The Best Ways to Get Gum Out of Clothes So It’s Not Stuck There Forever

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No one likes finding gum on their clothes—or trying to figure out how to get gum out of clothes either. But just like how to remove stains, get rid of nail polish or remove candle wax, there is a fix. So not to worry, this sticky gum situation doesn’t signal the end of your favorite pair of jeans.

If you search the internet for how to do laundry, you’ll read about all sorts of hacks for removing gum from clothing, but do they really work? We asked Clorox’s laundry expert, Mary Gagliardi, aka “Dr. Laundry,” and were surprised to discover she has a hands-down favorite DIY trick. “Because it’s so effective, it’s the only method I like to recommend,” she says. Gagliardi also gave us the inside scoop on which fabrics should be sent to a dry cleaner for gum removal. Fortunately, you won’t need a dry cleaner if you want to get rid of red wine stains.

To satisfy our curiosity, we did a bit of non-scientific experimenting to see which of the highly touted gum-removal hacks are also effective. Read on as we share some surprising findings with you.

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Freeze it with ice

“Freezing gum with ice cubes, whether the gum is fresh or it has had a chance to harden, is extremely effective for removing gum from most knit and woven, machine-washable fabrics,” says Gagliardi. Freezing is usually enough to eliminate the sticky nature of gum, so it cracks and comes off easily. Because this is so effective, it’s the only method that has Gagliardi’s stamp of approval for how to get gum out of clothes.

1. Press an ice cube directly onto the gum. The ice will melt as you hold it, so plan on using multiple cubes to harden the gum. (It takes about 20 minutes, so be patient.) The gum must be completely frozen before you can remove it easily. And if holding an ice cube for that long doesn’t sound appealing, you can also pop the garment in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer for 20 minutes or until it’s frozen.
2. Gently scrape away the hardened gum chunks with a plastic spoon or butter knife.
3. Machine-wash the item in the warmest water recommended on the care label using detergent and Clorox 2 for Colors. Before placing the garment in the dryer, make sure there is no trace of gum on the fabric. The one thing worse than gum on your clothes? Gum in your dryer.

Just note: Don’t use ice cubes until you first check the care label of the garment. If it says “dry clean only,” ice cubes could leave water spots.

Pro tip: Eliminate the mess of melting ice cubes by applying a couple of cloth-wrapped frozen ice packs, one directly on the gum and the other on the underside of the fabric. This should freeze the gum in about 15 minutes.

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Freeze it with canned air

What if you’re in the office—far from ice cubes and freezer packs—when you find a wad of chewing gum on your slacks? How do you get gum out of clothes then? Spray it with canned air (the kind you use on your computer keyboard). The propellant in the canned air is cold enough to freeze the gum. Here’s how you do it:

1. Pick off as much gum as possible.
2. Freeze the gum by spraying it with canned air until the gum hardens.
3. Gently scrape away the hardened gum with a plastic spoon or butter knife.
4. When you get home, machine-wash the item in the warmest water recommended on the care label using detergent and Clorox 2 for Colors. Before placing the garment in the dryer, make sure there is no trace of gum on the fabric.

Pro tip: If you’re trying to remove gum from your clothing while you’re wearing it, place a magazine between your skin and the garment so you won’t freeze your skin in the process.

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Is freezing recommended to get gum out of all clothes?

No. There are some caveats:

1. If you have gum on an item labeled “dry clean only,” Gagliardi recommends that you take it to a dry cleaner and show them where the gum is. They are specialists and know how to get gum out of clothes without damaging the fabric.
2. Cut-pile fabrics, like velvet and corduroy, require special care because if the gum is not completely frozen, it could pull the pile yarns out of the fabric along with the gum as it is pried off the fabric surface. It’s safer to let the dry cleaners handle it, but if you’re determined to give it a go, make sure the gum is completely frozen before you get started, and pry it away from the pile very, very gently.
3. Open-construction fabrics, like netting or lace, require special attention. They can respond well to ice as long as enough ice is used to freeze the gum completely and special care is taken to carefully remove the frozen gum. Again, if the garment costs a lot—or means a lot to you—let the pros handle it.

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Are there other ways to remove gum from clothing?

We stand by Gagliardi’s recommendation to freeze gum for easiest removal. After all, she knows how to remove gum from clothing better than most. We’re guessing she probably knows more about how to clean a couch too.

