How to Remove Chewing Gum From a Bed Comforter
Cleaning instructions vary for bed comforters. Some are washable, while those with ornamentation require dry cleaning. Chewing gum contains several ingredients that can be hard to remove from a comforter. Artificial dyes, sugars and polymers make selecting a cleaner difficult.
Things You Will Need
- Ice
- Plastic spoon
- 1 tsp dish soap
- 1 cup warm water
- Citrus based solvent or BenGay
- Hair dryer
- Polyethylene food wrap
- Warm water
Peanut butter is a popular remedy, but will potentially create more mess. A simple method involves ice and household staples to remove the gum.
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Cool gum with an ice cube. When the gum is cold to the touch and begins to harden, scrape it off with a plastic spoon.
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Apply one teaspoon of extra strength BenGay, or blot with a citrus solvent.
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Heat the residue with a hair dryer.
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Place the polyethylene food wrap over the gum. Scrape and lift the gum off with your fingers. The plastic will act as a barrier to collect the gum.
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Mix one teaspoon dish soap and one cup of warm water. Blot the solution on the gum.
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Rinse the affected area with warm water.
Tip
Polyethylene food products include plastic sandwich bags and bread bags. Plastic cling wrap should not be used, as it may tear or bind. Citrus solvent is commercially known as GooGone or Citra-Solv.
Warning
Refrain from using laundry detergent as a substitute for dish soap. Some detergents contain brighteners that could potentially discolor the fabric. Do not use peanut butter. In this case, it may exacerbate the problem and stain the fabric.
References
- "How to Clean and Care for Almost Anything"; Consumer Reports; 2002
- Polymers in chewing gum
Tips
- Polyethylene food products include plastic sandwich bags and bread bags. Plastic cling wrap should not be used, as it may tear or bind. Citrus solvent is commercially known as GooGone or Citra-Solv.
Warnings
- Refrain from using laundry detergent as a substitute for dish soap. Some detergents contain brighteners that could potentially discolor the fabric. Do not use peanut butter. In this case, it may exacerbate the problem and stain the fabric.
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