Home Remedies to Get Dried Gum Off Clothes

Removing Gum With Ice

• Rub an ice cube across the gum on the clothing for as long as it takes the gum to harden. You may want to wrap a paper towel around the outside of the ice cube so you can hold on to it. Scrape the gum away with a kitchen knife once hardened. You may even be able to crack and pull it off with your hands. Pretreat the area with a stain stick before washing as you normally would.

Removing Gum With Lighter Fluid

• Pour 1 tbsp. of lighter fluid over the gum on the clothing. Wait five to 10 seconds for the gum to start melting and then gently pull it off. Pour 1 tsp. of lighter fluid over the stain left behind by the gum. Lighter fluid removes the gum and the stain. Wash the clothing within 30 to 60 minutes to minimize the smell left on the garment from the lighter fluid.

Removing Gum With Boiling Water

• Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil in a large pot. Remove it from the heat and set the part of the clothing with the stuck-on gum in the boiling water. You can use a pair of tongs to hold on to the clothing. Wait 10 seconds and then begin scrubbing the gum away with a toothbrush. Be careful not to touch the hot water with your skin or you could get burned. Wash your clothing immediately after.

Removing Gum With an Iron

• Lay a piece of cardboard on your ironing board. Place the clothing gum-side down on the cardboard. Heat your iron to medium. Once it is hot, rub the iron across the piece of clothing with the gum underneath. Do this for one to two minutes. Put the iron down and gently lift the clothing up to reveal the gum stuck to the cardboard instead of the clothing. Treat your gum-stained clothing with a stain stick and wash as you normally would.