Get Gum off Skin

Getting gum stuck to your skin can be a pretty frustrating experience. It might have fallen out of your mouth while you were sleeping or maybe you laid your arm down on a piece of chewed gum by accident. You probably didn’t mean to do it on purpose, and it can be painful pulling it off with your fingers. Luckily there are a number of techniques you can employ to make the process much easier and less painful.

Steps

Using Vaseline

  1. Buy regular unscented Vaseline. You can buy Vaseline at your local pharmacy. If necessary you can choose a different off brand version of Vaseline if you’re looking to save a little money. Any type of petroleum jelly or Vaseline type substance has the same jelly that adheres to the gum and causes it to loose its stickiness. It becomes smooth and hard and will fall off your skin much more easily.
    • You can buy the smallest size possible if you don’t use it very often, because you won’t need very much to get the gum off your skin.
  2. Place Vaseline on the affected area. [1]Rub Vaseline around where the gum is attached to your skin and on the gum itself. You probably only need a nickel sized amount of Vaseline. Feel free to use more if you think it will help, but there is no need to overdo it.
  3. Wait for the gum to come off. When you put Vaseline on the gum it will naturally ball up and come off. However, you might need to wait a minute or so for this process to completely take effect.
    • Don’t try to pull it off immediately after you put the Vaseline on – let the Vaseline soak into the gum and your skin first.

Using Peanut Butter

  1. Find an old towel and some creamy peanut butter. Creamy peanut butter will work better than chunky peanut butter because you’ll minimize the mess that you might cause. You also need to find a creamy peanut butter that has a high oil content. Look for peanut butter that has a very high fat content too.
    • The oil in the peanut butter is what helps to dissolve the gum and remove it from your skin or hair.
    • You can find peanut butter at most grocery stores. Make sure the towel isn’t one you plan to use again. It might get pretty dirty.
    • Avoid using a white towel. It may stain.
  2. Use a knife to wipe peanut butter on the towel. You don’t need to cover the entire towel. A four-inch by four inch box on the towel will probably be enough to remove the gum. Put a generous amount of peanut butter on this four square inch box.
  3. Rub the peanut butter into the gum until the gum starts to come off. [2] Scrub it with the other side of the towel, and the gum should come right off. Use a comb to remove the gum if necessary.
  4. Clean up. You might be a little messy after using the peanut butter to remove the gum. Wash your skin with some cold water to remove any excess peanut butter. [2]

Using Oil

  1. Pour a little vegetable oil on the gum. Find a regular cooking oil like canola oil or olive oil and pour a small quarter sized dab of it on the part of your skin with the gum stuck to it. It might be easier to pour a little in a spoon and then pour the spoon onto the affected area of your skin to avoid a mess.
    • Gum is a hydrophobic material, which means it will not dissolve in water. However, using other hydrophobic materials can help reduce the stickiness and cause the gum to dissolve. Oils and fats are hydrophobic, so they are the perfect option. [3]
  2. Rub the oil on the gum with your hand. [2] The oil will release the gum and it will naturally come off without pain. Be sure to give the oil a few minutes to soak into the gum and your skin. As you rub the gum it will start to dissolve. Be patient and you won’t have to rip the gum off with your bare hands.
    • The reason peanut butter is so effective at removing gum is because it has peanut oil in it. Other oils, like canola or vegetable oil, are equally effective.
  3. Run a brush or comb across the gum. Once you have started to dissolve the gum using the oil you can remove the rest of it by running a brush or comb along your skin. This works particularly well if the gum is stuck in areas where you have a lot of hair. If you feel pain, stop and apply more oil to the area. [1]

Tips

  • All the methods work but many recommend peanut better for best removal. However, Vaseline may be more convenient.
  • You can also use water or ice cubes to help remove the gum.
  • If you are using water, use cold water.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/816982/How-to-remove-bubble-gum
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.homeremedyhacks.com/10-easiest-home-remedies-for-removing-clung-chewing-gum/
  3. ↑ http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=2036

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