Sandra asked: My dog got into salt water taffy and the taffy is now stuck in and on the carpet. It’s a sticky mess. Please help, how do I get it out of the carpet?
Table of Contents:
Taffy makes a delicious treat, but when it mixes with carpet it quickly loses its charm. Since heat only makes taffy gooier and stickier, it’s important to keep it cold and work quickly to remove it before it spreads further. Here’s how to chill and remove the sticky mess.
You Will Need:
- Ice cubes
- Comb
- Dull knife or spoon
- Carpet cleaner
- Soft cloths
- Water
Steps to Remove the Taffy:
- Begin by rubbing an ice cube over the taffy area. If the water is causing more problems, place the ice cube in a Ziploc bag first. This will allow you to easily chill the area without adding moisture. Chill it until it hardens.
- Next, use a dull knife or spoon to scrape away the hardened taffy.
- Repeat until a majority of the taffy is removed.
- If your carpet is straight cut, a comb can be used to pull the taffy out.
- Keep it thoroughly chilled and place the teeth of the comb under the taffy. Pull the comb upwards to pull the taffy to the surface.
- When the chunks of taffy are removed. The leftover film can be removed with carpet cleaner.
- Moisten a soft cloth with carpet cleaner and blot the stain until it is removed.
- Rinse by blotting with a clean cloth moistened with plain water.
- Allow the area to dry completely.
- If the fibers are stiff, vacuum or comb over the area to restore the original texture.
Additional Tips and Ideas
- If the taffy is on the surface only, you may be able to trim the carpet fibers to remove it.
- Chilling the area with dry ice will make the taffy very brittle. Break it up with a spoon and remove it from the carpet with a dust buster. Exercise caution when using dry ice though, as allowing it to touch bare skin will result in injury.
- Peanut butter can be rubbed over the taffy as well. The oil in the peanut butter acts as a lubricant to assist in removing the sticky goo.
