How to Remove Bubble Gum
Chewing bubble gum is something that almost everyone enjoys, but gum can be a real hassle to remove from clothing and other surfaces. Bubble gum can wind up in your child's hair, on your pants and on rugs and carpets, too. You can effectively remove bubble gum, but the proper method does require patience and perseverance.
Hair
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Place peanut butter or another oily substance such as margarine or vegetable oil in hair to loosen the bubble gum.
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Gently pull away the larger pieces, and then use a fine-tooth comb to remove the gum residue from the hair.
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Wash and dry hair as usual once the gum is gone.
Clothing
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Freeze clothing items in the freezer for at least an hour.
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Remove the garments and scrape off the gum with a blunt blade such as a butter knife or an old credit card. Once you get down to the residue, you may have to refreeze the item to harden the gum again.
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Wash and dry the item according to the care label instructions.
Upholstery or Carpet
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Place some ice cubes into a zipper-style plastic bag. Lay the plastic bag on top of any gum that is on upholstery, carpeting or rugs.
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Allow the gum to harden so that it will not stretch out when you pull on it.
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Carefully remove the large piece of bubble gum, and then remove the sticky residue with your fingernails. If the bubble gum starts to become stretchy again, replace the pack of ice and allow it to harden again.
References
Resources
Warnings
- You may wind up pulling out a few fibers from carpets or upholstery, but the ice is more effective than an oily cleaning substance. That type of treatment may stain your carpet permanently.
Writer Bio
Chelsea Fitzgerald covers topics related to family, health, green living and travel. Before her writing career, she worked in the medical field for 21 years. Fitzgerald studied education at the University of Arkansas and University of Memphis.
Photo Credits
- bubblegum image by Mélissa Bradette from Fotolia.com
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