How to Remove Gum From Khaki Pants

When you get sticky gum ground into your khaki pants, you might think that they aren't salvageable. Gum is especially noticeable on lighter colored fabric like khaki, and the dense fabric can actually make the gum stick worse with its large ribs and tough fabric. Putting the pants through the laundry multiple times, using stain removers or even trying to scrub the gum can only make it worse. You need to harden the sticky gum so that you can lift away the mess with relative ease.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plastic bag
• Metal spatula
• Laundry soap

1. Gently scrape away any excess gum that you can get rid of by hand. If it is too sticky, leave it for later. Empty the pockets of the khaki pants and fold them carefully, with the gum facing up.

2. Place the pants into a plastic grocery bag and place the bag in your freezer. If your pants are too big for the freezer, place a few ice cubes in a plastic bag and leave the ice cubes on top of the gum to make it harden.

3. Leave the pants in the freezer until they visibly harden. Test them by touching the plastic bag to check whether or not they have hardened. Four hours is the minimum, but leave them in overnight if you want to make sure that the gum will come off during the first attempt.

4. Remove the khakis from the freezer and discard the plastic bag. Use a metal spatula to gently break up the pieces of gum. Push the edge of the spatula into the gum to break it apart. Once broken, you can pry the smaller pieces away easily.

5. Run the khakis through the wash in warm water to soften them and wash off any remaining residue.

References

• Remove Gum From Clothing the Eco-friendly Way