How to remove Blu Tack from carpet

Blu Tack is a reusable squishy goo that we always seem to find new uses for. Marketed as the ideal alternative to sticky tape and drawing pins, Blu Tack has managed to find its way into our lives, and it stuck there.

And while making things stick to each other is its main purpose, you definitely don’t want it sticking to your carpet or rug.

But before that, here is some brief backstory on…

How to remove Blu Tack from carpet
How was Blue Tack invented

How was Blue Tack invented?

Similar to superglue, Blu Tack too came to be by pure accident in the year of 1969. Rubber, chalk and oil were the products used by UK based adhesive company, Bostik, to hopefully develop their new bathroom sealant. (Un)fortunately, they were unsuccessful, as the final product ended up being a low quality white adhesive substance. That adhesive, however, was not thrown into the bin. Rather, it stuck around for a bit!

Then, Bostik office workers started using the white goop to stick notes to each other’s desks. After some time of this practice, they realized the potential of what they had, and through some TV advertising and word of mouth, Blu Tack was born!

Funnily enough, Blu Tack was not actually blue in the beginning – it was originally white! The reason for the change in colour was due the concern that children may mistake it for chewing gum.

If we still have your attention after this charming story, it’s time to get to the point.

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Removing Blu Tack from carpet

When removing Blu Tack from carpet, your main goal is to be very careful, in view of the fact that the sticky goo becomes even stickier as time goes on. We don’t recommend using a hair dryer and we also don’t recommend using a knife to scrape it off. The less danger there is to the carpet, the better.

Cleaning Blu Tack with Blu Tack

Method 1

You first and best course of action is to start removing chunks of it by hand. Firmly pinch the roots of the carpet fibres with one hand, and begin plucking the tack. With this method, you’ll be able to take most of it off.

Next, you’re going to fight fire with fire, or rather Blu Tack with Blu Tack. Warm up your tack in your hands for a minute or two, and begin rubbing it into the sticky goo that’s already in the carpet. Once they form a bond, you should be able to easily remove the one previously stuck in between fibres of the carpet. Should any small pieces of it remain, just use a comb to pick off them off.

The above instructions are guaranteed to work in most cases, but if you find no success, we can provide with a few more solutions:

Method 2

Fill a bowl halfway with white vinegar and put it in the microwave for a minute or so. This is done since heat helps loosen up Blu Tack’s stickiness. So, once you have the bow near the tack, pour a small amount of the vinegar over the area to be cleaned and let it sit for a few minutes.

Then, with a plastic scraper tool, begin scraping the now loosened Blu Tack from your carpet. And as not all homes would have a plastic scraper tool lying around, the recommended alternative is a spatula. Once you manage to get it all out, just dry the carpet with some paper towels or a clean cloth, and finish off the carpet with a quick hoover, in order to lift the carpet fibres.

Eucalyptus oil

Method 3

A potent cleaning product, which you likely have at home, but aren’t aware of its cleaning qualities is Eucalyptus oil. It’s great in combating grease stains, and… you guessed it – sticky residue! Because of this, it can very often be found in commercial wool wash laundry products.

Now to the point – apply a few drops of eucalyptus oil directly onto the Blu Tack, and agitate the carpet fibres with a stiff brush, which will loosen the Blu Tack, and make it easily removable.

All that’s needed at this point is to deal with the oil residue. To do that, pour a bit of distilled white vinegar and bicarbonate soda and wait for 10 to 15 minutes. Then dry with a clean white cloth and hoover to lift the carpet fibres up.

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Removing Blu Tack stains from carpet

As we previously established, Blue Tack was created using rubber, chalk and oil. And because it does contain oil, it can leave a yellowish, sometimes very evident, mark on the carpet, if left there for a long period of time.

To remove said mark, you’d need to prepare a solution of warm water and a few drops of fairy liquid into a spray bottle. Fairy liquid is a mild degreaser, so it’s a naturally going to be the first product we use to attempt removal of oily stains. Anyway… once those are mixed well, just spray the stained area and begin blotting with a clean microfiber cloth. Repeat until the stain is no longer visible. If no success, however, it’s time to test out something stronger.

That something stronger being rubbing alcohol. The key thing when using rubbing alcohol is to have the room where you’re doing the cleaning very well ventilated, since it’s highly flammable and also happens to be toxic. If handled with care, however, rubbing alcohol is completely safe, and is luckily something which you likely already have in your medicine cabinet.

So how do you apply it? You just pour a small amount of it to a clean cloth, then press onto the carpet with the cloth. After carefully doing so, let the carpet dry out, but if needed, do repeat the process. Why this is very likely going to work, is due to rubbing alcohol being a solvent, meaning it’s able to separate the oil from the carpet fibres. Just note that once the carpet dries out, you should rinse it with some cold water and paper towels.

Carpet Steam Cleaning

Have the carpet steam cleaned

Attempting to deal with an issue yourself is how most would react in any given situation. It’s usually the same when it comes to carpet stain removal, which is likely why you’re still reading this article. Sometimes, however, it’s best to entrust professionals.

Since carpets can cost a fortune, and are difficult to clean, you want to be sure that whichever treatment they are to receive is right for them. And who knows how to treat carpets better than trained and certified professionals?

ProLux professional cleaners will come to your home at a day and time most convenient for you, with all the tools necessary to lift any stain and smell for you. They will walk you through the process, show you first-hand how the cleaning is done, and even provide with after-care advice! At the end, your only regret will be that you didn’t call sooner!

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