Removing Chewing Gum from Shirts

Written by Lee Wyatt (last updated November 26, 2018)

For anyone that chews gum, which happens to be most of us, at some point or another there, will come a time when the gum gets stuck on something. Most often this something will be made of fabric, such as a shirt. Removing chewing gum from shirts (and other fabrics) is a fairly easy thing to do, as long as you take care to follow the proper steps. The simplest way to begin removing chewing gum is by following these steps.

  1. Freeze the gum. In the event that the gum has already dried, you can simply scrape the off of your shirt. If you happened to find the gum in your shirt or blouse while it was still soft, you will need to first freeze it. You can do this by either rubbing an ice cube across the gum or by placing the shirt into your freezer. Once the gum has been frozen thoroughly, scrape it from the fabric. Use a credit card or butter knife to carefully scrape the gum from your shirt. Do not press too hard, or you may end up damaging the shirt.
  2. Use a cleaning solvent. Once you have the gum removed from your shirt, you still have a stain to deal with. Sponge the stained area using a cleaning solvent. One of the better cleaning solvents that you can use is called Motsenbockers's Lift Off, or you can use your favorite one instead. Sponge the area thoroughly, and then rinse using the same method. Repeat the process a few times to ensure that you get as much of the gum stain off as possible before you wash the garment.
  3. Pretreat the stain. After you have used the cleaning solvent you will need to pretreat whatever remains of the stain. When you do this you can use just about any commercial prewash stain remover. Follow the directions carefully as you apply the stain remover, since you can easily cause some damage to your shirt or garment if you are not careful.
  4. Launder as normal. You have now completed all of the preparatory work for removing chewing gum from shirts. All you have to do now is launder your shirt, or other garment, as you normally would. If, after washing you still find that you have a stain feel free to repeat steps two through four as many times as necessary until the stain has been finally removed.

Author Bio

Lee Wyatt

Contributor of numerous Tips.Net articles, Lee Wyatt is quickly becoming a regular "Jack of all trades." He is currently an independent contractor specializing in writing and editing. Contact him today for all of your writing and editing needs! Click here to contact. ...

MORE FROM LEE

Protecting Flowers from Pets

Pets, though often a loving member of the family, can also be a major problem for any budding gardener. Protecting ...

Discover More

Allergy Induced Asthma

One of the more common forms of asthma, is the type that is caused due to allergies. However, to truly understand allergy ...

Discover More

Diagnosing Engine Problems

For many people, one of the more embarrassing things to try and explain to a mechanic is an unknown engine problem. ...

Discover More

Keep Your Hardwood Floors Like New Bona's hardwood floor cleaner is the #1 choice of professionals. The no-residue formula is specially designed to be safe for floors, families, and the environment. Check out Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner Refill today!

More Cleaning Tips

Folding and Storing Bed Sheets

Folding and storing bed sheets may sound like a rather simple project, but it can be surprisingly tricky. Considering how ...

Discover More

Cleaning Pillow Shams

Cleaning pillow shams can often present a few unique problems. The reason for this is that pillow shams are simply fancy ...

Discover More

Removing Car Grease From Clothes

Whether you like working on cars as a hobby, do it for a living, or simply need to conduct some kind of roadside repair, ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in Cleaning Tips from Tips.Net. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is nine minus 8?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in Cleaning Tips from Tips.Net. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.