Most people love to flaunt chewing gums sticking like balloons from their mouths. Sure, it does look interesting. But imagine the same sticking on your clothes. Eew, right?
So, what to do if the dirty evil gets stuck on your favourite piece of garment and decides to make a nest there? It can be a laborious task trying to remove the gum from the clothes with little or no success at times.
This article will familiarise you with ways on how to remove chewing gum from clothes?
· Use ice
One of the simplest and the cheapest methods to remove gum from clothes is to rub ice on the gum and allow it to harden. Once the gum is hardened, it can be easily scraped off the garment. If the garment is small, you can even place it directly in the freezer for some time till it freezes. Then take it out and use your fingernails to take off the sticky devil from your clothes.
· Ironing/using heat
Yes, you heard it right. You must be thinking that just above freezing the garment is mentioned and now heating. Well, do not get confused. Hacks do work. Gum responds well to both heating and cooling. Heat makes the gum soft and pliable and thus it becomes easy to remove the gum.
Take a cardboard and keep the gum stuck to the side of the cardboard. Put the iron on the opposite side of the garment on the affected area. Run the iron on the garment and the heat will allow the gum to transfer on the cardboard. Keep repeating the process unless the entire gum comes off the garment and sticks on the cardboard. Once the residue is gone, ensure that you wash the garment with detergent.
You can also use a hairdryer and give direct heat to the garment if the gum is difficult to remove. Direct heat can also do the trick and soften the gum so that it comes off the cloth.
· Vinegar
(Warning: Please do not try this method on soft or fragile fabrics. It works well on jeans.)
Gums that are badly stuck to garments like jeans, warm water and vinegar can act well to remove the same. In a bowl of warm water, pour a cup of vinegar and dip the affected area of jeans in the solution. The gooey gum will soften in the warm solution and you will be able to scrape it off easily thereafter.
It is possible to do the trick with either warm water or vinegar alone. So, you can use any method and remove the sticky gum from your favourite jeans.
· Use peanut butter
Peanut butter is another effective ingredient that helps to remove the gum. The presence of some oils in the butter can help in the removal of gum from the clothes. Scoop a generous amount of peanut butter and spread it on the affected area of the cloth. Allow it to sit on the area for some time but not much as the oils can stain the garment. With the butter knife, scrape off the butter and wash the area thereafter to remove the stain immediately.
· Coconut oil
Coconut oil is another versatile and easily available ingredient at home. Simply rub the oil on the affected area allowing the gum to soften so that it can become off the garment easily. You can heat the toil before treating the garment. Then dip the garment in the affected area and do the process. Wash the garment once the gum has come off to remove the oil stains. You can wash the garment in warm water with detergent so that the stains are removed.
· Liquid detergent
Though the process is a laborious one, yet the results are good. Allow the liquid detergent to sit on the affected area. Then use a brush to rub/work with soap and the gum will break into pieces like crumbs. Scrape it off and use more liquid detergent to remove the crumbs from the garment. Then rinse with clean water and air-dry the garment to see the difference.
· Rubbing alcohol
You can use alcohol to remove the gum from the clothes. Rub alcohol directly on the affected area and rub with the sponge. Allow the alcohol to sit on the fabric for some time. Take a blunt knife to remove the gum as it will come off easily. Wash the garment with detergent to remove the smell of alcohol thereafter.
· Duct Tape
It is a quick fix method and works well too. Take the sturdy side of the tape and allow it to stick well on the affected area. Be careful not to stick the tape on the cloth as you will find it difficult to peel if it sticks on the cloth. So, stick it firmly on the gum and then peel it. The gum will come off with the tape.
It is easy to source duct tape as you find it in offline and online stores.
Final Thoughts:
It is easy to use any of the above methods to successfully remove the gum from clothes. Another important factor is that none of the tips requires any huge investment. The ingredients can be easily spotted at home and the gum can be removed from the cloth. So, the next time you face a problem like this, panic should be the last thing on your mind because you have the solutions handy.
