In my house, we don’t use slime. The slick, viscous texture has turned me off from the start. It collects germs, dirt, and hair, and it clings mercilessly to almost any substance it comes into contact with. However, sometimes one of my kids comes home from school or a birthday party with slime, so I resist my instincts to throw it out immediately and have resigned myself to a strict “kitchen only” rule.
The best way to remove slime from carpet, clothes and couch hair
Which is why, when my daughter recently returned from a trip with her dad and a friend, it was the first time in nine years of parenting that I had struggled to get slime out of clothes. When I saw her vigorously scrubbing with a dry washcloth over what she called “putty” (yes, slime marketers, you can call it putty, but it’s still colored glue), I did some research and became an expert on slime removal. Here’s what I learned.
Wet slime is easier to remove than dry slime. First, remove as much as possible before it dries. Then, soak it in white vinegar for 10 minutes before using an old toothbrush to scrub the area in a circular motion. Rinse with hot water and launder as usual. (If any slime paint remains, apply a liberal amount of stain remover—or bleach diluted with water if it’s a white garment—and let it sit for 15 minutes before laundering.)
Once the gunk has had a chance to dry, it’s a whole different story. The first step that’s generally recommended is to scrape off as much as you can with a butter knife. (It won’t be much.) There are several follow-up techniques recommended, most of which I’ve tried. See the results below.
