How to Get Slime Out of Sofas and More

Slime, the ever-popular household menace, is here to stay. Our kids love it, and let’s face it, we loved it back when we were kids—whether it took the form of Play-Doh, Silly Putty, or the homemade cornstarch classic. But no matter what form this gooey plaything takes, one fact remains constant: Slime and fabric surfaces do not mix well.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about removing slime from your living room sofa, winter jacket, and other common slime crime scenes.

 

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How to Remove Slime from Sofas

Removing slime from upholstery—especially if it’s an expensive family room sofa—is never a fun task, but it can be done. Follow these steps to remove slime from your sofa, recliner, or other living room furniture.

1. Begin by scraping as much slime as possible off the couch before you begin the full removal process. The key to pulling slime off cushions and upholstery is lifting the fabric outward from the cushion underneath. This helps you avoid soak-through to the inner cushion.
2. Once you’ve removed the major globs from the sofa, the more detailed slime removal steps can commence: Collect a spray bottle, some white vinegar, and water. Fill the spray bottle with two-thirds cup of white vinegar and one-third cup water.
3. Spray the DIY cleaning agent over the slime spot and apply the solution liberally. 
4. Use a soft bristle brush to work the solution into the upholstery fibers. Allow the solution to soak for two to five minutes, depending on the severity of the stain. You’ll see the slime lift as it gets trapped in the bristles. 
5. At this point, your couch is definitely going to reek of vinegar. You can remedy this by using a damp, clean cloth to scrub the area.
6. Lay a dry towel over the spot to help it dry faster. If you used paper towels to dry the spot and some pieces have stuck to your couch, you can safely vacuum any remnants up.

 

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How to Remove Slime from Walls

Removing slime from walls can be challenging. Though you might be able to remove the main goo glob from your wall, most walls are textured or painted. This means there’s a good chance that even if you remove most of the wet slime first, you’ll have slime residue and perhaps color transfer on your wall.

Use these steps to remove any remnants of slime off the wall that you’re not able to easily pull off.

1. If the slime has already dried, and you need to get the majority off the wall before the next steps, gently scrape it off with a butter knife or spoon. Be as gentle as possible to avoid causing damage to your walls. 
2. Mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a tablespoon of water to form a paste, adding water as needed. When you reach the consistency of a paste, add a splash of vinegar to the mixture. 
3. Dab the paste onto the wall, and allow it to dry.
4. Once the paste is dry, you can brush the dried paste off with a paper towel. The remaining slime will come with it. 
5. Sweep or vacuum up the remnants.
6. Wipe any paste remnants you find on your wall with a dish rag soaked in warm water.

 

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How to Remove Slime from a Carpet

The best method to remove slime from carpeting may vary depending on whether the slime is still wet or if it has already dried. 

For wet slime:

1. Remove the main slime glob from the carpet. For whatever slime won’t let go of your carpet, you can use a spoon or butter knife to scrape most of the wet remnants out, either into your palm or a paper towel.
2. Create the same two-thirds vinegar and one-third water mixture as detailed above, and use a spray bottle to soak the area.
3. Use a scrub brush to work the solution into the carpet fibers and help it penetrate the affected areas.
4. Once the cleaning mixture has had a chance to soak for a while, you can blot up the excess moisture from your carpet using a cleaning rag. Repeat these steps for as long as it takes to get the slime out of the carpet.
5. If you have a wet-dry vacuum, you can also use it to remove an entire wet slime stain. Place some rubbing alcohol on the spot if the slime stained your carpet before using the vacuum. 
6. You will likely want to remove the vinegar smell from your carpet, and baking soda will do the trick. Just sprinkle baking soda onto the spot, and allow it to dry. The baking soda will absorb the odor of vinegar from your carpeting. 
7. Once the spot is fully dry, vacuum it up.

For dried slime:

1. Even though the slime has dried, you can still begin by scraping off excess bits with a spoon or butter knife.
2. Place a few ice cubes onto the slime stain, and wait until the slime becomes brittle in texture. This will usually take around 10 minutes.
3. After the slime has frozen, continue to pick and gently scrape the bits of frozen goo out of your carpet fibers.
4. Repeat this process until the slime debris has all been removed from your carpeting.
5. If the slime has left a stain from its color, you can treat the spot with rubbing alcohol.

 

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How to Remove Slime from Clothes

Whether homemade or store-bought slime, this toy can still present a danger to your children’s clothing if it gets out of hand. Every parent should know this hack to get slime out of fabric.

1. Prepare your workspace. You can place old newspapers or towels where you’ll be working (close to a sink) so that you don’t contaminate anything else with slimy putty.
2. Use the tried-and-true butter knife scraping method to remove as much of the slime from the clothing as possible. Use ice to freeze the remaining slime, and pick it off.
3. For at least 10 minutes, use stain remover or laundry detergent on the slimed clothing area. If you’d like, you can gently brush the area with a toothbrush to help absorption. Once the 10 minutes are up, rinse the detergent and place the garment in question in hot or warm water for 30 minutes.
4. Once the article is done soaking (either in your sink or a bucket), you can wash it with your preferred wash cycle. Let it air dry.

Some homemade slimes use glue in their recipes. If the slime is stubborn and refuses to leave the garment, especially after soaking and washing, you can use nail polish remover on a cotton ball to get the glue-based slime out of the clothing. Don’t spend too much time dabbing the solvent on the garment—apply it for about a minute, then run the clothing through another wash cycle.

 

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Our Recommendation

If you get slime on your sofa, there’s no reason to worry. With simple tools that you already have at home—plus a little patience—you can remove the slime from your furniture, clothing, walls, and carpet like a pro.

Remember that these methods are delicate, and it may take more than one application to remove the slime completely. The key to slime removal is being persistent and gentle. For a carpet, a water-and-dish-soap solution or a vinegar-and-water solution is perfect. For fixing color transfer, rubbing alcohol will help. And for upholstery and couches, a vinegar-and-water solution (and repetition) is the technique for getting your sofa slime-free.

 

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