How to Remove Chewing Gum From a Dryer

Inside of a Clothes Dryer

Chewing gum has several benefits such as freshening breath, preventing dry mouth and sharpening concentration. It even helps with smoking cessation. But chewing gum's sticky properties can create a number of cleaning difficulties. What if you don't remember to empty your pockets on laundry day and the forgotten gum ends up stuck to the inside of your dryer? There are several ways to remove chewing gum from a dryer safely with just a few everyday items in your home.

Things You'll Need

• Ice cubes Rigid plastic utensil Clean rags Vinegar Old towels Fabric softener Teflon-safe pot scrubber

Instructions

Gum Removal Instructions

1. Open the dryer door and allow the inside drum to cool off. Remove any clothing or linens that may be inside.

2. Rub an ice cube over one spot of gum until it hardens.

3. Scrape away the hardened gum with a rigid plastic utensil, such as a plastic butter knife. Do not apply excessive pressure as you do not want to mar the surface coating inside the dryer drum.

4. Wipe down inside of the dryer with a clean rag moistened with vinegar to remove any residue left behind from scraping.

5. Place a few old towels into the dryer and run on highest heat setting for a few minutes if the ice cubes and scraping do not work to remove the gum. The heat will make the gum more pliable and easier to work with for another removal method.

6. Soak a clean rag in fabric softener and then apply to gum, allowing the area to soak for a few minutes. The fabric softener should loosen the gum for easy removal.

7. Wipe the gummy areas with the fabric softener rag after several minutes of spot soaking. Use a scrubbing action if necessary to remove the gum.

8. Apply fabric softener to the Teflon-safe pot scrubber and scrub down any stubborn gummy areas.

9. Wipe down the inside of the dryer with a clean, wet cloth moistened with vinegar.

10. Dampen the old towels with water and dry in the dryer. The wet tumbling action will help remove any remaining gum residue.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make a paste with powdered detergent and apply to gummy areas with a clean cloth and scrub or even soak an unused dryer sheet in water and apply to the affected area. Both methods also aid in gum removal. Don't forget to rotate the drum inside the dryer to access all gummy areas.

• Do not use any flammable cleaning materials inside the dryer to remove gum. Residue from the cleaning material could remain and catch on fire when you use the dryer again.

References

• Good Housekeeping Online - Heloise Tips
• The Queen of Clean's Complete Cleaning Guide: Banish Dirt from Your Castle Forever With 2,047 Queen-Tested Tips; Linda Cobb; 2002

Resources

• International Gum Association