How to Remove Chewing Gum From Skin

Getting chewing gum on your shoe is annoying, but getting it on your skin can be a bigger problem, and even a painful one, if it's pulling at hair. Trying to wash it off with water will only make it worse, since cold water will harden the gum and hot water will cause it to soften and spread around the skin. The best solution is practically a cliche: peanut butter. The oil in modern processed peanut butter coats the sticky surface of the gum and causes it to ball up, allowing it to be scraped off easily .

Things You'll Need

• Creamy peanut butter Dry paper towels Soap and water

Instructions

1. With a dry paper towel, pull away as much of the gum as you can without causing pain.

2. With the tip of your finger, apply a glob of peanut butter, enough to cover the gum and a little of the surrounding area. If the gum has dried to the skin, let the peanut butter sit on it for a few minutes to moisten the gum.

3. Using your fingernails, gently scrape at the edges of the gum, working the peanut butter into it. Pull the gum away in pieces as it comes up from the skin. Stop as needed to wipe the gum and peanut butter off your fingers onto a paper towel.

4. Once all the gum is off, wash the affected area with warm soap and water.

Tips & Warnings

• This trick also works for gum in hair, with the help of a fine-tooth comb. Don't use chunky peanut butter, which is simply less effective because of its consistency.

References

• More information is available here.