Silpoxy clean up help?

1Observer · Post by **1Observer** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 1:41 pm

Hey all,

Does anyone know what works for getting silpoxy out of carpet? I had a spill from the silpoxy tube (my own fault, but that's another story

) and while I was able to wipe away most of it, some still managed to set into the carpet. Is there anything that can break up or dissolve cured silpoxy from carpet fiber without harming the carpet? I've tried regular carpet cleaner and rubbing alcohol, to no avail. Maybe acetone?

Thanks,

1Observer

r4m · Post by **r4m** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 11:08 pm

I don't think chemicals are going to help. Anything that would break down a resistant compound like silicone would eat or stain your carpet. I'd try a wire brush or sand paper to try and break it up. Go slowly. Good luck.

Cheers,
r4m

1Observer · Post by **1Observer** » Tue Sep 14, 2010 10:56 pm

Hmm, that's a bummer, but thanks. I guess normal wear will get rid of much of it, too, over time.

uch · Post by **uch** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 6:39 pm

You can scrape it off, but depending on the type of carpet you have, you would need to break up the stain into smaller chunks first. A stiff wire brush should work well for that. Don't stroke the stain at first. Use the brush like a hammer, piercing down into the silicone with the stiff wires. Then you can try to stroke it to further separate the chunks into even smaller ones. After that, you may need to use your hands to carefully pull the chunks out of the carpet, trying to avoid pulling the entirety of the fibers out. That's about the best you can do as far as I know.

1Observer · Post by **1Observer** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 1:05 am

That's a good idea, uch! I will give it a try. Thank you!

Szalinski · Post by **Szalinski** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 12:17 pm

Should worse come to fubar, do you have any scraps from when they laid the carpet (always a good idea to keep them)? You could always just cut out the silipoxy'd spot and glue in a new piece of ground fur.

solarmark · Post by **solarmark** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:19 pm

The posted ideas will help, and you might want to try some non-polar solvents like mineral spirits, or a stronger one like Naptha. Try it on a piece of the carpet fiber before using it on the spot. It shouldn't dissolve the fibers, but will soften the silicone hopefully enough to get it out with a stiff brush and a lot of elbow grease.

For future reference, Sil-Poxy is an acetic acid cured silicone rubber, which can be cleaned up with white vinegar while it's still drying.

Solarmark (chemist)