Went on a bit of a road trip last week and my son apparently fell asleep with gum in his mouth, which somehow fell out and got under his butt, and then got rubbed into the upholstery over the course of an hour or so. Then when he noticed it he secretly tried to get it off by rubbing it in more. It (obviously) made the problem worse, and he still didn't mention it to anyone. I finally noticed it when we were unloading the truck. It's really ground into the back seat. (You might think I'm talking about a 4 year old, but this kid is 16!!!!!)

Is there anything that will take this off without further damaging or discoloring the upholstery? Is there a way to get it back looking new? Any idea where I can find a price online for a replacement seat base? I have a 2012 Crew Cab and the interior carpet is black and the seats are dark gray with tan patterns. The back seat is a split bench with the gum on the bigger side of the split (of course).

 

I have heard of people trying to freeze it and then picking it out.

Do a google search, you'll find some ideas I'm sure.

 

Yeah, I have run some searches and they recommend things like freezing, which I don't think will work given that there's no bulk left (but I'll try it anyway since I know the water won't hurt the seat). They've also mentioned lighter fluid, mineral spirits, and goof-off, all of which I'm afraid will discolor the seat. Here are some pictures. (they're big, sorry)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...3/IMG_3268.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...3/IMG_3269.JPG

 

Mayonnaise or vegetable oil will soften the gum. You can then start removing it as the oil will continue to make the gum softer and softer as it is agitated -don't spread it, keep it in as small an area as possible. Once most of it is pulled out, you then need soap to remove the oil left behind. A wet vac and some scrubbing should do the trick.

Freezing may work on hard surfaces, but I have had poor results freezing gum.

 

My thought would be some sort of foaming carpet cleaner and a stiff bristle brush.

I know it gets most of that stuff out of carpet....

 

If your going to try freezing it, get some caned air at Wal-Mart. turn the can upside down and spray it. then use twesers to pick the gum out

 

This is probably your best bet. Definitely try it on an inconspicuous location of the seat fabric first to check for staining. I've used this on various types of clothing with good success and never stained them, but YMMV.



Rob

 

Dawn dish soap... hasnt failed me yet. I`ve also used WD40 too... just cant stand the smell of it.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I was really hesitant to put anything on it as the rest of the upholstery still looks brand new. I took it to a detailing shop and the guy there used a steamer with a brush and took it off in about 2 minutes. Unfortunately the brush pulled some of the threads but I clipped them off with nail cutters and it's impossible to tell. (I just bring it up because if someone else pulls up this thread in the future, I wouldn't recommend this method. If I had known it would happen, I would have tried something else.)

 

I was thinking the carpet which a little oil would be easy to get out. Sounds like you probably hit upon the best solution actually to minimize staining -which for an obvious location is the best bet. Never thought about hot steam, but obviously it would soften gum up.