Chewing Gum Stain

What You Need:

Ice in small plas​tic bag, mechanic’s waterless hand cleaner or adhesive remover or Goo Gone, and Sunlight bar soap

*When more than one product is named, use the product that is named first; if this is unsuccessful, rinse and proceed to the next product.​​

To Clean:

​​Hold ice in plastic bag onto gum for several minutes until gum is hard; pick off as much as possible. Apply waterless hand cleaner, rubbing for 1-2 minutes. Rinse and wash out product with Sunlight bar soap. Repeat.​

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To attack a stain on fabric, you must know something about it. Be a detective and ask the following:

​What is the material (e.g. cotton, cotton blend, polyester, acrylic, rayon, silk, wool)?

Is there a care label and what does it say? If it says to dry-clean the garment, that should be your first choice of treatment. Fabric or construction details can be damaged by washing a dry-clean-only fabric.

What is the stain or, judging by its position on the garment, what is it most likely to be?

How old is the stain? Stain removal is much more successful if the stain is fresh.

Tips to help you do stain removal on washable fabrics:

Have a few basic stain removal products in your home. We recommend:

• ​​Sunlight Pure Soap, a bar that is great for laundry and other uses
• Mechanic’s waterless hand cleaner
• Spray oxy laundry pre-treater
• Powdered oxy cleaner.

For small stains, work in suggested product using cotton-tipped swabs. For larger amounts, use cotton balls.

Always test on an inconspicuous area of garment before applying to the stain.

Follow instructions on stain removal product and care label on garment.

Use warmest temperature of water that is recommended on the care label.

Protect your working surface and/or put a pad of cloth behind stain before starting.

For delicate fabrics, avoid rubbing vigorously as this could damage the fabric.

Products with enzymes cannot be used on wool or silk.

Acetone or acetone-containing products cannot be used on acetate or triacetate.

It may be necessary to repeat the procedures as some stains are difficult to remove.

Thoroughly wash out all products used.

Be sure that the stain is completely removed before washing. Let the treated area air dry to determine if the stain has been completely removed after pre-treating. If it has been removed, wash and dry as usual.

When more than one product is named, use the product that is named first; if this is unsuccessful, rinse and proceed to the next product.