14 Ways to Remove Chewing Gum from Clothes

by Abbas Jahangir · July 10, 2024

Regular washing will not remove chewing gum from trousers, jeans or other clothing. But there are various methods (high or low temperatures, rubbing alcohol, cosmetics or other improvised means) to restore the original appearance of any item at home.

When using any method to remove chewing gum from clothing, you must first make sure that it is safe for the fabric and test the product on an invisible area of the clothing. This could be the inside of a pocket, seam, collar on the fold, on the darts.

Freezing

Freezing is suitable for all fabrics and also helps remove gum from hair.

Method 1

We will need:

polyethylene/thick paper bag;
freezer;
an object with a slightly pointed end (knife, fork, ruler);
cotton wool/rag/sponge;

Our actions:

Place the soiled clothing in a bag and put it in the freezer for 1 hour. When you roll it up, the soiled area should be on top.
Afterwards, take it out and use any object, such as scissors with not very sharp ends, a school ruler, the handle of a fork or spoon, to pick up the chewing gum. It has already hardened and can be easily removed from clothing.
Wipe the remaining white spot with a cotton pad soaked in ethyl alcohol.

Method 2

Freezing with ice is convenient if chewing gum has stuck to pieces of furniture with a fabric covering (sofa, carpet, armchair, etc.). We will need:

ice cubes;
plastic bag;
a toothbrush or a hard object with a blunt end (ruler, sandwich knife).

Our actions

Wrap ice cubes in a plastic bag.
Cover the soiled part of the clothing with plastic.
Place an ice pack on the chewing gum and leave it there until it hardens completely.
Scrape frozen gum off clothing.
If there is a stain left, wipe it off with ethyl alcohol (acetone-free nail polish remover).

Precautionary measures:

avoid water getting on the material when the ice melts;
Apply alcohol or nail polish remover to the edge of the seam of the garment. Make sure that the solutions do not affect its color. Colored fading material is usually subject to this, while alcohol is safe for plain materials;
frozen gum should be removed with a plasticine knife or a stack without sudden movements so as not to tear the material;
If the gum softens, freeze it again.

Exposure to high temperatures (4 methods)

Heating methods are not suitable for surfaces with a low pile (suede, carpet, rug).

Method 1

We will need:

iron;
ironing board/any hard, flat surface;
cardboard/thick sheet of paper;
cotton pad/cotton cloth;
Acetone-free nail polish remover.

Our actions:

Lay out the clothes on the ironing board.
Place a piece of cardboard or paper on the stuck chewing gum.
Iron at medium temperature, trying to iron only where the chewing gum is stuck.
Most of the gum will stick to the paper under the influence of heat. The remaining small pieces can be removed by hand.
Apply a few drops of acetone-free nail polish remover to a cotton pad and rub it over the remaining white spot. To test the fabric’s reaction, first apply the product to an inconspicuous part of the garment.

Method 2

We will need:

very hot water (boiling water is possible);
basin;
a hard object at least 15-20 cm long (ruler, knife, etc.).

Our actions:

Place only the part of the garment with the stuck gum into a basin of hot water.
Wait until the sticky mass softens.
Place the blunt end of the object into the container and lift it up.
When removing gum softened with boiling water, you need to use gentle movements so as not to smear it all over your clothes.
Wash the item by hand. Dry.

Precautions: apply to fabrics that are recommended to be washed at 90 degrees or higher. Too hot water, especially boiling water, may cause shrinkage.

Method 3

We will need: a kettle, water, a soft-bristled toothbrush.

Our actions:

Boil water in a kettle.
Bring the stained piece of clothing to the spout of the kettle so that the steam through the fabric affects the gum.
Keep it over steam until it softens completely.
Use a toothbrush to remove the softened mass from the fabric.

Method 4

We will need: a hair dryer and a soft-bristled toothbrush.

Our actions:

Turn the hair dryer on to the hottest setting.
Direct a hot stream of air towards the stuck gum and heat it until it loses its sticky properties.
Once softened, separate it from the fabric using a toothbrush.

After removing chewing gum, traces similar to grease stains may remain on the fabric. Dishwashing gel and other products will help to remove grease stains from clothes .

Do not use the heating method to remove gum from your hair, it may spread along the entire length. It will be much more difficult to remove smeared gum.

Improvised means

You can also remove gum stuck to your clothes using non-standard methods.

Sticky tape or scotch tape. Stick a small piece of sticky tape to the stained area and press it firmly to the surface. Pull off the piece of tape with a sharp movement. Repeat. This method is effective if the gum has not yet penetrated deeply into the fabric fibers.
Chew a new piece of gum. Roll it into a ball and stick it to the one stuck to the fabric. Peel the fresh piece of gum off the one stuck to the clothes with a sharp movement. Repeat several times. The stuck gum will come off, sticking to the fresh one.
Apply window cleaner to the stubborn gum stain and scrape off the fabric with something hard and not sharp. Wash the item in warm water with some powder added.
Spray hairspray on the stuck gum. Wait 3-4 minutes. Remove it with your hands or something hard with a blunt end (ruler, plasticine knife, etc.).
Pour liquid soap or liquid laundry detergent onto the part of the clothing with the stuck gum. Wait 5-7 minutes for the fabric to soak. Scrape off the stuck mass.

Removal with vinegar

Procedure:

Remove large pieces of gum from clothing using your hands.
Pour table vinegar into a small container (you can use a plastic bottle cap).
Dip a medium-hard bristle toothbrush in it and apply it to the stuck gum using circular motions.
Wait 3-5 minutes for the fabric to soak.
Carefully pry off the gum with a blunt, hard object (nail file, ruler, sandwich knife, etc.).
Wash the item in warm water to remove the vinegar smell.

Precautionary measures:

This method should be used with special care for delicate fabrics (silk, chiffon, satin);
apply vinegar to gum that has become embedded in the fabric in a well-ventilated area and preferably wearing a medical mask;
To remove gum dissolved in vinegar from fabric, use gentle movements without applying strong pressure so as not to damage the integrity of the fabric;
Before using vinegar, test its effect on the fabric on an inconspicuous area of the garment.

Alcohol or vodka

Procedure:

Wet a foam sponge thoroughly with vodka or alcohol.
Use this sponge to blot the stuck gum so that the fabric around it is well saturated.
Use a nail file, sandwich knife or ruler to separate the gum from the clothing.
Wash the item in warm water with the addition of powder to get rid of the smell of vodka.

Butter

This method is not suitable for suede and carpet surfaces. But
it is very good for removing gum from hair. After it has softened under the influence of butter, it is worth using a comb.

To remove from fabric, proceed as follows:

Cover the area around the stuck gum with plastic or a cloth.
Place a small piece of butter on the chewing gum. Its size depends on the area that is stained.
Wait about 2-3 minutes and use a hard object to separate the gum from the fabric.
To remove any remaining white stains, and if the oil has gotten onto an uncontaminated part of the garment, use lemon juice.

The choice of methods to remove chewing gum from clothes, even if it is strongly stuck, is not so limited, and the means used are available in almost every home. However, when giving preference to one method or another, it is necessary to take into account the properties of the fabric and pre-test the reaction of the cleaners on a small, inconspicuous area.