First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Pick off large wet or dry pieces by hand, and don't rub wet dough into the fabric.
- For putty or modeling clay, chill it with ice cubes, then scrape off what you can.
- Blot any liquid with a dry, white cloth or white paper towels.
Slime in carpet gets worse when it's rubbed, since it grips the yarn and works deeper into the fibers. Silly Putty stays fairly pliable even after drying and can often be pulled off, but dough has to be picked out in pieces. A fresh patch comes up with much less trouble than one left to harden, so acting early improves your odds.
Pick off the bulk with a spoon or butter knife, working from the edge in so you don't press it deeper. Getting slime out of carpet is slow work, so keep your pace steady and don't force it. Glitter or colored slime leaves more behind, so a carpet spot cleaner is the thing to try on whatever remains.
Before you start
What carpet & rugs can take
Use with care6
- Water
- Hot water
- Oxygen bleach
- Solvents (alcohol, spot removers)
- Acids (vinegar, lemon)
- Heat, once the stain is out
Avoid3
- Soaking
- Chlorine bleach
- Scrubbing and abrasives
7 items
What you'll need
Tap an item to get it on Amazon, or tick what you already have.
- Dry white cloth or white paper towelsBlots liquid and shows any dye that comes off. (opens Amazon)
- Ice cubes in a plastic bagHardens putty and modeling clay so it can be scraped off.
- Dull knife or rounded spoonScrapes up solids without cutting into the pile.
- 70% isopropyl or 90% denatured alcoholLifts the slime when it's the plain type with no added color or fragrance. (opens Amazon)
- Liquid dish soapMakes the mild cleaning mix used in the final lifting step. (opens Amazon)
- Mist sprayerRinses the spot without overwetting the carpet. (opens Amazon)
- Rubber glovesProtects your hands when you work with alcohol. (opens Amazon)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
6 steps
Step by step
Step 1 of 6
Lift off the loose pieces
Start with the big pieces. Pick off any wet or dry chunks by hand, then blot the wet slime with a dry white cloth so you don't rub it into the pile.
Step 2 of 6
Chill and scrape putty or clay
For putty or modeling clay, hold an ice cube in a plastic bag on the spot until it hardens. Then scrape off as much as you can with a dull knife or spoon, and vacuum any solid bits that break loose. For slime or dough, skip the ice and move on to the alcohol test.
Tip. Keep the ice in its bag so meltwater doesn't soak the carpet.
Step 3 of 6A few minutes
Pretest the alcohol on a hidden spot
Dampen a white cloth with a small amount of 70% isopropyl or 90% denatured alcohol with no added color or fragrance. Dab it on a hidden part of the carpet, wait a few minutes, then check both the cloth and the carpet.
Careful. A test spot that changes color means picking a different solution
Step 4 of 6A few minutes
Lift the spot with alcohol
Apply a small amount of the tested alcohol to a white cloth, not straight onto the carpet. Work from the edges of the spot toward the center, dabbing rather than rubbing, and let it sit a few minutes before blotting. Keep going while the spot transfers to the cloth, switching to a clean section of cloth each time.
Careful. Ventilate the room, keep flames away, and wear rubber gloves when using alcohol
Step 5 of 6A few minutes
Work in the mild dish soap mix
Mix 1/4 teaspoon of liquid dish soap into 1 cup of lukewarm water, then dampen a clean white cloth with a small amount. Work from the edges inward without rubbing, let it sit a few minutes, and blot, repeating as long as the spot keeps lifting.
Careful. A stronger dish soap mix than the recommended one can damage carpet
Step 6 of 6
Rinse and blot the area dry
Rinse the spot several times with lukewarm tap water from a mist sprayer, so you don't overwet it. Blot with a paper towel and pat dry after every rinse until no moisture is left.
Careful. Dish soap residue stays in the fibers unless you rinse it out several times
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for slime and putty on carpet & rugs
Choose 70% isopropyl alcohol or 90% denatured alcohol with no added color or fragrance, and a plain liquid dish soap.
Goo Gone Goo & Adhesive Remover Spray Gel
Goo Gone Original Adhesive Remover
Zep Advanced Oxy Carpet & Upholstery Stain Remover
BISSELL Little Green Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner
Utopia Kitchen White Flour Sack Towels
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on carpet & rugs, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
See what to do for what you're seeing →If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →How to tell it's working
Progress looks like the surface going from tacky to dry under your fingertip, with each blot picking up less than the one before. If the spot still feels sticky after several rounds of alcohol and soap, the residue has likely set into the fibers, so move on to the old-stain section instead of adding more liquid.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your carpet & rugs
Dough and playdough
Dough changes the first step more than the rest. Pick off every piece you can by hand and vacuum the crumbs before anything wet touches the spot, and skip the ice since dough doesn't need it.
If dough has worked down into the pile, go back to the dish soap mix and work it again, then rinse it out well. Work gently from the edges inward so the dough doesn't spread.
Putty
Putty benefits most from the chill step: hold an ice cube in a plastic bag on it until it hardens, then scrape off what you can. Scrape gently so you don't cut or pull up the pile.
Any putty left after scraping gets the same alcohol pretest and treatment as slime. Vacuum the loose crumbs once the spot is clear, and check the cloth often for color.
Colored or glitter slime
Colored slime can leave its dye on the white cloth, so look at the cloth after every dab. If color comes off, stop with the alcohol and move to the dish soap mix instead.
