How to remove chewing gum from clothes?
Every day, many people are faced with such an incident as getting chewing gum on their clothes. For many, this situation causes panic and readiness for the fact that the thing will have to be parted forever. But the case is not as tragic as it is thought. There are many life hacks on how to remove chewing gum from almost any fabric. After studying this material, you can be sure that even if you or your child dropped bubble gum on clothes, the problem is subject to a simple and effective solution.
What are the spots?
Before deciding whether to remove chewing gum, determine what type of contamination it belongs to in a particular case. There are several types of chewing gum stains:
- Weakly adhered chewing gum is such contamination in which the contact of the gum with the fabric has occurred recently. This type of stain is the most easily removed.
- It is much more difficult to get rid of chewing gum smeared on clothes. Its fiber becomes thinner, and with a thin layer it eats into the fabric more firmly.
- Sometimes you can find spots of chewing gum, eaten in the form of a dense piece. This option can be found on clothes that have villi or fur inserts, which are very susceptible to sticky chewing mass.
Required accessories
So that the incident with sticky gum does not take you by surprise, have on hand row tools and equipment that will help to quickly clean the dirt:
- There should always be ice cubes in the freezer.
- In the refrigerator, it will not be superfluous to keep a small bottle of Pepsi-Cola, the composition of which is able to cope with many household pollution.
- If there is no way to remove stains with an iron, have either a building hair dryer or a similar device for drying hair on hand.
- Keep hydrogen peroxide or alcohol in the first aid kit. Tools with a cooling effect will also be useful for removing chewing gum.
- Vinegar is useful in the kitchen.
- For safety, you should purchase stain removers specifically designed to remove particularly difficult contaminants.
Features of cleaning fabrics
In addition to the features of the stain, it is necessary to look at the composition of the fabric from which the thing is made. Each material has its own characteristics, so it is easier to remove chewing gum from some canvases, while others require more time and effort to clean up:
- To clean stains from cotton clothing, flatten them where the stain is and place them in a ziplock or bag. After closing the bag, put it in the freezer. After a few hours of being in the cold, the chewing gum itself lags behind the tissue and is quietly removed. But if there are small particles of gum left, then soak the product with detergent and wash it.
- Denim is a fabric from which chewing gum is removed by boiling. To do this, a section of jeans with a sticky gum is dipped in boiling water and carefully trying to separate the chewing gum from the fabric. You can repeat the procedure several times to achieve the full result.
- An alternative way is to clean with vinegar essence. It must be heated in a water bath, not bringing to a boil. Using a toothbrush, apply the substance to the stain and carefully remove the chewing gum. Vinegar will help to detach the sticky fiber from the fabric fairly quickly.
If the stain is not very stubborn, you can remove it with liquid soap. It will soften the fibers of the chewing gum, and after that you can remove it with a needle. Then you should wash the jeans in the machine.
- To clean the trousers, you can use an iron and a sheet of paper. The soiled area should be ironed, and this will help to remove the chewing gum. But this method is not suitable for delicate fabrics that react to temperature and for heavily stubborn stains. Sometimes a hair dryer can be used as an alternative to an iron. This method is suitable only for natural materials, it is not applicable for synthetic things.
- To clean sweaters or sweaters with a long pile, you can put the bag with the item in the refrigerator, but not for several hours, but for a day. This technique will allow the chewing gum to harden enough that it can be split with one blow.
- Sometimes chewing gum can stick to outerwear, which is not always possible to put in the freezer. To remove a stain from a jacket or bologna pants, you can use ice cubes from the freezer. They need to process adhering chewing gum until it becomes hard.
If you do not have the opportunity to come home soon, then you can buy a special spray at the pharmacy for freezing with bruises. Its action is similar to the effect after ice, you can easily scrape off dirt from the surface of clothing.
- Another cleansing technique calls for leather jackets. In this case, it is advisable to remove the chewing gum with acetone or nail polish remover. This technique will quickly get rid of pollution. When choosing between acetone and nail polish remover, you should give preference to the latter if the chewing gum stuck to a thing made of delicate fabric. The tool must indicate the absence of acetone in the composition.
