Ah, slime! The favorite plaything of many modern children, slime is the general term for a large collection of substances, home made or store bought, that range from gloppy non-Newtonian liquids to play clay the texture of mashed potatoes. One thing nearly all kinds of slime have in common, though, is that cleaning up slime is a chore.

Tackle the solids

If slime has been ground into your carpet or spread across your tablecloth, you need to begin by removing as much of the slime as you can. A variety of approaches may work:

  • Just picking slime up can cause it to become more solid than while it is oozing across the surface or your floor or furniture. You may be able to get quite a bit of it up and into a container or trash bag with your hands.
  • A knife or similar tool (maybe a bread dough scraper or a metal spatula) can often scrape up the solids.
  • Cover the slime with ice and let it freeze. Then you can break it up and remove it.

Once you’ve removed as much slime as possible, vacuum to capture crumbs or solid add-ins that may be loose on the floor. This will help you avoid spreading glitter all over when you clean up the stain.

Handle the stain

If slime gets into fibers, on carpets, curtains, or clothes, you’ll probably have staining to deal with as well.

Mix one part white vinegar with two parts water in a spray bottle, and spray it on the stain. Rub with a brush, which will help lift off any additional slime. Allow the mixture to soak into the fibers for 5 minutes and then clean as you usually do. That can mean tossing clothes into the wash or spot cleaning.

You can also try dish soap, rubbing alcohol, or  a commercial stain remover. If you go with one of these options, be sure to test it on an inconspicuous spot to be sure that it doesn’t remove the color or make a hole in the fiber you’re working with. Avoid using bleach, especially if you’re not sure what kind of fiber you have. Bleach will actually dissolve animal fibers, so you can end up with a hole in your lovely wool blanket or silk curtains, even if they’re white.

For the future

If you have a choice of what kind of slime to purchase for your children, pick Cloud Slime. We hear that it is the easiest to clean up.