How To Get Bubble Gum Off Clothing

If the chewing gum bubble bursts on you, there's a way to get it out of your clothes.

If you’ve gone into a dark movie theater and sat down -- only to find out after the movie that you sat on a piece of chewing gum that's now stuck to your pants -- or if your little one has parked his gum on your best blouse, just chill. The gum will come out.

Things You'll Need

• Ice
• Butter knife
• Stain treatment
• Detergent

Instructions

1. Ice the gum stain. Blot a small spot of gum with an ice cube until it’s frozen. For a sticky stain that's spread, fold the garment, stuck-on gum up, and put in a plastic bag. Place the plastic bag in the freezer.

2. Crack the brittle, frozen gum off the garment. Use a butter knife to scrape the last bits off the fabric. A few threads may come along, but likely not enough to be noticeable.

3. Treat the residual stain with a solvent-based laundry stain remover. Wash as usual in the warmest water the garment will tolerate. Make sure the stain is gone before putting the garment in the dryer. Repeat the stain treatment if necessary.

4. Take dry clean-only garments to the cleaner for gum removal. Dry cleaning solvent will dissolve stuck-on gum.

Tips & Warnings

• You may have to repeat steps 1-3 for maximum results.

• When scraping the frozen gum off, proceed gently as to not harm your clothing and/or fabrics.

References

• Coin Laundry Association: Laundry Tips
• Texas A&M Extension: Textile Clothes Line