How To Get Chewing Gum Out Of Clothes Like An Expert?

It’s a very unpleasant feeling when you realise that a piece of chewing gum is stuck on your jeans, shirt, or coat. We know! It has happened to most of us at least once. Well, thankfully, it isn’t something you need to worry about, as there are several ways to it get out of clothes.  And the most part important is that you don’t need to spend a fortune on specially designed products to do so.

There are plenty of household products that can help you, like vinegar, ice, water, or even coconut oil. Here are some of the most effective cleaning tips on how to get chewing gum out of clothes like an expert. Take a look!

Removing the gum by freezing it

The first way to remove gum from a piece of cloth is by freezing it. It’s an easy way, and you have probably heard it before if you have ever tried to remove wax from your clothes. You can also do the same if you want to clean your carpets of such stains. However, there are two freezing methods to help you achieve your goal.

Method 1

The first method to remove gum is by placing some ice cubes over the affected area. It’s pretty simple and quick.

You’re going to need:

• Ice cubes
• A knife or a credit card, or a plastic scraper

And here are the simple steps:

1. Lay your piece of cloth on a flat surface.
2. Grab some ice (watch out for the cold) cubes and place them on the gum.
3. Let the gum harden. You need to be sure that it is completely frozen before you start removing it.
4. Once it’s hardened, you can begin scraping the frozen gum with a knife. Work quickly to ensure that the gum won’t soften.
5. If you’re working with a delicate fabric, then scrape slowly and gentle. If that’s the case, you may need to repeat the second step to freeze any remaining gum.

Method 2

Applying them directly in the gum might be a bit messy. You can follow another freezing method by placing the sticky item in the freezer to avoid the mess.

These are the needed tools:

• A freezer
• A freezer bag
• A butter knife

Now, follow the below steps:

1. Fold the garment so that the gum is facing out.
2. Then, put it into a freezer bag and seal it.
3. Put the bag in the freezer and wait for several hours until the gum freezes.
4. Once you’re sure that gum has frozen, take the bag out of the freezer and lay the piece of cloth on a flat surface.
5. Get a butter knife or any other knife, and scrape the gum quickly off your cloth.

Either you use the first or the second method, wash your garment in the washing machine, as usual, to get rid of any gum stains left.

Iron removing

Another gum stain removal method is by using your iron. It’s also an easy enough way and doesn’t require any special tools.

You need:

• An iron
• An ironing board
• A piece of cardboard

Now you can follow the below steps:

1. Place the cardboard on your ironing board. The cardboard will prevent any sticky mess on your ironing board. If you don’t have a piece of cardboard, you can use either a piece of brown paper or even some paper towels.
2. Place the cloth with the gum facing down on the cardboard and turn your iron on a light to medium heat without steam.
3. Run the iron over the gum area. Keep ironing until the gum melts and sticks to the cardboard.
4. After a while, check the fabric. If there are some gum residues, continue ironing.

As soon as all gum stain has completely transferred on the cardboard, you can wash your cloth in the washing machine using your usual laundry detergent.

Heat it with a hairdryer

If you’re in a hurry or don’t have any cardboard on hand, you can use your hairdryer instead to melt the gum chunk. It is another great way that works well with gum problems.

You need:

• Your hairdryer
• A knife
• A pain reliever (containing methyl salicylate)
• A plastic bag

Then:

1. Use your hairdryer to heat the gum until it’s very, very soft.
2. Next, scrape it with the knife or any other dull knife.
3. As long as you have removed most of the gum, pour some pain reliever over the sticky area.
4. Put your hand in the plastic bag and start rubbing. Methyl salicylate will dissolve the rest of the gum and make it stick on the plastic bag.
5. Once no gum is visible on the fabric, wash it as usual.

Using hot liquids & steam

An also effective way to get gum out of clothes is by using hot liquids. You can use three different ingredients with the same results; hot water, hot vinegar, and hot steam. For all three, you need to follow the same process.

Hot water

Yo need:

• Water
• A pot

Then:

1. Boil some water in a large pot. Make sure the pot is large enough to fit your garment, and it’s completely covered with boiling water, especially the stained area.
2. Place your cloth in the pot and let it soak for a while, allowing the gun to loosen by the hot temperature.
3. Once the gum has softened, get a toothbrush (or, if you like, you can use a dull knife) and scrape the gum off the piece of clothing.

