How to Remove Silly Putty from Carpet

Written by April Reinhardt (last updated June 5, 2023)

Ah, Silly Putty! Great for rolling into a ball and bouncing it off of your little brother's head. Fun on Sunday afternoons for pressing it against the Sunday newspaper comics and transferring the images to other paper (or your bedroom walls). Great fun to form bubbles and make loud snapping noises when you burst them.

Not so great when you're the parent and you have to get it out of Junior's bedroom carpet.

Originally created as a potential substitute for rubber in the United States during World War II, Silly Putty was first named Nutty Putty and is made of silicone polymers. Apollo astronauts used it to secure their tools in zero-gravity, and generations of children—and adults—find it fun to play with.

But because of its great adhesive properties and its unusual flow characteristics, the stuff is difficult to get out of carpeting, but not impossible. Follow these guidelines to rid your carpeting of Silly Putty and put it back into the egg where it belongs:

  • With a butter knife and your fingernails, scrape away all of the Silly Putty that you can from the carpeting.
  • Apply Goo Gone or WD-40 liberally to the affected area and allow it to sit for about five minutes.
  • With a wet rag, rub the area over and over again until the putty dissolves.
  • Apply more Goo Gone or WD-40 if you still see putty or a stain, and then rub again with a clean, wet rag.

The Silly Putty should completely dissolve away, leaving no trace that it got stuck in the carpet. According to the manufacturers of the product, alcohol also dissolves Silly Putty, so you could try that if you don't have any Goo Gone or WD-40 in the house. Another good remedy is to freeze the putty until it cracks and breaks. Set an ice pack onto the affected carpet and let it sit there a good few hours, and then crack the frozen putty out of the carpet.

Author Bio

April Reinhardt

An admin­istrator for a mutual fund man­age­ment firm, April deals with the writ­ten word daily. She loves to write and plans to author a memoir in the near future. April attend­ed More­head State Uni­ver­sity to pursue a BA degree in Ele­men­tary Edu­ca­tion. ...

MORE FROM APRIL

Getting a Manicure

Getting a professional manicure can leave you feeling relaxed and pampered. Knowing what to expect from a true ...

Discover More

Getting the Right Soil pH

The pH value of your soil is a crucial variable to consider before planting a garden or lawn. Stabilizing soil pH levels ...

Discover More

Storing Garden Hoses

Most people take care to store their garden hose for the winter, but most of us do not follow the necessary steps to ...

Discover More

Tough Cleaning Jobs Require Brawny! Brawny paper towels provide the versatility you need: the strength for demanding jobs and the softness to clean up your child's messy face. This 24-roll pack of pick-a-size sheets can handle just about every cleaning task in your home. Check out Brawny 24-Pack Giant Paper Towels today!

More Cleaning Tips

Using a Do-It-Yourself Carpet Cleaner

Using a carpet cleaner can save a lot of money, but it does require a little bit of strategy. Thankfully, if you are ...

Discover More

Removing Adhesive Tape Residue from Carpet

Things like duct tape can often be a huge help, though they can come with a slight drawback—they typically leave ...

Discover More

Using Carpet Cleaning Equipment

Paying someone to professionally clean your carpet can be expensive. Rent or buy carpet cleaning equipment that you can ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in Cleaning Tips from Tips.Net. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is nine minus 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in Cleaning Tips from Tips.Net. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.