How to Remove Gum from Fabric
Sitting in gum is no fun, but trying to get it off your pants—or shirt or sheets—is the real sticky situation. Nothing a little icy determination can't handle.
Instructions
- Step 1: Fill the plastic bag with ice and seal it.
- Step 2: Pick up the bag of ice using the towel to keep your hands from freezing.
- Step 3: Hold the ice against the gum until it freezes—about 15 minutes.
- TIP: If you can, put the entire gummed-up article in the freezer for a while.
- Step 4: Crack and scrape off the now-frozen gum with a butter knife.
- Step 5: Once the gum is gone, pre-treat any remaining residue with liquid detergent or stain remover.
- Step 6: Wash and dry the garment the way you normally would.
- FACT: Modern gum made its appearance in the late 1860s, when chicle—the latex of the sapodilla tree—was first brought to the U.S.
You Will Need
- A plastic bag
- Some ice
- A towel
- A butter knife
- And some liquid detergent or stain remover
- A freezer (optional)
