How to Get Chewing Gum Out of Jeans

You can remove chewing gum from your jeans.

Chewing gum may be terrific for freshening your breath, but it can be disastrous for your clothes. The tacky consistency of chewing gum allows it to stick to almost any surface, including clothing fibers. Some lighter fabrics, such as silk, can be ruined by chewing gum. Fortunately, blue jeans are made of denim, a dense, tough fabric that is salvageable after an encounter with chewing gum. With a bit of effort, you can remove this sticky mess from a pair of jeans like it was never even there.

Things You'll Need

• Freezer
• Dinner knife
• Ice cube
• Tweezers
• Lighter fluid or dry cleaning fluid

Instructions

1. 

   Put your jeans into the freezer.

   Put the jeans into the freezer as soon as you notice the chewing gum. The cold temperature of your freezer will cause the gum to harden, making it easier to remove.

2. 

   Wait several hours for the gum to freeze.

   Remove the jeans from the freezer after several hours and check to make sure the gum has hardened. Depending on your freezer temperature, it may take as long as six hours for the gum on your jeans to harden.

3. 

   Scrape the gum away with a dinner knife.

   Scrape away as much of the chewing gum as possible with a dinner knife. Start at the edges of the hardened section of gum, peeling it upward. Work in a circular pattern from the edges toward the center until you are able to remove most of the gum in one piece.

4. 

   An ice cube can help you remove small pieces of gum.

   Rub an ice cube over any small pieces of gum that remain on the denim fabric after the majority of the gum has been removed. You may then pull these pieces away with a pair of tweezers.

Tips & Warnings

• As the chewing gum warms up, it will become sticky again. Should this occur, stop attempting to scrape the gum and place the jeans back into the freezer to allow the gum to harden again.

• If you are having trouble removing the smaller pieces of gum, place a small amount of lighter fluid or dry cleaning fluid on a clean cloth and rub it over the gum to ease its removal.

• Do not use a sharp or serrated blade, such as a pocket knife or steak knife, to scrape the chewing gum from your jeans. Not only are you more likely to injure yourself should the knife slip, you are also more likely to tear your jeans.

• Do not dry your jeans in a clothes dryer until you are certain that all of the gum has been removed. Heating the gum will cause it to set into the denim fibers. It will be much more difficult, if not impossible, to remove afterward.

References

• StainExpert: Chewing Gum--The Biggest Enemy

Resources

• Mrs. Clean USA: Clothing Stain Removal