Stain Buster — Chewing Gum

Fabric

If the gum is still soft, freeze the item to harden the gum; scrape off excess gum. Sponge with a proprietary dry-cleaning solvent. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover and then wash as usual.

Upholstery

If the gum is still soft, freeze it by directly applying an ice cube; scrape off excess gum. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with a proprietary dry-cleaning solvent and blot until the solvent is absorbed. Keep sponging and blotting until the stain disappears.

Carpet

If the gum is still soft, freeze it by directly applying an ice cube; scrape off excess gum. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with a proprietary dry-cleaning solvent and blot until the solvent is absorbed. Keep sponging and blotting until the stain disappears or is no longer absorbed into the cloth.

If the stain remains, mix one tablespoon of washing up liquid and one tablespoon of white vinegar with two cups of warm water. Sponge the stain with the detergent/vinegar solution and blot until the liquid is absorbed Sponge with cold water and blot dry.

Worth a try

Rubbing white vinegar into the gum may soften it enough to pry the gum away from the fabric.