Chewing gum consumers can be uncivil or clumsy, and the object of their chewing ends up stuck to your carpet. Whatever the cause, the result is there! How to remove the chewing gum without damaging the carpet? Here is the answer, with some scientific information along the way…
What is chewing gum made of?
Each manufacturer has their recipes but overall, the chewing gums all contain the same main compounds : a gum base for 60% of the composition, materials with a sweet taste for 20% and syrup providing the aromas, for the remaining 20%.
The gum base should be saliva and water resistant and elastic. The main material of this eraser is an elastomer (latex, rubber, etc.). To this, we add a wax that prevents the chewing gum from sticking and softens the elastomer, mineral fillers that increase the resistance of the paste to heat and humidity, as well as antioxidants that slow down the aging of the dough.
To create the sweet taste, manufacturers use sugar or sweeteners. Finally, you will find different elements that provide aromas, but also dyes and flavor enhancers.
How do you peel crushed chewing gum off a carpet?
Since chewing gum contains substances that are resistant to water and saliva, there is no point in scrubbing with soap and water.
If you use a hair dryer, the chewing gum will spread more and cling even more to the hairs of the carpet.
What then remains as a solution? The cold, of course!
By passing a ice Cube on chewing gum, the idea is to reduce the contact surface. The chewing gum will shrink or even harden (depending on the ambient temperature). You can break it off and remove it by gently scraping. It will peel away from the pile of the carpet.
Chewing gums that color the mouth can also stain the carpet. Once there are no more pieces of chewing gum, you can try a gentle wash with a special carpet product. These are generally foams that are left on to absorb the various messy substances.
If you don’t want to use these ready-to-use products, you can try detaching the carpet by moistening the surface first, then applying a layer of flour, itself moistened, to the surface. You let it dry and brush the surface, at the same time sucking up the flour with the vacuum cleaner.
An ecological method used on a large scale
The use of cold to get rid of chewing gum is implemented on a large scale to clean the floors of cities. This is the cleaning method says “cryogenic” which breaks down into 3 actions:
- Mechanical action by the projection of dry ice sticks at high speed,
- Thermal action because the ice is at – 80° C,
- And sublimation action during which the chewing gum passes into a gaseous state.
- She fights thegastric acidity. It is the overproduction of saliva caused which will reduce the acidity of the stomach. Choose sugar-free chewing gum and avoid chewing on an empty stomach as this causes bloating.
- It reduces the stress. This is the main reason why chewing gum was distributed to American soldiers.
- It would limit the appetite for caloric foods.
- It would stimulate the functioning of the digestive system after a surgical operation.
He is thus definitively eliminated.
Did you know ? Chewing gum has some virtues
Chewing gum was known to many traditional civilizations who knew how to find natural materials in nature that could be chewed to clean the teeth. These are also the same substances that can be found today in our contemporary chewing gum.
Chewing gum was introduced in France at the end of the Second World War: American soldiers advancing in our country, distributed it as they passed.
In addition to cleaning the teeth (which remains less effective and shallower than cleaning with a toothbrush), chewing gum has some virtues:
Do not hesitate to discuss with your doctor on the subject!