How To Get Gum Out Of Sheets

How to Get Gum Out of Bed Sheets?

how to get gum out of bed sheets

Removing the Gum with a Freezing Method
- Step 1: Put your bed sheets in the freezer
- Step 2: Scrap the Gum Off the Fabric
- Step 3: Getting Rid of the Stain Completely
- Step 4: Wash your bed Sheets in a Regular Way
Natural At-Home Solutions to Get Gum out of Bed Sheets
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We all had this 'happy day' at least once in our lifetime noticing the sticky gum on our favorite clothes, or bed sheets;
There is this widespread myth that if the sticky gum appears on the fabrics – you can basically throw the item away;
In the article below, we will break that myth and will present you with some easy ways on how to get gum out of bed sheets or clothes without much trouble.

Getting gum stuck to your favorite clothes or bed sheets might seem like a huge headache – how on Earth to get it out quickly and not to ruin the fabric?

Honestly, the days when the sticky gum on the fabric meant that the item will never be the same – is already in the past. With the right knowledge and a little bit of effort – the gum can be easily removed from any bed sheets or clothes!

The best news is that for this process you will need only a few cheap things that you might already have right at your home!

Important: before you dig in into the cleaning process, ALWAYS pay attention to the care label instructions of your item.

Removing the Gum with a Freezing Method

This method is one of the most popular ones. In most cases it is very effective and you don't even need to look no further.

The only things you will need:

A freezer or ice cubes (if you have no space in your freezer)
Spatula (or your fingers)
Some sort of white spirit (solvent)

The step-by-step process of removing the gum out of bed sheets (or other fabric):

Step 1: Put your bed sheets in the freezer

Simply fold your bed sheets or other fabric you are cleaning in a way that gum would be on the outside.
Place your folded fabric in the freezer and let it sit there as long as needed for the gum to freeze (usually, it takes a couple of hours for the gum to harden up).
Important: make sure the gum is not covered by any other piece of paper or fabric – it has to be uncovered.

Alternative way:

If you don't have a freezer or simply don't have any space in your freezer – you can try another freezing method – ice cubes.
Simply take a bunch of ice cubes (the whole package would be best) and start rubbing the gum gently, then cover the gum with the ice bag and leave it like this for up to 30 minutes (or as much as needed for the gum to become hard).

Step 2: Scrap the Gum Off the Fabric

Now, when the gum is frozen and hard enough – it is time to start scraping it off.
Take a spatula and start removing the gum from the fabric (you can do it with your fingers if it is more comfortable to you).
After the majority of the gum is removed, use a butter knife or the same spatula and gently pick away the remaining bits of the gum.

Important: do not use anything too sharp and be gentle – you don't want to ruin the fabric.

Step 3: Getting Rid of the Stain Completely

After the gum is scraped away, it is very likely that some sort of stain will still be visible.
In this case, take a sponge, soak it in the white spirit and start blotting the gum stain. It might be that there are still some gum leftovers on the stain, therefore blot as much as needed for the stain to disappear completely.

Step 4: Wash your bed Sheets in a Regular Way

After the gum is removed and the stain has almost disappeared – it's time to wash your bed sheets according to the care label instructions.
If you want to strengthen the washing effect – rub the stain with some soap or stain remover before washing.
After your fabric is washed – check it carefully. If the stain has disappeared – you can go ahead and air-dry it. On the other hand, if you notice that the stain has not been removed successfully – repeat the 3 and 4 steps. Otherwise – the stain might get even deeper in the fabric.

Natural At-Home Solutions to Get Gum out of Bed Sheets

Hairspray. I bet this is not the first time you hear that the hairspray can be used as an effective stain remover. Good news – it can also help when removing the gum out of your bed sheets. Simply spray it on the gum generously until the gum will harden up. After that, simply scrape the gum away and wash the fabric as usual.
Lemon juice. Good old classic lemon juice solution! It's wonderful in how many different ways it could be used for cleaning purposes. In this particular case, simply take your fabric and soak the part with the gum on it in the lemon juice. Let it sit there soaking for a few hours (or even overnight). Afterward, take a spatula and gently remove the gum away. Finally – wash your bed sheets as usual.
Oil. Now this solution might seem a little unusual. However, it is really worth trying as it has proven to be really effective. Oil, unlike any other cleaning solutions – not hardens but softens the gum. Now you might be surprised but the oil can be not only in its usual form – you can use not only cooking oil, but also mayonnaise or even peanut butter! Hard to believe? You will never know until you try. The process is simple – use an oil of your choice to rub the gum all over. After that, use your fingers or spatula to scrape the gum off the fabric. Finally – drop your bed sheets (or whatever you clean) into the washing machine. Important: Wash the fabric IMMEDIATELY after you scrape the gum of it. You don't want to have another – oily stain – to deal with.

TIP: If you are unsure how the fabric will react to oil (e.g. is the fabric is really delicate) – it would be better if you'd try any other method to get the gum out of your bed sheets, not oil.

Here you go! Hopefully you no longer think that gum stuck on your clothes is the end of the world. As you can see yourself – there are many easy methods to get rid of it without any trouble. Once again – choose the method wisely – always pay attention to the care label instructions of your bed sheets.

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