[DP]

Anyone use steam to remove gum from carpets? I thought I was successful with loads of it in a shop (needed to explore a new steam machine) and in part it was, it removed the gum very quickly, however although the gum was gone it left a rather permanent black mark  any idea's why?

I would be grateful if anyone can help.

[Bryan H]

I always use a steam gun to remove gum on commercial premises.  It does the job very easily & efficiently.

You do need to use a small amount of solvent or gel afterwards though, to remove sticky residue which would otherwise attract more dirt & turn black.

Bryan

[carpetguy]

Bryan's right, the steam, if it's powerfull enough, will breakup the gum and a rough towell impregnated with orange gel will clear the residue, but use the towel immediately.

robbie

[*paul_moss]

The black mark it either left residue that should just extract,or if you have used a solvent on bitumen backed tiles then you have started to disolve the backing and it is bitumen,which can result in problems

[carpetguy]

The use of steam is extremely unlikely to cause a backing problem, as the steam is not directed  sharply downwards, but at a flatter angle to simply break the adhesion of the gum, but all is not likely to be removed, hence the residue and the need to apply a solvent to quickly, as described above.

To the best of my knowledge, orange gel used as suggested will not cause backing problems either, but................there willalways be " heavy handed " people who simply can't stick to guidelines.

Most of the little " hand held " steamers lack the pressure for gum removal.

robbie

[DP]

Many thanks guys, I will add a bit more info. I hate the lack of detail when I respond to other peoples questions, so my apologises.

First off is although I have some reasonable experience with carpets, I do not have any with steam AT ALL. The Machine is about as powerful as you can get at 240v about 170-180c @ 8bar with extraction. I make no bones about doing something wrong (after all if I had done it right I wouldn’t of had problems)  I have tried to search for training without success, so I have not had any guidelines to follow.

Its a new purchase with every imaginable tool (about £2k's worth which wasn’t particularly bought for carpets I just thought I would try it) I used a small round nylon brush on the tip, and I confess that I did use a tad of "Solve It" spray. I also attacked it vertically and not horizontally. The black marks were immediate and not a build from continued traffic and also seemed permanent as I finished the whole area with HWE which didn’t touch the marks at all. This was also on good quality carpet tile.

So your idea’s are falling correct, and I now think that it was perhaps the use of "solve it" dissolving the backing and perhaps too aggressive use of steam and brush straight down into the pile. I wondered where the gum went 

If anyone knows where I can get any further info or training, I would be greatfull. Im staggered that the big manufacturers, dont seem to have anything in place at all (where are their heads) you only have to look at Prochem to see the £ value of this.

[Mike_Boxall]

Hi DP

Don't use the steam with a brush but just use the detail nozzle so you get a very fine jet. The trick is to literally peel the gum off (at which point you'll get left with a very fine sticky residue) Spray on some citrus solvent and then use a paint scraper to take off the final bit. Pressing the scraper hard into the pile forces the moisture back to the top of the and lifts off any gum / solvent residue.

It's by far and away the fastest way to remove gum without damage....

Regards

Mike

[*paul_moss]

Black from some synthetic fibres will surface straight away from hwe ( wick back) if they havnt been vacced enough!! period.
Thats why I made that point first.
My second point is that I suspected a solvent had been used although it was never stated in the first thread. Which is the probable cause.
And finally yes citrus gel WILL solidify bitumen backed tiles.
Carpet Guy just because you have not experienced this does not mean it wont happen.

[DP]

Thanks again for the info.

   

[carpetguy]

Mr Moss

Many thanks for your useful opinion and you are probably correct about my lack of experience, as I've only been in this business for 20, odd years, so I'm still learning.

However, in that time, I have trialled many products including citrus gels and solvents, for gum removal, with varying results.

I really don't quite understand your point about wick back, as the black marks being dicussed, are from gum removal efforts.

But, as you say, I'm probably not as experienced as you and am missing something !

DP

You don't need thehigh pressure you're using and Mikes comment is absolutely correct.........I just like to give an additional wipe with an impegnated cloth.

[Mike_Boxall]

Hi

Here is a video demo of the the Steam Gun which shows how it should be used for chewing gum removal.

http://www.express-cleaning-supplies.co.uk/multim/steamgun.html

Regards

Mike

[DP]

Just viewed the vid.......Umm I definitely didn’t do that 
 
However I do have a new magic trick that makes gum completely disappear real quick  Ok so it sort of dissolves the carpet  :, but its still a great trick!!!

Mike thanks for the link, next time I will ask first. Yes I did buy it from Express who did a great job of getting it to me on time.

The machine was bought initially for hard surfaces and one particular job, but it seems a waste not to explore its other uses especially as we do a lot of deep cleans and a modest amount of carpets.

Re the pressure, I can see now from the vid that your quite right you don’t need all that oomph. A bit of product knowledge can go a long way. 

[des]

Mike just watched your video .Ido over 200 bits of gum every month but i must admit that the video is a great sales maker and its a pitty that some one did not make a dvd or video to show how to use all tools that we buy from differant manufacture,s ie carpet cleaning machines buffers hard floor cleaning .ect ect .i would pay to get some of these no 1 3ps cleaning No 2 carpet cleaning No 3 hard floor cleaning  But thats just my opinion Des