We all know that chewing gum is a quick, tasty treat beloved to both children and adults alike. However, what happens when chewing gum ends up where we least want it: not in our mouths, but on our clothes? Being as sticky as it is, chewing gum easily adheres to fabrics and materials, and can be a nuisance when it comes to laundering your clothes.

Sometimes, gum can end up on your clothes without you even noticing. For example, strangers can leave their chewing gum on desk surfaces, chairs, and other places that you might encounter. At Sunrise-Cleaning, we’ve come up with a handy guide of clothing hacks you can use when that sweet bubblegum ends up where it shouldn’t. So, if you or your children do somehow end up with gum sticking to your clothes, read below and don’t fret. If anything, you should be thankful that at least it didn’t end up in your hair!

Freeze it Off or Heat it Up

To harden the gum and easily remove it from your clothing, try rubbing the affected area with an ice cube. Once it’s hardened, remove it swiftly with a butter knife or scraper. You can also pop the clothing in your freezer in a plastic bag for a couple of hours until the gum hardens. Just make sure that the gum doesn’t touch or smear on the plastic bag, and also be careful that you don’t put the clothing into the freezer with the gum faced down.

Heat and hot liquids can also be applied to remove gum from your clothing. You can use a hairdryer to warm the gum and loosen it before peeling off. Alternatively, you can use hot water or steam to loosen the gum. Keep in mind that if you do submerge the clothing in hot water, you may need to repeat the process until the gum is completely removed. When the gum starts heating up and melting, it could get messy, so work carefully and use an old toothbrush to scrape the gum off as you go.

Use an Iron

To ensure that the gum on your clothing doesn’t get stuck on your ironing board, put a piece of cardboard in between the two before you start. Use light to medium heat when ironing, as you don’t want to run the risk of melting the gum and creating an even stickier mess. The goal of the ironing is to get the gum to stick to the cardboard instead of your fabric. It should do so eventually, so continue pressing on until you notice the gum has softened and stuck to your cardboard. Then, simply remove your clothing from the ironing board to reveal that the offending gum is left behind and truly defeated. Now, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?

Peanut Butter to Remove Gum

Because of the natural oils in peanut butter, it is a helpful product when it comes to removing gum off of your clothing. You will want to coat the gum entirely in peanut butter and make sure that the coating is thick. To avoid staining your clothing, leave the peanut butter on the gum stain for about one minute and then proceed to scrape the gum off with a sharp edge, such as a butter knife. Before putting the clothes to wash, use a stain remover on the spot, as peanut butter can tarnish your clothes. Now you know, peanut butter is not only delicious but great for removing gum!

Coconut Oil to the Rescue

In recent times, coconut oil has been used for a variety of ailments and as a treatment for our hair and skin. It’s a great moisturizer and can do wonders for our health. But did you know that coconut oil can also help to remove unwanted gum from clothing? You’ll want to heat the coconut oil for a few seconds and then dip the affected area into the oil and work it in so that the oil saturates the stain and dissolves the gum. Once complete, remove the oil to avoid staining and wash the clothing afterward. Not only can coconut oil remove gum from clothing, but it’s a good method of removing gum from your hair as well.

Gently Scrape and Wash

Sometimes, you might get lucky. If the gum is fresh and hasn’t had the chance to really get into the fabric, it may be an easy fix. You may be able to gently scrape it off (don’t force it) and then put it in the wash to remove any small remaining tidbits. It may be helpful to use a pair of tweezers to remove the gum without spreading it. This also really depends on how much chewing gum got onto your clothes in the first place, as a small amount will be easier to deal with. Regardless of which technique you do use to remove the gum, you will want to throw your clothes in the wash afterwards to remove any residue.

Armed with these clothing hacks, you’ll be sure to get rid of unwanted chewing gum both easily and thoroughly. All of the hacks above are quick, simple and will take less than ten minutes of your time. At Sunrise-Cleaning, we value your time and understand that cleaning on a busy schedule can be difficult. For your convenience, we offer to do the cleaning for you! For more information on cleaning hacks or our cleaning services, please call Sunrise-Cleaning at 905-567-1199 or contact us here.