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Gum, Sticky Stuff and Other Helpful Household
Hints on Dealing with Disasters
by Vincent Platania
Description: Tips for removing gum from hair and carpet, as well as removing other sticky stuff from clothing and upholstery.
Having kids means that there will be disasters to your upholstery,
carpets, walls and furniture. It just goes with the territory. Chewing gum
on new tile floor, crayon on the freshly painted walls, and...who KNOWS
what that tacky black stuff on the sofa cushion is. The only thing
you’re sure of is it isn’t supposed to be there.
Welcome to the wonderful world of sticky kid stuff. If you found us
because you were searching for how to remove gum techniques, or how to
remove crayon from furniture, then you’re in luck. We’ve got a handful of
tricks to help you get gum, crayon, tar and..oh, I know what that is
on the sofa cushion! Melted Gummi worms! Right – if you’ve got kids like
mine, I’ve got some helpful household hints that can help save your
furniture – and your sanity.
"You’re supposed to keep the gum IN your mouth!" If I had a nickel for every time I’ve said that, I could just replace
the carpets, bedspreads and furniture that ‘wasn’t me!’ smeared with
chewing gum. Here’s how to get chewing gum (and most other sticky stuff)
out of just about anything.
Getting Chewing Gum Out of Hair
There are four things to try before resorting to the scissors – and
all four are relatively painless.
The Peanut Butter Method: Rub a glob of peanut butter into the hair
around the gum. Keep massaging it between your fingers. The oil in the
peanut butter will help loosen the gu so you can pick it free.
The Ice Cube Trick: Rub an ice cube against the gum so that it gets
hard and losses its tackiness. Again, you should be able to pick the hair
free once the gum is hard.
The Citrus Remover: The oils in citrus fruits are a natural solvent.
Use orange peels or lemon peels. Rub them against the gum to get it
loosened up so you can pick it out of the hair.
Picking the Gum Out: Don’t try to pull the gum out of the hair – pull
the hair out of the gum. You’ll find that if you work on a few strands
at a time, it will hurt a lot less than if you try to yank the gum out
of the hair.
Getting Sticky Stuff Off Of Clothing
Any of the above methods will work on clothes too – but the citrus and
the peanut butter are likely to stain. One neat trick is to put the
gum-enhanced article of clothing in a plastic bag and stick it in the
freezer. Once the gum is hard, you can bend the cloth and practically peel
it off. Treat anything that remains with a stain remover that’s meant
to get out the tough stains.
Getting Gum and Jelly Beans and Marshmallows Off the Upholstery or
Carpet
Obviously, you can’t toss your couch into the freezer to get that gum
out. If your kids have managed to get sticky stuff in your carpets or
upholstery, your first step is to try with an ice cube. Rub the ice cube
on the blob till it’s hard, then try scraping it away with a dull
knife. Hit anything that’s left with a spritz of a citrus based gum removing
spray.
Or spray it with a shot of Freeze It, which is specially designed for
removing gum, candle wax and other sticky stuff from your furniture and
walls.
Removing Crayon from Furniture and Walls
Gum’s not the only thing the little critters smear on the furniture
and walls. If your little Rembrandts leave their marks on furniture,
floors and walls, a good citrus based solvent will power it off without
damaging the fabric or wood.
Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com
Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company.
Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe,
environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean.
Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com
Related articles:
Removing Paper Tape from Glass
Removing Gum from Carpet
Removing Glue from Carpet
