5 until you get your slime-free satisfaction.
Move 7
Use some soft fabric cloth to dry the carpet. Alternatively, you can also use a carpet cleaner.
(2) Homemade Solution
Firstly, you need a pre-cleaning to eject the slime out of the carpet completely. You also need vinegar as your primary agent for this method. You may use alcohol also, but vinegar is easy to add, and more importantly—safe.
You need:
- Water
- Paper Towel
- Vinegar
- OxiClean solution
Now, follow these moves.
Move 1
Firstly, conduct a vinegar spot test on your mat since this aqueous solution is acetic, and try to take out as much slime as you can with your hands.
Move 2
Add water to vinegar in a 1:2 proportion, before putting the mixture into a working spray bottle.
Move 3
Keep on sprinkling the mixture on the damaged area until it is soaked.
Move 4
By now, you should be seeing much of the slime getting melted in the water/vinegar mixture.
Move 5
Use some quality paper towel to finish off removing the slime. Repeat Move 1 – 4, if specks of slime still exist on your carpet.
(3) Dried Slime Solution
The more you will wait to clear off that dried slime off your carpet, the harder it will become to scrape it off.
Move 1
First up, try scrubbing it off with a scrubber.
Move 2
If scrubber doesn’t work, put some ice on the dried, slimy monster.
Move 3
Let the ice rest over the dried slime for about 10 minutes, or until its frozen.
Move 4
Now gently scrape out the frozen slime.
Move 5
Use a vacuum to dry the excessive liquid.
Backup Methods
You may not need the backup solutions because the first two techniques almost always get the job done. Still, if you do not have any of the required products or materials, you can trust the following three alternative methods to rid your carpet off the stubborn slime:
First Method—Alcohol
The usage of alcohol makes this method different than the two mentioned above. Therefore, instead of vinegar, add some alcohol, and rub on the slime-affected area with a cloth.
Now, carefully rinse the carpet with water and dry it with a fresh, cotton cloth.
Second Method—Hydrogen peroxide
Your second option is using hydrogen peroxide if the alcohol does not work out. However, you should conduct a spot test beforehand, because hydrogen peroxide has a tendency to bleach some types of carpets—especially the wool kind.
Once you’ve applied the chemical compound, let it rest for about 15 minutes before cleaning with soft fabric and rinsing with warm water.
Third Method—WD 40
If vinegar or alcohol is not your preferred option, get a WD 40 and spray it directly on the slime—dried or otherwise.
Always test the product on some old cloth to ensure that you won’t end up discoloring your carpet.
Fourth Method—Hot Water
If all else fails, trust plain old hot water and your strong elbows. Although, slime is typically not water-soluble, but when you add good old rinsing with some earnest scraping, you would be surprised with the results. Notwithstanding the above, you can regularly use water to clean the high traffic areas of your carpet.
What you need:
- Warm water
- Sponge
- Vacuum
- Dry cloth
- Carpet scraper
Use the carpet scraper to softly break and scrape the chunky parts of the slime, before vacuuming a few times to uplift the loose bits. Once you’ve scraped out all the slime, blot the damaged area with a sponge soaked in warm water.
The steamy nature of the water will ease out the slime residuals. Let it rest for about 60 – 90 seconds before scrubbing the area with a dry cloth.
Bonus Method—Club Soda
Our bonus method to get slime out of your carpet involves club soda. This method is similar to the one that uses warm water, but club soda adds a bit of zing to your cleaning power.
It is because carbonated water carries carbonic acid, which gulps away your carpet slime by acting as a mild cleaning agent.
You need:
- 3 cups club soda
- Scraping tool
- Spray bottle
- Dry cloth
- Vacuum
Use the scrapper to crack open the slime, before vacuuming off the broken slime. You should continue to do so until you cannot remove any more debris.
Now spray the carpet stain with club soda thoroughly, and let it rest for about five minutes. Now smudge the concerned area with a dry cloth.
Conclusion
Your carpets are a noteworthy investment—yet they can be quite stubborn when it comes to keeping them clean. Along with the stains and dirt from pet accidents and spilled drinks, the homemakers today are also faced with the menace of slime.
Slime used to be a popular science project, but today it is an authentic cultural phenomenon. From glitter and fluffy to borax-fee and glow-in-the-dark—you can get almost any variation that your heart desires.
However, this playful little part solid, part liquid thing, is extremely stubborn to remove once it finds its way into the fabric of your carpet.
The majority of people would take professional carpet cleaners on board to do away with the problem, but that is a costly business. It is because you can easily remove slime out of your carpet with a few simple ingredients and good old scrubbing.
Here is how:
- Use a carpet slime removal and water
- Use an Oxiclean solution and vinegar
- Use alcohol and water
- Spray hydrogen peroxide
- Get a WD-40
- Use warm water
- Spraying club soda