But we also know that it’s only natural for our readers to be curious about some of the other how-to-get-gum-out-of-clothes methods out there. From toothpaste to Goo Gone, I tried a number of them on my husband’s old knit shirt before writing this article. (No, my sweetie doesn’t save his chewed gum on his shirts. I smashed patches of gum all over one of them for this experiment.) This is what I discovered.

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Goo Gone

I give Goo Gone high marks for getting gum out of my husband’s knit shirt. It removed most of the gum easily and did not stain the shirt. Here’s what to do:

1. Pick off as much gum as you can with your fingers. If the gum you removed is still soft, lightly press it onto any remaining gum on the fabric to help lift the rest off. You’ll be surprised how well gum removes gum! Don’t press too hard, or you’ll force the gum deeper into the fibers of the fabric and make the problem worse.
2. Before applying Goo Gone, test it in an inconspicuous spot to make sure it’s safe for the fabric. After a minute or so, blot the test spot with a paper towel to see if it lifts any color from the garment.
3. If it’s safe for the fabric, spray the gum with Goo Gone. (I gave it a couple good sprays.)
4. After waiting a few minutes, lift the gum from the fabric. I used a pointed knife to pick up the tiny pieces, but a butter knife would be safer. You could also lift the loosened gum with light, upward strokes of a toothbrush.
5. If necessary, reapply Goo Gone and repeat the above steps to remove any remaining pieces of gum.
6. It’s laundry time! Wash the garment in the hottest water recommended on the care label.
7. Inspect the garment carefully for any traces of gum before putting it in the dryer.

Pro tip: When I did this, very tiny threads of gum remained, but I washed the garment as directed anyway. The hot water and detergent took care of it. To be on the safe side, I double-checked the spot before putting the garment in the dryer. No problems!

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Warm vinegar

I give this method high marks too. It did a pretty good job, leaving only a few stray pieces of gum behind. You’ll be surprised by all the things you can do with vinegar!

1. Pick off as much gum as you can with your fingers. If the gum you removed is still soft, lightly press it onto any remaining gum on the fabric to help lift the rest off.
2. Heat a small amount of white distilled vinegar in the microwave until it’s warm.
3. Test the vinegar in an inconspicuous spot of the garment to make sure it doesn’t remove any color. If all is well, proceed to the next step.
4. Dip the gummy area of the garment into the warm vinegar.
5. Allow it to soak for a minute or two.
6. Scrape off the loosened gum with a butter knife. (I preferred using a pointed knife because it was easier to pick up the gum particles. Just be careful you don’t cut the fabric.) You can also try lifting the loosened gum with light, upward strokes of a toothbrush.
7. If necessary, reapply warm vinegar and repeat.
8. Wash the garment in the hottest water recommended on the care label.
9. Before putting the garment in the dryer, inspect it carefully for any traces of gum.

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Rubbing alcohol

This product wasn’t as effective in removing gum as freezing, Goo Gone or vinegar, but it did a fairly good job. (Rubbing alcohol is more effective at different tasks.) This is how to do it:

1. Pick off as much gum as you can with your fingers. If the gum you removed is still soft, lightly press it onto any remaining gum on the fabric to help lift the rest off. But pressing too hard can force the gum more deeply into the fabric and make the problem worse.
2. Test the rubbing alcohol, also known as isopropyl alcohol, in an inconspicuous spot on the garment, because it can damage synthetic or delicate fabrics like silk, acetate, rayon and wool.
3. Using a cotton swab, apply clear isopropyl alcohol to the gummy area of the garment.
4. Allow it to work for a minute or two until the alcohol has evaporated. (I was impatient at this point because it seemed to take a while for the alcohol to evaporate.)
5. Scrape off the loosened gum with a butter knife. (I preferred using a pointed knife because it was easier to pick up the gum particles. Just be careful you don’t cut the fabric.)
6. When I tried this method, a small amount of gum remained in the fibers of the garment. If this happens to you, reapply alcohol and repeat.
7. Honestly, I could not get every tiny speck of gum out of the shirt before washing it. But after washing the garment in the hottest water recommended on the care label, there wasn’t a spot of gum remaining.
8. Before putting the garment in the dryer, inspect it carefully for any traces of gum.

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Laundry detergent

After trying the previous methods and seeing how well the leftover shreds of gum came out in the wash, I had to try this basic idea. I was pleasantly surprised. It won’t work if you hand-wash your clothes, but if you use a machine, you’re all good.

