Remove Gum from Fabrics

Gum is fun when you're chewing it, and almost nowhere else. If you managed to get gum on some fabric, whether it be clothing, shoes, or furniture, don't fret. There are multiple ways to remove gum from both fibrous fabrics and leather, without damaging any of the fabric.

Steps

Removing Gum from Natural and Synthetic Fibers

  1. Freeze it off. The best, mess-free way to remove gum is to freeze it and brush/peel it off your fabric. When gum gets warm, it gets sticky and malleable; trying to pull warm gum out of fabric will make a bigger mess and force it deeper into the material. Cooling the gum will harden it, allowing you to simply pull it up and out of the fabric without the sticky, gooey consequences. Hold an ice pack or a bag of ice cubes to the fabric for 10-15 minutes, until it has cooled completely. Then, use a credit card or brush to peel the gum out of the fabric. Wash the fabric afterwards to remove any residue.
  2. Use a can of compressed air. Similar to freezing off the gum with ice, you can ‘freeze’ off the gum using a trick with compressed air. If you hold the can of compressed air upside down for about 20-30 seconds, when you press down the nozzle it will release carbon dioxide rather than oxygen. This will ‘freeze’ the gum and make it easier to peel off. Put a paper towel or other similar material over the gum/fabric to protect the fabric from the spray. Then use a credit card or brush to scrape the gum off the fabric.[1]
  3. Try using peanut butter. Putting peanut butter on top of a sticky pile of gum sounds like a good way to enlarge your stain, but it actually helps to coat the gum and make it less gooey. Put a small dollop of peanut butter on top of the gum, and let it set for 1-2 minutes. Use a brush or a rag to pull the gum out of the fabric. When all of the gum has been removed, wipe off the excess peanut butter with a damp cloth, and wash your fabric as per usual.
  4. Pour on a little cooking oil. Oil of any sort may stain your clothes, but if removed immediately after pulling the gum out of the fabric, it can be very successful at getting rid of sticky gum. Pour a small amount of oil - olive, coconut, vegetable, whatever you have on hand - onto the gum, and work it in with your fingers. The oil takes away the stickiness of the gum, making it easy to pull out. Immediately after the gum has been removed, pour cornstarch onto the oil spot to soak up the oil. Let this set for 15-20 minutes, and brush off the cornstarch. When the stain is gone, wash your fabric with regular clothing detergent and let dry.
    • If the cornstarch didn’t dissolve all the oil, you can use a bit of dish soap advertised for dissolving grease to clean up the rest of the residue before washing.
  5. Use goo-gone cleaning solution. Goo-gone is a special type of cleaner used for dissolving sticky residues - typically the sticky goo left on glass from paper stickers. However, goo-gone can be used on fabric to break up the gum stuck to it. The only problem with this is that it may stain certain fabrics if not washed out soon after application. Simply pour or spray some of the cleaner onto your fabric over the gum. Let it set for 1-2 minutes, and then scrape off the gum that’s stuck. Rinse the fabric with cool water and dish soap to remove the goo-gone cleaner, and then put your fabric through a regular wash cycle in the washing machine.[2]

Removing Gum from Leather

  1. Clean it off using dish soap. Certain brands of dish soap are made to dissolve and break up grease and remove sticky residue - making them perfect for getting rid of sticky gum on leather. Mix a bit of dish soap in a small bowl with warm water, until the mixture is frothy and bubbly. Pour or spray this onto the leather, and let it soak for a few minutes. Then use a rag dipped in the mixture along with a toothbrush to scrub the gum off the fabric. Continue adding more of the soapy liquid until you are able to remove all of the gum. Use leather polish to finish off the leather.
  2. Try using peanut butter. Because peanut butter is relatively easy to wipe off, you can use it to clean leather or faux leather (don’t use it on suede, though). Put a dab of peanut butter onto your leather, and rub it into the gum so that it’s entirely coated. Leave it to set for a full minute, and then use a soft, damp rag to wipe the gum off along with the peanut butter. Use fresh water and a sponge to clean up any residual peanut butter. Return the leather’s luster with leather polish when finished.[3]
  3. Melt the gum off. If the gum stuck to your leather is spread thin (like what might happen on a leather shoe), it might be more effective to melt the gum off rather than to freeze it off. Use a hair dryer on the hottest setting to blow the gum until it is soft and gooey. Then, use a hard, flat scraper to remove as much of the melted gum as you can. The bits that are left can be removed by rubbing with a dry dishcloth; the gum will ball up and become easy to wipe off. Any residue left remaining can be polished off with leather polish.[4]
  4. Try using cooking oil. Any oil will render sticky gum greasy, making it easy to pick off of leather. Choose a type of cooking oil you have on hand - vegetable, olive, coconut, and peanut oil will all work just fine. Pour a small amount of the oil onto the leather and let it set for a minute. Then, use your fingers or a flat scraper - like a credit card - to remove the gum. Wipe off the excess oil with water and a rag, and use a bit of leather polish to finish the job.[5]



Tips

  • Always start with options that won't ruin fabric - such as using ice - before moving to options that may potentially damage the fabric - such as cooking oil.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://articles.westcoastchallengers.com/archives/how-to-remove-bubble-gum-from-cloth-seats-and-fabrics/
  2. ↑ http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/how-to-remove-chewing-gum-from-fabric/
  3. ↑ http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-remove-gum-from-leather-shoe-soles#b
  4. ↑ http://www.leatherhelp.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=151:leather-furniture-gum-removal&catid=20:caring-for-leather-furniture&Itemid=222
  5. ↑ http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-remove-chewing-gum-stains6.htm
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