How to Remove Gum From Cotton Pants
Gum is very sticky and adheres tenaciously to most fabrics, including cotton. If you try to launder the clothing, you'll just have well-laundered gum -- it will not come off this way. However, using common household items and products provides an easy way of getting gum off of cotton pants. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Ice cubes Butter knife or another dull knife Pre-wash stain spray Laundry detergent
Instructions
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How to Remove Gum From Cotton Pants
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1
Rub an ice cube over the gum until it freezes hard. While holding down a section of the fabric with one hand, use a butter knife with the other to carefully pry up the hardened gum. If only a piece comes up, remove that if you can and apply more ice to the rest of the gum.
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2
Apply more ice to the residue left from the gum. Gently scrape whatever you can from the fabric.
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3
Spray a pre-wash stain treatment on the area. Wait for the amount of time specified on the product label. If more gum residue loosens, remove it with a dull blade.
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4
Soak the pants in hot water and detergent. Next, machine wash as normal in hot water.
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5
Check the pants to make sure all of the residue is gone. If not, wash the pants again in hot water. When the stain is gone, dry them on a low dryer setting or hang them up to dry.
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1
Tips & Warnings
As an alternative to using ice, you can just stick the pants in the freezer for a while. If gum residue still remains after washing the pants, try dabbing a small amount of rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover on the area. Rub it in briskly with a soft cloth and launder the pants again.
Thin cotton fabrics may rip easily. Be extra careful when scraping gum off these fabrics and only use a dull blade (do this no matter how thick the fabric).