Hot vinegar

To use the vinegar stain removal method, you’re going to need:

• White vinegar
• A bowl
• An absorbent cloth

Now, do as follows:

1. Heat some vinegar and pour it into a bowl.
2. Soak an absorbent cloth into the hot white vinegar and let it absorb a part of the liquid.
3. Apply the soaked cloth to the affected area and let the vinegar work its magic. White vinegar will loosen the sticky situation and make the gum softer.
4. Then, scrape the loose gum with an old toothbrush.

Hot steam

Hot steam is also an effective and pretty simple method to get chewing gum off your clothes.

Needed materials:

• Water
• A kettle

Then, follow the next steps:

1. Fill the kettle with water and let it get very hot.
2. When steam is being released from the kettle, hold your garment in front of the spot that steam comes out.
3. Hold it there until the gum starts to soften.
4. Then, grab a toothbrush and scrub the soft gum until you remove it.

Whether you are going to use water, vinegar or steam, you may need to repeat the process several times. Once you have removed most of the gum, you can pop your fabric into the washer and launder it as always.

Using peanut butter

It might sound a bit odd; however, peanut butter may be effective enough to get chewing gum off your favourite clothes, as the oil it contains can loosen the gum.

You need:

• Peanut butter
• A knife
• A stain remover

Now, you can do as follows:

1. Cover the entire stained area with peanut butter. Be generous! You need to form a thick layer of peanut butter over the gum.
2. Let it do the trick for about 60 seconds. Don’t let it more! Otherwise, you’ll have to face a stronger stain: the oil stain.
3. Use the knife (or any other scraper you wish), and scrape both the gum and peanut butter off the fabric.
4. As soon as you have gotten rid of them, you’ll probably need to pre-treat your garment before washing it due to the peanut butter’s oils. Put a stain remover on the area and then wash it as normal.

Using coconut oil

Coconut oil works fine on getting chewing gum off, mainly synthetic sports clothing.

Here are the tools and ingredients you are going to need:

• A tablespoon of coconut oil
• A small microwavable bowl

And these are the steps to remove gum from the clothes with coconut oil successfully:

1. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil into a small microwavable bowl and heat it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. You need to warm the oil, not boil it.
2. Then, dip the gum stained fabric into the warm oil and rub it.
3. After that, let the cloth air dry.
4. When it dries, check for any gum residues. If there aren’t any, soak them in warm water.

Removing the gum with liquid laundry soap

Another cleaning tip you might find useful is getting chewing gum off clothes using liquid laundry soap, but you may need some extra elbow grease.

You’re going to need:

• Liquid laundry soap or liquid dish soap
• A blunt knife

Once you have all the needed materials on hand, you can:

1. Pour some laundry soap over the gum and the surrounding area.
2. Use an old toothbrush and rub the soap on the gum. This way, you’ll manage to smash the gum into small pieces.
3. Then, pour some more soap and scrape the gum pieces with a knife.
4. Once you have removed all the pieces, you can wash your garment as always.

Removing the gum with rubbing alcohol.

Rubbing alcohol is a solvent used to clean carpets, stainless steel appliances, leather sofas or even your mirrors. It’s also effective in getting gum off fabrics.

Here’s what you need to remove the gum with rubbing alcohol:

• Rubbing alcohol
• A sponge
• A blunt knife

Then:

1. Pour some rubbing alcohol over a sponge.
2. Use the sponge to scrub the gum.
3. Let the rubbing alcohol work for a few minutes.
4. Then, using a knife or a plastic scraper, scrape the gum.
5. Finally, wash your piece of clothing as normal.

Removing the gum with duct tape

It is a practical method to get the gum off your clothes when you’re on the go. You don’t need much. Only duct tape! If you don’t have any, you can find one in the closest store.

As soon as you have found a duct tape, follow the below:

1. Cut a duct tape strip and press the sticky side into the chewing gum, ensuring you get most of the gum off the cloth.
2. Repeat as many times as it’s needed to get all leftovers off.

Removing the gum with toothpaste

Toothpaste doesn’t clean only your teeth. You can use it to clean your shower glass, your brass items or the iron. But, you can use it to remove gum from clothes and break down the stickiness.

It isn’t very hard to apply this method. Just:

1. Put a bit of toothpaste over the gum and let it stay for a while.
2. Then, use a plastic scraper and scrape both the toothpaste and the gum.

And that’s all! Your cloth will be cleaned of gum.

Don’t use hairspray or similar products as they might fade the colour or damage the fabric. Use one of the outlined cleaning tips and get rid of that stubborn stain. Along with the right tools and patience, you’ll manage to get gum off your clothes in no time.