1. Pick off as much gum as you can before applying the detergent.
2. Apply liquid laundry detergent or dish detergent (I used blue Dawn) to gum.
3. Work it into the gum using a toothbrush.
4. As the gum loosens, remove it using a plastic spoon or a butter knife.
5. Repeat as needed.
6. Wash the garment at the hottest temperature recommended on the care label. Use a stain remover, if needed.
7. Before tossing garment in the dryer, check that all the gum is gone.

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Gum

Yes, you’re reading that right. Gum actually does help remove stuck-on gum. I give this method a B+ because you may have to do some extra picking if the gum is embedded in the fibers. Here’s what to do:

1. Remove as much of the stuck-on gum as possible by picking or scraping it off.
2. Press a piece of chewed gum (your kids will be glad to supply that) onto the stuck-on gum.
3. Lift and reapply until the gum is removed.
4. Wash the garment at the hottest temperature recommended on the care label.
5. Before tossing garment in the dryer, check that all the gum is gone.

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Peanut butter

Personally, I give this method a D, but proponents of the hack recommend:

1. Spread a nice amount of smooth peanut butter (not crunchy) over the gum.
2. Allow it to sit for several minutes. The thought process is that the oil in the peanut butter will loosen the gum, so it’s easier to remove from the fabric.
3. Scrape away loosened gum with a plastic spoon or butter knife.
4. Launder at the hottest temperature recommended on care label.

Not only does this not work well, it also causes some real issues with staining. All peanut butter contains oil. Oil stains clothing. Now you’ve created another cleaning problem. If you’re dying to try this technique, apply a stain remover like Clorox 2 for Colors before washing.

Pro tip: Save the peanut butter for PB&J.

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White toothpaste

Without a doubt, I give toothpaste an F for removing gum, even if it gets an A for other household uses. First, it’s hard to find a white toothpaste anymore that does not contain bleaching agents like peroxide. Second, it simply did not help remove the gum. Here’s what’s recommended:

1. Flatten the gum wad.
2. Spread toothpaste on top of the gum and set the garment to dry.
3. Lift the dried toothpaste. Gum should come off with it.
4. Repeat, if needed.
5. Launder garment on hottest temperature recommended on care label.

I followed the above directions to a T. Hours later, the toothpaste was still tacky, so I let it sit overnight. The next morning, I lifted the dried toothpaste, anticipating a lump of gum would come off with it. Instead, it removed only a thin layer of the gum. The rest of the wad sat there. I think if a gum wad could have lips, it would have been smirking at me.

Pro tip: This was a waste of time—except for the gum-lips fantasy, which I may use in a novel one day.

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Medium-heat iron

I also give this an F. This method rivals the toothpaste technique for getting on my last nerve.

1. Preheat an iron to medium heat.
2. Place garment, gum-side-down, on a piece of cardboard.
3. Briefly place the iron on the garment. Don’t move it around.
4. Lift garment from cardboard. Gum should have transferred onto the cardboard.
5. Repeat as needed till all gum is gone.
6. Wash garment on hottest temperature recommended on care label.

The idea was to transfer gum from the garment to a piece of cardboard using the heat of an iron. I like to iron and thought this hack had promise. On the first attempt, some gum transferred onto the cardboard, but a sizable amount of gum remained. I tried two more times, but very little of the gum transferred onto the cardboard. Worse yet, the gum had melted into the fibers of the shirt. It looked like The Blob That Invaded Izod. There was no getting this mess out.

Pro tip: Don’t even try it.

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The takeaway

There’s no arguing with Mary Gagliardi’s advice on how to get gum out of clothes. (They don’t call her Dr. Laundry for nothing.) The easiest way to remove gum from a garment is to simply freeze it, peel and pick off the gum, then wash the garment with detergent in the hottest water recommended on the care label.

As for the gum-removal hacks, Goo Gone and several others did a good job too. It took time to pick out the stubborn pieces of gum, but the little shreds of gum that remained came out completely in the wash.

Pro tip: If you want to keep gum out of your clothes, move to Singapore, where gum-chewing is largely banned. Otherwise, look before you sit in public places—restaurants, classrooms, movie theaters, buses, subways, taxis and park benches. Used chewing gum is lurking everywhere, just waiting to hitch a ride on your clothes—and smirk as you try to remove it.