You are wondering how to get silly putty out of carpet, that’s why you are here. You probably found us while doing an online search, you’re mad, your kids left the house in such a mess and you just found out that this ticky thing is on your carpet and it won’t come off.
First thing to do is, RELAX. Take a breath of air, and chill. We will help you sort this out, remember you love your kids and this is just a temporary issue that will be resolved in a few hours. Now we can proceed.
Many moms have experienced a growing demand for silly putty. This gooey, sticky blob of fun comes in a variety of colors, sizes, and our children play with them everywhere in the house.
It is a creation that is both liquid and solid and can keep children entertained for hours if allowed. One place we do not enjoy seeing this silly putty is in the carpet.
A small, inexpensive mass of enjoyment can become a nightmare in just a matter of minutes. Trying to get silly putty out of your carpet can be daunting and take up too much of your much-needed time.
Below are the best tips for removing silly putty from your carpet and getting on with the next project your kids have ready for you to tackle.
How to Get Silly Putty Out of Carpet
Several Steps for Silly Putty Removal
Taking on silly putty requires a few hours of your time and a few household staples. It is ideal to start the removal process as soon as it happens, but if you are unable to close off the area at that time, you can come back and start the process later.
Below are the steps you should take when you pursue the silly putty removal from your carpet.
1. Bring in the Freezer Bag
While trying to determine how to get silly putty out of carpet, use science as your assistant. For the large deposits of silly putty that has embedded into the carpet, a single ice cube may not be enough.
Take a freezer bag and fill it with ice cubes and then lay onto the silly putty. If you have frozen ice packs or peas, grab them and head over to the carpet.
You should allow it to sit anywhere from 2-3 hours so that the putty will solidify and you can easily pull the majority of the putty from the carpet.
2. Scrape up as much of the silly putty first
Once you have started treating the carpet to remove the silly putty from the carpet fibers, you need to scrape and remove as much silly putty as you can.
This is much easier to do once you have frozen the putty for the last couple of hours. You should take a butter knife from the kitchen to gather the excess silly putty piled on your carpet.
If you have a similar option such as a letterhead opener or file closer, you can use those. Be careful while scraping the excess silly putty.
You should be able to scrape the excess silly putty from the exterior of the carpet and refocus on the putty that has seeped down into the carpet.
3. Bring in the Detergent
Because of silly putty’s consistency and its ability to attach to carpet fibers through the depths of the carpet, laundry detergent is the next tool to taking on how to get silly putty out of carpet.
The laundry detergent that you use must be mild and not include additional chemicals such as bleach. Your carpet is sensitive to such chemicals and could be damaged if used.
When you choose the correct laundry detergent, either liquid or powder, blend it with water to tone it down and allow the detergent to reach all of the carpet layers.
You will want to apply this with a small brush or a cotton ball so that it does not spread outside the putty area.
4. Let it Soak
Time is once again on your side and critical to this step. Once you created the laundry solution and applied it to the silly putty, you will want to let it soak for at least half an hour.
This means keeping this area free of little ones and pets who may be curious about the nice smell coming from the floor.
This time will also give the detergent the time it needs to properly reach the affected fibers and loosen the hold on them by the silly putty.
Although the external putty has been removed, allowing the putty to stay down in the carpet will make it harder to remove and capture more dirt and debris if it stays.
5. Have a Cloth Ready
When you go check on the silly putty extravaganza on your floor, you’ll want to have a damp dishtowel ready to slowly dry the carpet. As you pat the affected area with the damp cloth, most of the remaining silly putty will have loosened and you will capture most of the remaining amount.
This detergent takes the silly putty to an almost liquid state, making it very easy to clean and remove from the carpet at that time. You will start to notice your carpet fibers return to their normal shade prior to the silly putty invasion.
Things to Remember
You will need to manipulate the putty’s state. The goal of removing silly putty is to change its state and form so that it can be removed completely from the carpet.
Since it is something that can be both, it has a unique ability to destroy our carpet if we are not careful. The secret to the success of silly putty removal is to change the state of the putty at different stages.
It is also important to remember that if you do not have an appropriate laundry detergent option without the extra chemicals ready, you can always use handy nail polish remover or even rubbing alcohol.
The chemicals in these solutions are not harmful to most carpets and can still make the necessary transformation to the silly putty so that it can be removed.
Knowing what you need on how to get silly putty out of carpet comes with a side of patience for moms. This process will take some time and you may have to do it more than once, depending on how many times our toddlers shift their attention to another toy or snack while playing with the silly putty.
You might also like to read our other guides about how to transition your baby to crib and many other cool guides we publish every week.
Have relief in knowing that there is hope to rid your carpet of this sticky substance with a handful of items and an afternoon nap all at your disposal.