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)