×

How Do I Clean Chewing Gum Off Stainless Steel?

Corey M. Mackenzie

Chewing gum sticks to just about anything, and stainless steel is no exception. Stainless steel is, however, easy to clean. No matter how securely the gum is stuck, or how fresh or old it is, you will be able to remove it using a safe, nontoxic product commonly used on stainless steel.

You can easily remove chewing gum from stainless steel.

You may already have a bottle of it in your cupboard.

  1. Pour olive oil directly on the stainless steel, on and around the chewing gum. Olive oil will not only help the removal process, it is commonly used to clean and polish stainless steel. If you are working on a vertical surface, such as a stainless steel refrigerator door, some of the oil will run down--just wipe it off with a cloth.

  2. Wait one minute for the olive oil to saturate the edges of the gum. Use a rubber spatula to scrape off the gum.

  3. Apply olive oil to a paper towel, saturating it. Use this to wipe off any gum residue still attached to the stainless steel. Use dish soap and water applied to a clean cloth to remove the oil.

  4. Rub a clean cloth over the entire surface of the stainless steel item to dry it and give it a finished, polished look.

Warning

Stainless steel will scratch--do not use a razor blade or metal scraper to try to get off the gum. The oil will loosen the gum enough to remove with a rubber spatula.