Unbelievably Fantastic Chewing Gum Remover

[XNASA]

Last night, after months of research and dozens of test drives, we purchased a new ride for Mrs. XNASA. She drove it home from the dealer and parked it in the driveway. She was beaming. :D

It was still early so we took a cruise out by the Forest Preserves, it was a beautiful night and the moonroof was open.

We parked in the garage and as soon as she stepped out of the vehicle, I spied a long elastic thread of chewing gum running from the bottom of her shoe to the floor mat where she had been sitting.

The horror. ;(

The once pristine floor mat is now irrevocably soiled. With chewing gum no less. We've only had it for 2 hours. And now it's broken.

Or so we thought.

Thinking quickly,:think:, Mrs. XNASA turned to a product laying around the garage, not meant for chewing gum removal, and applied it to the sticky mess. Lo and behold, it worked perfectly. It was magic. The floor mat was as good as new, if not better. No evidence of any stain.

No more sticky.

What is this miracle potion?



:D

[trotsky]

1. Yak urine?

:)

[XNASA]

8. I'm not saying yak urine won't work......

....I'm just saying I didn't have any in the garage.

But no, it's not yak urine.

Good guess though.

[GOPisEvil]

2. WD40!

Am I right? What do I win? :D

[XNASA]

9. Hmm....I do have some WD40 in the garage.

Who doesn't?

But no, it's not WD40.

You are not right. You win nothing.

[Loonman]

3. I use whiteboard cleaner

Works on everything.

Anything sticky, smelly, or messy, takes it right off. Works great on TV screens and computer monitors, no streaks like with Windex{that "streak-free" formula is a crock}.

[XNASA]

10. I'll have to remember that.

But since I have no whiteboard in the house, there is no need to keep any whiteboard cleaner around.

Great guess, but you are not correct either.

[Loonman]

11. Yeah, you really can't buy it...

....commercially *wink**wink**nudge**nudge*.

Make friends with whomever orders the supplies, if you work in an office.

[wtmusic]

4. "Goo Gone"

beats everything. Chewing gum, price-label-adhesive, you name it--Goo Gone takes no prisoners!

[XNASA]

12. We thought had a bottle "Goof-Off" under the kitchen sink.

A similar product. But it wasn't there when we looked. We reason that the cat has been huffing "Goof-Off" when we're at work. That would explain her strange behavior.

But Mrs. XNASA discovered a product that works even better, IMO.

[underpants]

5. A rake?

An ax?

[XNASA]

17. No.

I had picked up a hatchet at one point though. Mrs. XNASA made me put it back with the camping gear.

A couple of interesting guesses, underpants.

[rock]

6. Sulfuric acid?

The nice thing about using acid is the gooey mess will pour right out the hole (like in Alien)!

[XNASA]

18. Yeah, but.......

if I would have dropped sulfuric acid, on Mrs. XNASA's nice new leather upholstery, I would be XNASA, Mrs. XNASA's ex.

Besides, I didn't have any laying around.

Nice try.

[underpants]

7. Blow torch?

:shrug:

[slackmaster]

13. Duct tape???

.

[XNASA]

19. You know, I have rolls and rolls of duct tape stashed in the garage.....

I bought a case of it and 3000 sq. ft. of clear plastic, just like the OHS told me to.

But we didn't try it.

[Ediacara]

14. grease removing hand goop

[XNASA]

20. Had some in the basement.

Thought it would leave a residue.

Didn't try it.

[Lars39]

15. Mineral spirits or the extra beer you keep stashed in the garage.

:shrug:

[XNASA]

21. Closest guess yet.

I suspect that the product we used has mineral spirits in it. I should have checked, but didn't.

But what we found, has no odor, leaves zero residue, and works so quickly that I can only describe it as astonishing. Almost to the point of being freakish.

[underpants]

24. Your stash of fortified wine?

Oh please let me be right.

ON EDIT_Vodka?

Iam getting very intrigued.

[Kolesar]

16. An ice cube?

[XNASA]

22. Initially tried the old ice cube routine.

Very slow going, and weren't getting great results.

So yes we tried that, but no it didn't work well.

[Champion Jack]

23. lacquer thinner?

same stuff as finger nail polish remover

[XNASA]

26. Even stronger than mineral spirits, I think. Right?

Didn't have any around. That kinda stuff would eat at the fibers in the floor mat methinks.

But no. What we used was a product intended for a completely different application. Not a kind of general chemical or solvent.

[Ediacara]

30. yes it will

acetone (nail polish remover) has a tendancy to have plastics dissolve in it, much like sugar in water, although not that fast acting. Plus, it's a risk factor in cancer when exposed to bare skin.

How do I know this? Paleontology uses poly-vinal acetate (vinac) dissolved in acetone to preserve fossils in the field.

[sangha]

25. Goo-Gone?

.

[XNASA]

27. The Answer.

Dabbed it on. Rubbed it in a little. Wiped it clean.

No mess, no smell, no evidence of gum whatsoever. Didn't damage the floor mat. I guessing that it would work just as well on carpet.

[GOPisEvil]

28. Well that explains why I was wrong...

...I've never lived in a place that had wallpaper to remove. :-)

[XNASA]

29. I would have thought that you were a wallpaperin' mofo.

With garish, red flocked wallpaper in the bedchamber.

No?

:hi:

[GOPisEvil]

31. My landlords tend to frown on such things.

I like to get those deposits back, too. :-)

[XNASA]

32. DIF is "enzyme based". Uses "special enzymes".

Here's what the fine people at Zinsser say about their product:

"DIF is different from any other wallpaper remover on the market. It is the only one that contains special enzymes - a unique formulation on which Zinsser holds patents. Moreover, it has a superior, more effective blend of wetting agents that speeds DIF is penetration of the wallpaper and resoulubilization of the paste."

And it works on chewing gum. Wonder if it will work if your kid gets gum in their hair. An all too common occurence.