Dubble Bubble Trouble: 12 Ways To Successfully Remove Gum From Clothes, Carpet and More
"Chews" the right method to get your garments out of sticky situations.
If you searched for this article in a panic, you may be the parent of a child who treats gum like Silly Putty's stickier cousin—playing with it instead of chewing it. Perhaps you bought an epic bucket of Dubble Bubble and now you are finding gum on clothing, shoe soles and maybe even the carpet.
As a seasoned parent, you may have mastered the art of treating a wide variety of challenging stains on clothing, but when it comes to gum, you feel out of your depth. How does one remove gum from clothing, shoes, and/or carpet?
Let the following 12 methods equip you to part gum from garment (and from shoes and carpet too). Simply survey the situation and determine which of these approaches seems right for the problem at hand. Then maybe put that bucket of Dubble Bubble out of reach so Junior can no longer wreak havoc with it!
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What You'll Need for Gum-Removal
Many of the tips below require the use of some kind of tool during the gum-removal process. Depending on which option you choose, you will need one of the following:
1. A toothbrush. One you will not be using on your pearly whites afterward, mind you.
2. A plastic putty knife or scraping tool like the two options below.
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If all you have on hand is a metal putty knife, that may suffice—that is, provided the fabric you are treating is not especially delicate. A plastic knife is less likely to damage fabric.
The smallest putty knife in this set should work wonders when it comes to gum. Consider the other two knives as bonuses that will definitely come in handy around the house in the future!
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This option is useful for a variety of applications around the house, so having them in your junk drawer is a good idea, with or without a gum problem to troubleshoot.
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12 Ways To Remove Gum from Clothing
Before using any of the methods below, try to pick out as much of the gum from the garment as possible. This will make the process much easier in the end.
1. Adhesive Remover
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Goo Gone Adhesive Remover, $6.93 on Amazon
Break the bond between gum and clothing with an adhesive remover like Goo Gone, which is safe to use on fabric, carpet and upholstery too.
Start by coating the gum on the surface with Goo Gone and also applying it to the portion of the garment located directly behind the gum. Let it sit for a minute. Then work on separating the gum from the garment with the scraping tool of your choice. Loosen and remove any remaining traces with a toothbrush. Then wash the item of clothing in the sink with dish or laundry soap. Rinse thoroughly to wash away the Goo Gone, wring dry and then launder.
2. Boil It Off
If you never imagined yourself boiling your clothes, it's time to expand your imagination! Submerge the gum-afflicted portion of your clothing in a pot of boiling water. As the heat loosens the gum, use your scraping tool to remove whatever remains.
Caution: Be sure to lift the garment from the water before you attempt to remove the gum. Plastic putty knives do not fare especially well in boiling water (big surprise, we know!). Also, you may want to wear dish gloves to protect your hands when attempting this procedure.
Be sure to crank Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" while doing this, but sing "Boil It Off!" in the chorus instead. It sounds silly, but it's a guaranteed mood booster when you're mad at your kids for getting gum stuck to their clothes.
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3. Hair Dryer
Grab a hairdryer, dish gloves and your scraping tool. Put on your dish gloves to protect them from the gum, which will soon be too toasty to touch. Aim the hair dryer at the gum and heat it until it begins to melt. Then scrape it off with your tool. Remove any residual gum with the toothbrush.
4. Hairspray
Apply hairspray to the gum until it hardens. Then chip it away with your scraping tool. Launder the garment afterward to wash away the hairspray.
Caution: If you are concerned that hairspray may be too harsh for the item of clothing in question, opt instead for an approach that does not utilize a substance to loosen the gum.
5. Ice Cubes/Freeze Your Clothes
Fill a small plastic bag with ice cubes and cover the gum. Let it sit for about five minutes, or until it becomes hard and brittle. Then break it free bit by bit with your scraping tool.
You can achieve the same results without the mess of melting ice cubes by placing the item of clothing in the freezer for a few hours—just don't forget you did so! (Although finding a pair of pants in the freezer is always good for a giggle.)
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6. Iron and Cardboard
Your kids will be impressed with your gum-removing wizardry with this option, folks. Lay a piece of cardboard on your ironing board and place the item of clothing on it with the gummed-up side facing down so it is in contact with the cardboard. Set your iron on low-to-medium heat and run it over the garment until the gum transfers—magically, we might add—to the cardboard.
7. Lemon Juice
Soak the affected portion of the garment with lemon juice. Let it sit for a minute. Then, use your scraping tool to loosen the gum. Remove any remaining residue with your toothbrush. Launder the item of clothing afterward to wash away the lemon juice.
8. Peanut Butter
Rub enough peanut butter into the gum to coat it. Then use your scraping tool to loosen the gum. Be sure to apply stain-remover to the item of clothing before laundering.
9. Dish or Laundry Soap
Grab your toothbrush and massage some dish or laundry soap into the gum. Let it sit for a minute. Then use your scraping tool to pry the gum loose. Remove any remaining gum with the toothbrush, and then launder.
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10. Toothpaste
You've already got a toothbrush on hand—why not reach for some toothpaste? Apply a dab of it to the gum and let it dry. Then scrub the area with a wet toothbrush. Treat the area with stain-remover before laundering the garment to ensure that the toothpaste completely washes away.
11. Distilled White Vinegar
Is there anything distilled white vinegar can't do, people? (Well, actually, yes. Don't use it for these purposes, okay?)
Pour distilled white vinegar into a microwaveable bowl and warm it in the microwave. Grab your toothbrush, dip it in the warm vinegar, and then scrub the gum until it begins to loosen and break away from the fabric.
12. WD-40
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WD-40, $5.97 on Amazon
Apply WD-40 to the gum and to the portion of the garment located directly behind the gum. Let it sit for a minute. Then use your scraping tool to loosen the gum from the item of clothing. Remove any residual gum with the toothbrush. Then wash the item of clothing in the sink with dish or laundry soap. Rinse thoroughly, wring dry, and then launder.
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How To Remove Gum from Shoes
Every aspiring detective wants to be a gumshoe. Fewer people want gum on their shoes, but gum seems to cling to them all the same.
If your shoe is a gum-ridden mess, throw it in the freezer. As we mentioned earlier, it hardens the gum, making it easy to remove with the tool of your choice.
Plus, the next time someone says you have "cool shoes," you can say, "They were even cooler when they were in the freezer." Trust us when we say it's fun to be able to deliver that line and mean it.
How To Remove Gum from Carpet and Upholstery
Now, let's say Junior's Dubble Bubble ends up stuck in the carpet or on Dad's favorite recliner. Uh oh!
Before you try to cram the recliner in the chest freezer, fill a small plastic Ziploc with ice cubes and cover the gum. Let it sit for five minutes, and then break it free from the upholstery with your scraping tool.
White vinegar also works well in loosening gum from carpet and upholstery. Warm 1/4 cup of vinegar in the microwave in a bowl. Then, dip a rag in the bowl and dab it onto the gum. Let it sit for a few minutes and then use your scraping tool to remove the gum, and your toothbrush to remove any residue.
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