Household Items That Can Help Get Gum Out Of Your Bedsheets

Imagine crawling into bed at night, eager to get snug and cozy in between your sheets, when all of a sudden, your big toe touches something sticky. Something that shouldn't be there: a piece of icky, sticky, chewed-up gum. Regardless of how it got there, it can be quite an unpleasant surprise. Gum can be difficult to remove with just your fingers, with the glob sticking to your sheets and refusing to come off. But not to worry; there are plenty of household ingredients and tools you can find in your cabinet that will help get rid of the sticky situation at hand. You can use items like rubbing alcohol, vinegar, and even your freezer or iron to get rid of that gum for good.

After you've removed the gum, spot treat and launder your items. After washing, check for remaining residue, then toss them into the dryer and you should be good to go. A word of warning: never wash and dry your sheets prior to stripping off the gum. The gum can melt creating one heck of a mess for you and your sheets.

Freezers are good for more than just storing your ice cream — you can also use them to remove gum from your sheets. When gum freezes, it hardens, becoming less sticky and thereby easier to remove. So, if you find yourself with gum on your sheets, place them in a plastic bag and pop them in the freezer for one to two hours, or whenever the gum is totally frozen. The now-hardened gum will be much easier to remove. After you take them out, simply scrape off the gum with a butter knife or a credit card. Or, use your fingers.

If your sheets are too big to fit in the freezer or it's too crowded, fret not. Grab a freezer pack or some ice cubes and drop them into a plastic bag. Place over the gum for 20 to 30 minutes until the piece becomes cold and solid enough to remove. This also works if you end up with gum in your carpet.

If you would rather turn up the heat, you can use an iron. Take a piece of cardboard and place it over the gum. On medium heat, iron the garment side. The heat will melt the gum, causing it to transfer to the cardboard. Just be careful not to let the iron get too hot! You may end up inadvertently melting the gum instead of just loosening it. You definitely don't want a grilled gum situation on your sheets! 

Vinegar is a versatile cleaning tool for disinfecting and cleaning. It's also the best way to get gum out of your clothes, but it can work for your sheets, as well. Warm up some plain white vinegar in the microwave until it's warm, but not hot. Dip a spare toothbrush or cotton ball into the vinegar and begin to brush or dab the gum until it starts to lift off the fabric. The vinegar's acid will soften the gum, making it easier to remove it from your beloved sheets. Pry the gum off with your fingers or a butter knife.

Another household item that can help you remove gum from sheets is rubbing alcohol. The alcohol will loosen the polymers in the gum. Using a sponge or rag soaked in alcohol, press down on the gum for at least 30 seconds. Once the alcohol dries, the gum should easily scrape off. If you have silk or satin sheets, rest assured the alcohol will not damage the fabric. 

After removing the mess, most of the gum residue should be gone. To finish the job, rub a mixture of dishwashing detergent and vinegar into the stain and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Wash the sheets as you normally would. Once the residue is definitely gone, throw the sheets into the dryer. If the stain still there, treat with the detergent mix again and repeat the washing process.