Simple Everyday Solutions: Removing Chewing Gum From Clothing

SIMPLE STAIN SOLUTIONS


I'm going to begin a section of this blog devoted to SIMPLE EVERYDAY SOLUTIONS, today we will talk about stain removal, more specifically chewing gum removal!

Think about it, we spend so much of our hard earned money on fine linens, clothing, furniture, rugs, wallpaper, home accessories, paint, etc and inevitably you will acquire stains. Some stains are easier to remove than others; but I know a lot of folks are fearful of ruining their stained item so they hire someone to get the stain out. I'm here to tell you DON'T DO IT!

You can DO IT YOURSELF and you'll be so pleased you did so.

You don't need to hire anyone, or even go to the dry cleaner. You can remove just about anything... be it white rings on wood furniture, chewing gum on clothing, oil stains, ink, blood, crayons. Yes, you can at little cost... and with much satisfaction. There are so many inexpensive, natural remedies for removing stains (or remains of something, in this case, chewing gum).

I'll try to post a SIMPLE SOLUTION to everyday issues we encounter on a regular basis.

Today's problem: a wad of chewing gum inside the pocket of a NEW NorthFace fleece coat that had been put through the washer and dryer (no not by me, my teenage son...at least he does laundry, I guess)!

Of course the wash and dry cycles melted the gum, spread it out, embedded it deeply into the fleece, and it also seeped through to the front with a big round gum stain. We had two issues here. The hardened gum itself that was so fleece embedded it couldn't be frozen off (first quick fix solution), and even worse the gum stain on the outside, non-fleece part of jacket.

Simple Solution VINEGAR followed by MAYONAISSE! That's it, can you believe it?

And not to worry, you don't have to run to the store. Most of us have some type of vinegar on hand, you can use any kind. White, red wine, balsamic, as long as it is vinegar, it will work!

Directions: Warm the vinegar in the microwave and pour onto stain or dip stained fabric into bowl. The gum will start to dissolve pretty quickly, 1-2 minutes. Then take an old toothbrush, fork, or butter knife; and start to scrape gum off the fleece.

NOTE: The largest outside stain disappeared immediately!!! That was the only part you could see, so I could have stopped there. However, I decided to do it right the first time and remove all the gum from inside the pocket. It comes off in little clumps. Pull as much as you can off and then add your mayonnaise. Rub it into fleece, again use toothbrush and voila your messy, potentially ruined jacket is good as new. All in, it took less than 8 minutes!

~ until next time, wishing you a stain free day