Chewing gum is entertaining—until it gets stuck somewhere it shouldn’t. Gum can readily become trapped in fibres, making it difficult to remove from surfaces like shoes, pillowcases, and pockets.
Usually, removal involves two steps: first, hardening the gum to facilitate its release, and second, cleaning up the sticky mark it leaves behind. Luckily, you can remove gum from clothing even if it’s dried out and old if you have a little perseverance and the correct cleaning tools.
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How To Get Gum Out of Clothes
Avoid rubbing
Avoid rubbing the gum with a sponge or towel in an attempt to remove it if it is still soft and fresh. Gum gets pushed farther into the fabric fibres by rubbing alone.
Freeze the gum
It is simpler to remove hard, frozen gum from fabric than soft, gummy bits (much like wax). If the gum has stained multiple areas of the clothing, throw it in a plastic bag and freeze it for a few hours. If the gum is limited to a specific area, cover the gum with a tiny plastic bag filled with a few ice cubes until it solidifies.
Scrape away hardened gum
After the gum has solidified, carefully scrape it off the cloth surface with a dull-edged kitchen knife or the edge of an old credit card. Refreeze the cloth and attempt to scrape it once it has solidified once again if the blob is large and thaws before you can remove it completely.
Pretreat stained area
After the solid gum has been removed, apply a paste made of one teaspoon of dish soap and one teaspoon of distilled white vinegar to the discoloured region. Using your fingertips or a gentle cloth, gently rub the solution into the fabric. Let the mixture sit for at least fifteen minutes.
Wash as usual
As directed by the care tag, wash the clothing.
Assess the stained area
Before placing the clothing in the dryer, thoroughly inspect the stained area. Should any stain persist, apply the dishwashing liquid and vinegar mixture once more and give it another wash. Wait until the stain is gone before drying in the dryer on high heat.
Additional Advice for Removing Gum from Clothes
- If gum gets embedded in the fabric of a shoe, scrape it off with a plastic bag, then use the same vinegar and dishwashing liquid combination to get rid of the stains. After removing the soapy solution from the shoe with a moist cloth, blot it dry.
- Use petroleum jelly, WD-40, or even peanut butter and a paper towel to remove gum that has adhered to the sole of a shoe.
- To make cleaning up melted gum in a pants pocket easier, turn the pocket inside out. Then, proceed as directed above to remove gum from clothing.
- If gum gets trapped within the dryer drum, use a plastic spatula or credit card to scrape the gum off the drum after covering it with several ice cubes in a plastic bag to harden it.
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