How to Get Slime Out of Clothes and Upholstery
In my house, we don’t make slime. Its smooth, viscous texture horrified me from the start, not only because of the way it picks up germs, dirt and hair, but also because of the way it clings ruthlessly to every substance it comes into contact with. However, sometimes one of my kids comes home from school or from a birthday party with slime, so, resisting my instincts to discard it immediately, I adhere to a strict “kitchen only” rule.
That’s why, when my daughter recently returned from an excursion with her father and a friend, for the first time in nine years of parenting, I had to deal with the problem of removing mucus from clothes. When I saw her furiously scrubbing what she called “putty” with a dry rag (yes, that’s right, slime marketers, you can call it putty, but it’s still colored glue ), I Googled the instructions.
How to remove wet slime
Wet slime seems to be easier to remove than dry slime (I can’t tell you firsthand because I didn’t have the pleasure of being gifted with wet slime). First, remove as much as you can before it dries. Then soak it in white vinegar for ten minutes before using an old toothbrush to scrub the area in a circular motion. Rinse with hot water and launder as usual. (If slime dye remains, liberally apply stain remover or bleach diluted with water for white garments and leave for 15 minutes before washing.)
How to remove dry mucus
As soon as the sticky mass dries, a completely different game begins. The first commonly recommended step is to scrape off as much as possible with a butter knife. (It won’t be much.) Various follow-up methods are recommended, most of which I have tried. See results below.
Apply ice (or use a freezer)
There are those who say that applying ice to the affected area can harden the mucus so that it is easier to remove; others say that leaving damaged clothes in the freezer for 3-4 hours can achieve the same goal. I’m not sure about the direct application of ice, but when it comes to the freezer trick, they’re wrong. After four hours, the material barely moved. (I checked the freezer temperature and it was 5 degrees F, not the recommended 0 degrees. Maybe that extra five degrees made it too tropical?)
Soak in Vinegar
When the freezer bath didn’t work, I soaked the leggings in vinegar for 10 minutes and then tried to brush off the slime with a toothbrush as per the instructions above. While this technique can be effective on wet slime, on sublimated slime, all it did was somewhat skillfully push the slime deeper into the pants, a la Van Gogh’s Starry Night.
Use dishwashing detergent (or laundry detergent)
There was a liquid dishwashing detergent, a miracle to which we have already sung the praises . We can now add slime removal to our cleaning list. A few focused drops followed by vigorous rubbing like in the good old days, and don’t you know that after a little scraping off the old nails, everything peeled off right away? I can’t tell if dishwashing detergent will be as effective right away as opposed to after vinegar and warm water. But I can recommend starting here first.
Rubbing alcohol, acetone, nail polish remover
If all else fails, try using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, or pure acetone to gradually separate the mucus until it sticks to the cotton swab. Keep in mind that these are much stronger and more astringent substances and should be tested on a small piece of fabric first.
Removing slime from upholstery
These same substances can be used to remove slime from your family sofa. Maids.com recommends removing as much slime as possible by removing it from the fabric without rubbing. (You can use a spoon.) Then mix 2/3 cup white vinegar with 1/3 cup water in a spray bottle. Spray onto the surface, let it soak in for 10-15 minutes before using a soft brush to apply the solution to the fabric. Rinse with water, pat dry and banish mucus from your home forever.