How To Get Silly Putty Out Of Carpet In 5 Effective Ways – Simple Removal Guides

Silly putty is one of life’s happy accidents.  An inventor accidentally mixed two ingredients together, and this material was born. A few years later, a marketing expert saw an excellent opportunity for this strange product, and he took it. We got to know it as a toy for kids, but today, its use has evolved from being a plaything to becoming an essential part of our homes, office space and beyond.

There are so many creative uses of silly putty, but using them for stress management (which is creative) and then keeping things secure with silly putty aboard the Apollo 8 when they were in zero gravity (which is super impressive) are top favorites. However, the primary use of silly putty remains to be a plaything for the kids, and we all know that the combination of kids and a material like spells disaster for any fabric surrounding them at the time.

The most vulnerable fabric would be your carpet.

It is quite ironic that something that is very useful in removing stains and dirt can go on to cause significant stain concerns. But no worries, with the right tools, a little resourcefulness and this step by step planner, you can reclaim your carpet. Thankfully, once you can figure out how to get silly putty out of carpet, you can bring back the fun element during game time with the kids; even if silly putty will be making an appearance.

Video Explainer

Method 1: Remove Silly Putty from Carpet with Ice

The primary cleaning ingredient in this silly putty cleaning method is ice (hence the title). But that is just the tippy-top of the proverbial iceberg (couldn’t resist). The reason we use ice in this instance is that the cold would cause the silly putty in your carpet to solidify and then make it that much easier to scrape it off your carpet. The effectiveness of this method is somewhere between 95% and 100%.

To pull this off, you would need the following items;

1. A plastic bag
2. Dull Knife or Spoon
3. A timer
4. Ice cubes (naturally)

Step One

Put ice cubes in a bag. 3 or 4 cubes are excellent for a minor stain.

Step Two

Place the bag of ice in the area with stain and leave it there.

Step Three

Set the timer for three hours.

Step Four

In the timeframe that you have set, you would need to refill your bag of ice as they would have melted.

Step Five

At the end of the three hours, the silly putty should have solidified. Use the knife to scrape break it down and then pull the chunks off.

Method 2: The Nail Treatment

If you are thinking putty removal from carpet, you have to think nail polish remover. It is one of the most effective multitasking household items for combating stains. One of the excellent advantages of using the nail polish remover method is that it works faster than the ice method, but you may need to repeat the process more than once to get the desired result. It is a lot more useful on small silly putty stains.

For the nail treatment, you would need the following items;

1. Cotton Ball
2. Dull Knife or Spoon
3. Acetone nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol

Step One

Dip cotton ball in either rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover. Ensure that the ball is squishy in the process

Step Two

Gently dab the stained surface of the carpet with the cotton ball. You need to adequately cover the entire surface of the silly putty stain with the polish remover.

Step Three

Use the knife to break the silly putty into smaller pieces. Pick these pieces and then discard.

Step Four

If you find that the silly putty is still not entirely gone, repeat the process from step one to four.

Method 3: Use A Stain Remover

There is a very distinct possibility that you already have a brand of stain remover in your home, so why not use it and make your life that much easier (not to mention cleaner)? There are so many stain removers in the market, and each of them targets specific stains. To remove silly putty from carpet, go for stain removers with ‘goo’ or ‘gooey’ substances as their focus.

Tools

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These are the things you are going to need to get started;

1. Goo stain remover (Go for organic brands if you have kids at home)
2. Detergent
3. Hot Water (divide it into two; one for the detergent mix and the other to rinse)
4. Timer
5. Clean white cloth

Step One

Lightly pour stain remover on the white cloth

Step Two

Gently rub the cloth on the stain. Ensure that the remover covers the entire area covered in putty stain

Step Three

Allow the remover to sit on the carpet for a while. Set the timer for 15minutes

Step Four

Mix mild detergent with hot water.

Step Five

Dip the white cloth in the detergent mix and use it to scrub the silly putty stain until it is gone

Step Six

Rinse out the cloth and then put it in hot water sans detergent. Dab the stained area until any visible stain signs are gone.

Method 4: The Detergent Mix

Sometimes, simple is good. With this method, we are not getting fancy with the tools. Just toss in good old detergent to the mix and all is good. Just bear in mind that scrubbing vigorously (as people tend to do when using detergent in carpet cleaning) might make it a lot more challenging to remove stains. But if you follow this guide, you would be rewarded with a stain-free carpet at the end of the day.

Tools

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For this method, you should get the following items;

1. Warm Water
2. Cotton Ball (A clean white towel or washcloth is also an excellent substitute)
3. Mild Detergent
4. Dry clean cloth
5. Timer

Step One

Mix the detergent with warm water (2 tablespoons of detergent and a cup of warm water should do the trick)

Step Two

Soak the cotton ball or preferred alternative in the detergent mix

Step Three

Dab cotton ball on the silly putty stain. Ensure that you cover up the entire stain area in detergent

Step Four

Set timer for 20 minutes and allow the stain to soak in the detergent mix for that duration

Step Five

Place a dry cloth over stain at the end of 20 minutes and then press it down to absorb the detergent mix

Step Six

Use the damp cloth to wipe the stain immediately after detergent has been absorbed.

Still Thinking Putty Removal? Call the Pros

This method is not something that a lot of people would happily sign up for, but as the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. The above methods listed are great for small stains. But if your kids threw a silly putty party on your carpet, the diameter of the stain may be larger than what you can handle. And this is where the professional cleaners come in. They have the tools for the job.

But if you choose to rough it out yourself, you have to bear in mind that a few hours may not be enough to clean your carpet thoroughly. For effective cleaning results on a large-scale stain, you would need all of the four methods listed, and you would do them in a different sequence.

1. Act quickly. The moment you notice the stain, get to work.
2. Start with Step two or step three. Apply a solvent on the stain. If the stain is huge, skip the nail polish and use a carpet stain remover instead.
3. Use a detergent mix to work on the stain after the solvent
4. Blot with a cloth and remove the silly putty
5. Repeat as often as necessary until your carpet is spotless.