Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: clive on October 23, 2005, 10:45:28 pm
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I do a few jobs where i have to get rid of chewing gum. I get really fed up crawling around on hands and knees with a little hand held steamer followed up with wiping off with some solvent. Any decent machines out there that wont break the bank?
Keep looking at the Bazooka but hear mixed opinions on it.
Clive
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I don't think there is anything easy, isn't it Bob a job week soon?
Glynn uses panel wipe from an Automotive place perhaps it may have a bit more kick!
Shaun
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>:( i dont think there is an easy way I use the same old steamer and solvent, tried white spirit once I strongly sugest knowbody ever tries it, got to be the worst one out there !! but six in the morning 24 hour tesco all thats open, miles from home and two floors of a pub left, it's amazing how desperate you get, tried the boozoka thing worked well on the first bit but cloggs up doest remove it all didnt get on with it, but did talk to a chap from chemdri that had a max diesel recons he had no problem with it got some stuff from prochem with a red label thats all i know but recons just put a drop on the gum give a few seconds rub it with your foot and its gone, gone where though mm ???not sure but if anybody elese uses it and recons it is all good can you let me know what it is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Just got some chewing gum remover from Solution, not tried it yet but apparently its good..... Will let you know..
Chris
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Hi,
I am a novice on chewing gum but have been working for 12 days removing it from carpets in one of the largest schools in Surrey. The last chewing gum clean was 2 years ago
Here is how I found it
On cord carpet (fine low level)
Applied steam by hand held steamer, removing what I could by Triangular paint stripping tool. Then applied (to a number of spots at a time) Prochems Citrus jel' using their overpriced perforating tool and then returned with paint tool and solvent on cloth (Had to watch backing). Finished with another hot clean. Also dabbled with odour free white spirit for removing residue. Some Gum was left within the cord. I tried experiment with Citra clean from various dilutions to neat. didn't get an effective result also used 'Rid a gum' effective on some spots didn,t touch others. Wire brush fuzzed the pile.
Discovered I had to clean some of the gum by HWE to remove the impacted soil layer allow Citrus Jel into the gum
Velvet pile floortiles.
Here is where Rid a gum came into it's own on the older drier gum. the wire brush broke it down very quickly and the brush did not appear to damage the pile nor did I need to clean up with a solvent. Found Citrus gel more effective on fresher gum but it still left a residue
Raised Barrier Matting
Surpisingly this came out well as presumably the gum had less material to adhere to ,Steam and citrus Jel, followed by high temp (steam) clean
I seriously underestimated the time needed to clean /remove the gum but luckily during my time at the school I have made contacts within the 280 staff who are asking me to do their homes
Regards
Eddie
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Thanks Eddie but not sure if thats the one so the search continues
But too any one out there using citrus jels, ive tried a lot of them I know it pricy but in my mind nothing beats Hydramasters OJ I recon it's God in a bottle, does any one think theres a better one out there, I have ways of making a bottle go a lot further to ;)
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Any others as good or better on the market and were can I get this product Hydramasters OJ from please?
regards stephen
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Hi Guys,
Chewing gum is not a distinct substance but can be natural or synthetic rubber and molecular weights will vary also.The rubber is the insoluble bit which softens with temp and releases sugar, flavourings etc.
Other factors which will effect solubility are thickness age,bonding,temperature,substrate etc
I have usually found white spirit quite effective but different gums will vary in solubilty , Glynn's panel wipe will probably contain toluene and xylene which are both effective but nasty.
The gels sold by suppliers will be a thickening agent like guar gum or possibly cellulose with a perfume to mask the solvent .
In short it is worth experimenting yourself , but do bear in mind that a few minutes 'soaking' will make you job a lot easier.
According to my book of solubility parameters alcohols will not be very effective.
Cheers
Doug
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I've had very good results using a more powerfull steamer, which also vacuums. The steam literally blasts the gum from the fibres and is followed imediately with a wipe with a towel, impregnated with whatever gel or solvent you favour.
The best I've used was Rid-a-Gum, from the One Step suppliers.
This is followed by a quick vacuum to collect the dispersed particles, bearing in mind, that the steamer also vac's and can lift wet, or dry.
My steamer / vac is an Aquadry, but this was modified by me as a suitable jet was not included.
Using this method, speeded up gum removal, by a factor of around 4.
R M
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That,s the answer a more powerful steamer .I do about 250 bits of gum in a night club every month and i have the same type of steamer as above .It just blast them away and then a quick mist and wipe with some white spirit and small wire brush Less than one and a half hours .Also nicks stuff is good on its own and rid a gum des
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i am trying BREAK UP from premier products.
so far so good
Lee G
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Is the Bazokafrom Prochem any good ?
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So really are we saying to try a good steamer followed by say white spirit, kitchen roll,then maybe a hoover to finish the job.
I have a nightmare of the many entrance tread mats I have in retail units taking three quarters of my time up! :'(
Do you guys rate this Bazooka from Prochem?,,,Stephen
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Hi Guys,
Good practical stuff.
