How to Remove Chewing Gum From Leather

A gum stain can put a cramp in any fashionista's style. The goopy nature of the candy makes it almost impossible to completely remove from your favorite jeans or your best poplin shirt without the help of a skilled dry cleaner. Finding chewing gum on an expensive animal skin like leather can induce a small panic attack. But you easily can avoid the panic attack and the pricey dry cleaning bill, too! Because of leather's nonporous surface, gum removal is simple process that requires little more than a trip to your kitchen.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ice cube Can of compressed air Kitchen dish detergent Warm water Butter knife Toothpicks Clean cloth

1. Apply an ice cube to the gum to freeze it. It should not take more than a minute or two for it to harden completely. If the gum spot is too large for one ice cube, freeze the gum with a can of compressed air.

2. Wait for the gum to harden. Gently pick at the gum with a butter knife to pick off the larger pieces of gum.

3. Dampen a cloth in hot water. Apply a small amount of dish detergent. Rub the remaining remnants of the gum away. Pick at the smaller spots with a toothpick.

4. Wipe the area with dish detergent and water again gently to remove any remaining residue.

Tips & Warnings

• Be patient and gentle with the butter knife. It's easy to get overzealous in scrubbing gum away, but if you take it slow, the gum will come off with relative ease.
• Only teens and adults should handle the compressed air. Misuse of the can can be harmful and even flammable if the can is damaged or punctured.