5 Tricks To Remove Chewing Gum From Clothes

How many times have you come across chewing gum on your clothes? For those who take care of children’s clothes, this is a real tragedy. However, all is not lost: there are certain tricks you can apply to remove chewing gum from clothing.

Chewing gum, chewing gum, is the nightmare of mothers and fathers. Even when your child has not masked it, it may happen that this treat appears attached to one of his clothes. At that time, we believe that the future of that shirt or pants is doomed.

However, you should know that this is not the case. While success cannot be guaranteed, as it will largely depend on the fabric of the garment and how sticking the gum is, there are certain tricks you can try to remove gum from clothing. Next, we explain them one by one.

A general rule of thumb is to loosen the gum before attempting to remove it. Otherwise, we will only manage to spoil the garment, beyond which we will surely end up removing the glob. Take note of the following techniques, you will never know when they may be necessary.

1. Apply cold, one of the ways to remove chewing gum from clothes

A good way to get it off is to freeze the gum. Rub an ice pack on the gum and immediately try to scoop it out. You need to be quick and act before it overheats again, as it will stick again. If you put the ice on both sides of the fabric, so much the better.

Another alternative is to put the garment in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer.  If you do, make sure that the chewing gum is not in contact with another part of the garment so that it does not stick more. After a few hours, remove it with a pointed element and very carefully.

2. In boiling water

Although it is not recommended for very delicate garments, this process can be useful to treat normal clothes. You must immerse the gum attached to the fabric in boiling water. While it is submerged, try to remove the gum with a knife or spatula.

Once you do, keep scrubbing a bit more with a toothbrush  to remove any debris. Then hang the garment in the sun to dry. Feel free to repeat the process if you consider it necessary.

3. Using alcohol

The good thing about this method is that it is perfectly applicable in more delicate garments. Use pharmacy rubbing alcohol to apply to clothing.  It does not leave stains nor does it fade them.

The process is very simple: you must rub a sponge or cloth with alcohol on the gum. After a few minutes, run a knife or spatula to remove the gum.

4. With the iron

You may think that the iron to remove gum from clothes is risky, but it is actually quite effective. With these simple steps, you should have no problem removing gum:

• Lay a piece of cardboard on the ironing board or other flat surface.
• Lay the gum on the cardboard and iron the garment behind it. The temperature should be medium; otherwise, you will end up gumming everything up and the result will be catastrophic.
• Once it gets soft, it should come out almost on its own. This may take a few minutes, be patient and do not rush.

5. Compressed air

Canisters of compressed air that are commonly used for computing items can be very useful for removing chewing gum from clothing. The effect is practically the same as that of ice : the gum will harden, so you can easily remove it.

It is very simple, simply point the CO2 jet towards the glob and, when it is cold, remove it with one of the elements that we mentioned before. You can protect the rest of the garment with a cloth or by folding it if you wish.

With these tricks, an accident such as sitting on chewing gum or a joke in very bad taste will no longer decree the end of one of your clothes. Arm yourself with patience and courage and apply some of these techniques to save your clothes.