If you’ve splodged some glue onto your carpet, you’ve got yourself into a right sticky situation. And before you cement yourself in this mess, you need to find a solution to your problem.
So, how do you remove glue from a carpet? Keep on reading to discover what you need to do.
Tips Before Removing Glue from a Carpet
Check out the pointers below before you start treating the glue stain on your carpet:
- Always do a patch test – You’ll likely use various chemicals and products to clean the glue off your carpet, but before you pour or spread solutions over your flooring, do a discreet patch test to see what happens. Not all carpets react well to chemicals, so a small test could save you a lot of money!
- Act fast – As soon as you see a glue spillage you should start cleaning it away. Waiting around for the glue to dry won’t make the cleaning job easier for you.
- Open plenty of windows – When working with chemicals it’s important that you have plenty of ventilation.
- Take your time – Rushing might make the cleaning job harder for you and you’re more likely to make a mistake!
- Wear a mask and gloves – When working with chemicals you should always dress appropriately! And if you do get any of the products listed below on you, wash them off immediately and seek medical treatment if you need to.
- Keep people and pets away from the gluey zone – The last thing you need is children and pets walking over the sticky patch, and working the splodge further into the carpet’s fibres, making it even harder to remove. So, work alone and keep the room empty.
- Make sure the carpet is dry before you walk on it again.
How to Remove Fresh Glue from a Carpet
- Try and scoop up as much glue as you can from the carpet using paper towels. As the glue is fresh, you should be able to grab most of it off the carpet.
- Pour some white vinegar onto a clean, white cotton cloth.
- Dab at the gluey patch with this cloth for about 10-15 minutes.
- Re-soak the cloth with more white vinegar as and when you need to.
- When you’re done dabbing the gluey patch with white vinegar, blot the area with a fresh, damp cotton cloth to soak up the remaining glue.
- Leave the carpet to air dry.
Tip: If you don’t want to use white vinegar you can use washing up liquid and warm water instead.
How to Remove Dried Glue from a Carpet
Method 1 – White vinegar:
- Grab a small comb, or a blunt knife, and scrape off as much glue as you can from the carpet. Be careful and be gentle.
- Soak a white cloth in warm water.
- Wring out the water and place the hot damp cloth on top of the gluey patch.
- Blot at the area so you start to soften the hardened glue.
- Once the glue has softened, grab a new cloth.
- Soak the new cotton cloth in some white vinegar.
- Start blotting the stained patch of carpet with the cloth.
- Repeat this action multiple times over a 15-minute period.
- You may have to use some tweezers to pull out small chunks of glue that are still caught in the carpet.
- Once you’ve done this you can soak a new cotton cloth in warm water and start blotting the stained area.
- When you’re done, allow the carpet to dry naturally – open plenty of windows.
Tip: Swap white vinegar with washing up liquid if you don’t like the smell of vinegar!
Method 2 – Use an iron:
- Start scraping the toughened glue off the carpet with a blunt knife. Be careful not to damage the carpet’s fibres.
- Pop a thin piece of ironable fabric over the gluey spot on the carpet.
- Start your iron up and select a warm temperature.
- Iron over the fabric that you just placed over the gluey patch.
- Continue to do this until the heat from the iron softens the glue and the fabric absorbs the glue from the carpet.
- If some stubborn glue still remains, use a toothpick to draw out the chunks of leftover glue from the fibres.
- As a last resort, you could use a razor to shave off any bits of glue that are troubling the carpet – do keep in mind that this will alter and perhaps damage the carpet.
Alternative Methods for Removing Glue from Carpets
Goo Gone
Goo Gone is a product that specialises in removing adhesives, like craft glue, from carpets, clothing and hard surfaces.
It’s super easy to use! All you need to do is pop some of the item onto a clean cloth, and blot at your gluey patch of carpet. When you’re done you just dab the area clean with a cloth dipped in some soapy warm water.
The size of the glue patch you’re cleaning will determine how much product you need to use. But you can typically get many uses out of a single 237ml bottle.
In addition to this, Goo Gone also has a pungent citrus smell, so you won’t be left with a wafting chemical smell once you’re done cleaning.
The product is also ideal to have at home if you do lots of arts and crafts or you have kids, because it can also clean away crayon marks, carpet tape residue and chewing gum.
Remember: Do a patch test first!
Acetone
Acetone, or nail varnish remover, is a whiffy chemical that can break down stronger glues that have found their way onto your carpets.
To use this method simply clean away as much glue from the carpet as possible, using the methods above, then dab a small amount of acetone onto a cotton cloth and blot the gluey patch.
Once you’ve blotted the area, use a separate damp cloth to dab at the area to remove acetone residue from the carpet.
If there are small chunks of glue still on the carpet, you can tease these pieces off with a blunt knife.
When you’re done with this, you’ll need to clean your carpet with a general carpet cleaner. This will remove any remaining product and smell from the carpet’s fibres.
Remember: Do a patch test first!
Plus, you’ll need to keep the windows open when working with acetone as it’s very pungent. Also, keep in mind that you may have to repeat the steps above multiple times before you see the desired end result.
Use a professional carpet cleaning service
If your carpet seems to be more glue than fabric, and none of the methods above have worked out for you, it’s time to call a professional carpet cleaner in to help you out.
A quick online search will bring up professional carpet cleaners in your area, you can then reach out to them, explain your predicament, and hope they can help you out.
Remember to do your research – find out what cleaning products they’ll use, if you need to do any preparation work before the cleaners arrive, and how much the work will cost.
How to Get Gorilla Glue Out of a Carpet
Gorilla Glue is known for its extra strong adhesive properties, so it may take a little longer for you to remove this glue from your carpet, but it’s not impossible.
To remove this kind of glue from your carpet you’ll need to scrape the excess glue from the carpet, and then you’ll need to use acetone to break down the glue. You can then clean the carpet with some warm water and washing up liquid.
Be sure to open plenty of windows!
How to Get Wood Glue Out of a Carpet
Wood glue is a type of very strong glue that’s known for its durability. But if you do happen to splodge some of this glue on your carpet, the good news is that you can remove it.
Follow these steps:
- Dip a cloth in some white vinegar.
- Dab the gluey area with this cloth.
- Fire up your iron and set it to a warm temperature.
- Lay a clean white cloth flat out over the gluey spot.
- Start ironing over the cloth in a circular motion.
- You can steam the cloth too.
- The glue should be broken down enough to be wiped away.
- Clean the carpet with some washing up liquid and warm water.
- Allow the carpet to air dry naturally.
How to Get Glue Gun Glue Out of a Carpet?
Mishaps happen as you tackle your crafts, but lucky for you, these unfortunate events can be cleaned up with ease.
When removing this kind of glue try to act as fast as possible, so the hot glue doesn’t go cold and solidify.
Then quickly pop a piece of fabric over the glue, fire up an iron and iron over the patch of fabric. The material will absorb the glue for you.
Bethan has a passion for exploring, reading, cooking and gardening! When she’s not creating culinary delights for her family, she’s concocting potions to keep her house clean!