For glitter, magnetic bits or other small pieces, pick them out by hand before any liquid touches them, so they don't spread across the carpet. Then follow the same steps as plain slime.
Goo and gak
Goo and gak respond to the same lift, alcohol, and dish soap steps as slime. The only change is how many alcohol passes you make.
Thick, sticky goo often needs several alcohol passes before the dish soap mix. Use a clean section of cloth for each pass so you don't drag residue back across the carpet.
Shag, wool, and white carpet
On shag or fluffy carpet, slime sinks deep into long fibers, so lift the pieces with your fingers and blot rather than work the pile. On wool, skip oxygen cleaners, which are listed as unsafe on wool, and stick to the alcohol and dish soap steps.
Berber and white carpet follow the same steps, but white carpet shows any dye that moves, so check the cloth closely. If you can't tell what fiber your carpet is, pretest the alcohol first and use only the dish soap mix.
Old, dried or set-in stains
Old slime has had time to bond with the fibers, so the first pass will lift less of it. Expect to repeat the alcohol and dish soap steps several times, and move on only when the cloth stops picking anything up.
Dried slime needs short passes rather than one long soak, with a few minutes of sitting between each. Work from the edges inward and blot after every pass, and stop as soon as the spot stops changing.
If a mark remains after the rinse, you can use 3% hydrogen peroxide on the tufts, pretested on a hidden spot since carpet that isn't colorfast can change. Use only the mild drugstore kind sold as an antiseptic, not the stronger kind sold for bleaching hair, and leave it on for one hour before blotting. Repeat if needed, but realistically a faint shadow may stay, and that's as far as home treatment will go.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on slime and putty on carpet & rugs?
Alcohol and a mild dish soap mix handle most slime, so the rest are mostly unnecessary on carpet. If you'd rather avoid vinegar, alcohol and baking soda, the dish soap mix and a water rinse are the options left.
Works3Skip4
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't keep dabbing once the cloth stops lifting
When the cloth stops picking up slime, the alcohol has done what it can. More of it at that point only adds moisture, so switch to the dish soap mix instead.
Don't pour solvent onto the carpet
Alcohol belongs on a white cloth, never poured onto the pile. Solvent that reaches the backing can damage the latex that holds the backing together.
Don't leave the spot damp
A mist sprayer keeps the rinse light, so the carpet isn't soaked. Keep blotting until the spot is dry rather than stopping when it only looks fine.
Don't scrape putty while it's still soft
Warm putty and modeling clay smear across the pile and spread the spot wider. Chill it with ice cubes until it hardens, then lift it off with a dull knife or spoon.
Don't skip the hidden-spot test
Rubbing alcohol, nail-polish remover and amyl acetate can each change carpet dye, and you won't see the damage until it's done. Test one on a hidden strip, like the inside of a closet, and check the result before you work it into the stain.
Don't make the soap mix stronger
More soap doesn't lift slime faster, and extra detergent left in the carpet makes it resoil quickly. Keep to 1/4 teaspoon of liquid dish detergent per cup of lukewarm water, and never go stronger.
Troubleshooting
If the stain is still there
Pick what you're seeing:
The putty smears instead of lifting.
Chill it with ice cubes until it hardens, then scrape again with a rounded spoon.
The spot feels sticky after drying.
Detergent residue is left behind. Rinse again with lukewarm water from a mist sprayer and blot dry.
A colored stain remains after the residue is gone.
Repeat the detergent step, then see the set-in advice below before trying anything stronger.
An oily mark won't come out.
Stop treating it and call a professional carpet cleaner.
When to call a professional
Bring in a professional carpet cleaner when the spot won't lift after the alcohol and soap rounds, or when a pretest changes the carpet's color. Professionals have stronger solutions and equipment than you should try at home, so a large or stubborn spot belongs with them. Mention it's slime or putty, how long it has been there, and which cleaners went on it.
Questions
Does slime stain carpet permanently?
It can if it's left to set, because stains get harder to remove with time. Lift and blot it as soon as you see it, and the steps above will work far better on a fresh spot than a dried one.
Can I use rubbing alcohol on carpet?
Yes, but pretest it first on a hidden spot. Use it on a white cloth rather than poured, and stop if the test area changes.
Will plain water remove slime from carpet?
Yes, if you use the dish soap mix and a water rinse. Water is safe on carpet in small amounts, but on its own it won't do much to slime, so the mild dish soap mix is the step that does the work.
Does ice work on slime?
No, ice is for putty and modeling clay. Chilling hardens them so they can be scraped off, while slime doesn't need it, so go straight to the alcohol pretest after lifting the pieces.
Is goo or gak cleaned the same way?
Yes, goo and gak follow the same steps as slime. Thick goo may need more alcohol passes before the dish soap mix.
Is it safe to run a steam machine over slime on carpet?
Hold off until the slime is gone, because heat can set the residue deeper into the fibers. Once the spot is clean, a professional can use hot water extraction to rinse out any film that's left behind.
Which soap is safe to use for the soap step?
Use a liquid dish detergent, mixed at 1/4 teaspoon per cup of lukewarm water and never any stronger. Laundry detergent and automatic dishwasher detergent are out, since they can carry bleaching agents that break down dyes and some fibers.
What's the right way to dry a damp spot without leaving a ring?
Press dry white towels into the area until they stop picking up moisture, rather than rubbing. Then fluff the pile with your fingers so the fibers stand back up as the carpet dries.
Methods, care labels and related guides
Good to know
Slime and Putty on other materials
Other stains on carpet & rugs
Start from the bigger picture
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.