I like the steamer approach.
Rubbers become plastics above a certain temperature so they will flow which is why you can scrape them off.
White spirit to clean off the excess.
Remember if you do not have a steamer hot water will soften the rubber and allow the solvents to work better.
Cheers
Doug
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Lyn,
The kind of steamer I'm referring to, is a commercial grade product, which also vacuums and I strongly suggest that you do not use paper towels in this process.
As the steam will break up, almost vapourise the gum, all that's required, is a wipe - I'd suggest an impregnated and ideally, rough towel, which reduces the possibility of delamination.
What product you use, is purely personal choice, there being so many. My personal choice would be Rid-a-Gum, but the gels do an adequate job. On a previous post, someone mentioned a gum remover from Wales which had good reviews.
As far as technique is concerned, what I found to work best and quickest, is to aim the jet, and it must be the small, high pressure jet, at the area where the gum meets the carpet, not on top. This allows the steam to loosen the adhesion at it's weakest point and in many cases it will lift straight off....................do not touch the gum at this point, but allow it to cool and firm up again before removal.
Please note, that I emphasise the wet vac' capability of the vacuum hopefully, for obvious reasons.
You could use a separate steamer and wet/dry, but a dual purpose machine is very useful to have in your ' kit'.
Although this is only my opinion, it's based on many years of trial and error and can, hopefully save someone a lot of frustration and maybe even make them money.
Have a cooperative and successfull 2006
rob m
ps There is always potential danger to fabrics when using steam and this should be borne in mind. Inform the client and let them decide.
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has anyone tried one of the new gum wands that they sell in the USA. they claim you connect it up to a truckmount and remove away. sound to good to be true. maybe i'll ask on a US forum.
happy new year to you all
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Hello,
Thank you Therapist for your knowledge and your detailed answer! Could anyone give me a link to a supplier of RID-A-GUM please?
Thank you in advance Lyn
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www.amtechuk.biz
Got a notice from them recently concerning an open day, or similar. Don't know the dates or details as I won't be there.
rob m
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Hi Lyn
www.hydramaster.co.uk (http://www.hydramaster.co.uk) for OJ
And if I hear one more person mention white spirit on chewing gum ill screem call yourselfs professionals and Doug I would of expected better from you ooooooooh you make me so mad >:(
bit of a sore subject
James
Those out there using white spirit to save a buck at least just thin your spotter jell down with the stuff, the idea is to remove the gum not rub it in the carpet with white spirit so you cant see it >:( :P
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James,
White spirit has the right sort of solubility parameter for rubber so why are you so negative , you don't have to pour gallons on.
OJ is probably a very similar composition with the gell just being a means of transportation and a perfume to mask the smell ,which as you will suck it out is not really necessary.
I will have to try OJ to see if it is more effective.
Cheers
Doug
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The thing that winds me up with white spirit, not you Doug but a lot of cowboys out there, is when the gum is over steamed then drowned with W/S ( why not just use a spray bottle )rubbed about with a scrapper a bit and only under 20% of the gum removed then onto piece two. by the time they get to piece 300 and start cleaning, the gum has started to dry back to the carpet and is not extracted, a month later this gum has amagilmated back togeather into little tiny peices, 6 months later I get called out to do the job properly and I have to spend hours removing bloody little pieces, it would be better if they just left it alone. :o >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Thats reason 1, I could continue infact it winds me up that much I could rave on all night but my battery is nearly flat.
I did the other week have a pub to clean after a refit, and after using all my OJ on duck tape that was all over the carpet had none left for the gum :o :o
It's now 20:00 and everwhere is shut because yes I was going to have to buy WHITE SPIRIT :P :P :P
Ah ha B & Q was open and what did they sell chewing gum remover for carpets £1.80 a bottle smells like flash and looks like it too, but after testing for colour fastness alowing to dry etc it was alright and got me out of a tight spot, now keep it in the van for emergencies and washing my dishes.
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James,
I must admit that I don't clean pubs anymore so I carry white spirit as a good alround solvent for chewing gum,blue tack,grease, oil etc but only use in small quantities.
Probably only use 10 litres a year.
Some of you guys are obviously much more experienced in this sort of thing.
I still like the steam approach and would use it if I ever did go back to chewing gum removal.
Good topic
Cheers
Doug
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Always interested in the 'expert ' opinion, but as I said and this is based on a great deal of trial and error, including clearing the mess left by others.
Personally, I have never used white spirit, but thought I thought I'd explained myself with reasonable clarity.
What I neglected to say, was that the gum removal is done, after cleaning, so there has been some imbibing of moisture, by the gum.
I certainly stated that my way of removing gum, resulted in some of it breaking into tiny pieces, which were vacuumed up with a suitable machine.
The use of an impregnated cloth is to wipe away any surplus
This is the quickest method , by far, of removing gum that I've experienced, including the steam wand, which doesn't get close enough to the wad, to release it quickly and completely
But then...............it's only my opinion.
take care
rob m