- A very unusual way to remove chewing gum from delicate fabrics such as chiffon is to dip the product in Coca-Cola. This drink has the property of detaching dirt molecules from the surface.
How can the stain be removed?
There are a number of interesting ways to remove chewing gum from fabric at home:
- Household solvents are an excellent way to effectively wash gum. These include kerosene and gasoline. It is necessary to apply a small amount of any of these liquids to the chewing gum, wait until its structure is saturated with the composition and calmly wipe off the contamination with a flat, thin object.
Such solvents should be handled with care. Do not apply too much liquid to the product, otherwise an oily stain may subsequently form. Remember that after using such substances, a specific smell will remain on the clothes, so it is recommended to carry out a subsequent wash with powder, gel or conditioner.
- Chewing gum from tight pants is perfectly removed with alcohol and a cotton pad. It only takes three minutes to hold the wet disc on the dirt, and you can forget about the problem.
- If the chewing gum has had time to dry out and has eaten into the fibers of the fabric, you should not experiment with folk remedies. It will be easier to remove the stain with a stain remover.Apply the product to the damaged area, leave the item in a bowl of hot water until it becomes room temperature. After this time, the chewing gum should soften, and it can be removed with the blunt side of the knife.
- To clean the adhering mass, substances that contain a lot of fat are suitable. Peanut butter, which has a very fatty texture, is popular. It will take a very small amount of oil, which should be applied only to the chewing gum itself. If you go beyond the boundaries, then the substance will stain the clothes, leaving a greasy mark on it. After 5 minutes, the composition will saturate the fibers of the bubblegum, and the contamination can be carefully removed with a knife.
If there is no nut butter on hand, butter, which is more common among Russian users, can also cope with the problem. Even a rich cream, such as Baby Cream or hand care products, can be an alternative.
- An interesting way to remove chewing gum that has had time to dry on clothes is to use a different chewing gum. We chew the second chewing gum to a soft consistency, then we sculpt it on the old one and pull it sharply. Very often, this practice helps to get rid of the main part of the stain.
- It may happen that there is neither a hair dryer nor an iron at hand. Then an ordinary kettle with boiling water can come to the rescue. Put it on the stove, and when steam starts to come out of it, substitute the contaminated area of \u200b\u200bthe fabric under the stream of steam. A hot stream of moist air can soften the chewing gum, and then it can be removed with a toothbrush.
- If the gum stain is fresh, you can use tape to remove it.Sticky tape pasted across the gum will hook it, then you should tear the tape off the fabric with a sharp movement to achieve a visible result.
- Sometimes toluene is suitable for cleaning clothes from bubble gum. The substance should be applied to the place of contamination and with a knife remove the chewing gum.
Recommendations
In order for the process of removing bubble gum from clothes to go without harm to you and your belongings, you need to adhere to specific recommendations:
- Before starting cleaning procedures, be sure to check the recommendations on the clothing label. Some things are unstable to high temperatures or other mechanical manipulations.
- Do not use caustic agents such as acetic acid on delicate fabrics. Vinegar will instantly corrode a thin product, and it will become completely unusable.
- If you remove gum with harsh chemicals, use gloves to protect your hands from damage.
- For maximum effect, do not be afraid to combine several methods at the same time. But do not overdo it, because a copious number of different influences can adversely affect the condition of the tissue.
- Do not use the sharp edge of a knife or blade to scrape chewing gum from fabric. Such equipment can easily leave puffs on the fabric or even tear the product.
- If, nevertheless, it was not possible to completely get rid of the trace of chewing gum, do not rush to throw the thing away. The remnants of the stain can be masked with accessories such as a brooch, scarf, patch and give things a second life.
- If a trace of chewing gum remains in a place that is difficult to disguise with accessories, then you should take the product to dry cleaning.
By following the above rules, you will stop panicking if chewing gum gets stuck to your clothes. A prompt response and having the necessary funds with you will help you easily get rid of the problem and leave things in excellent condition.
For information on how to clean clothes from chewing gum, see the following video.