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Spent 4 Hours on a Single Interior Detail Because of Old Gum Under the Seat
I picked up a used sedan last weekend for my son and figured I'd clean it up before handing it over. The previous owner must have had a kid who loved gum because there were like 8 spots smashed into the carpet under the passenger seat. I tried the ice cube trick, a gum remover spray, even a steamer, and each piece took a solid 30 minutes to dig out without tearing the fibers. In total I lost a full Saturday afternoon to just that one area and the rest of the vacuuming was quick. Has anyone found a faster way to get old gum out of deep pile carpet?
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sanchez.mary15d ago
Oh man, that's brutal. A friend of mine bought a used minivan last year and she found gum all over the back row. Not just under one seat but like, everywhere. She said she spent an entire weekend on her knees with a hair dryer and a butter knife. Her husband kept telling her to just take it to a detail shop but she's stubborn like that. By the end her fingers were cramped and she swore she'd never buy used again.
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lily5715d ago
Old gum under the seat" is exactly why I keep a cheap heat gun in my garage. Not for detailing, just for gum. You spray the gum with rubbing alcohol first then hit it with the heat gun on low. The alcohol keeps the carpet fibers from frying. It melts the gum into a goo that peels right off with a paper towel. No scraping, no ice, no torn fibers. Eight spots would take me maybe 20 minutes total.
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