How To Get Gum Out Of Your Jeans

Got gum stuck in your jeans? Imogene + Willie has a great tip for getting them clean again (with a highly amusing anecdote about what a night of hard partying will do to a gum chewer). The inquiring gum-sufferer explains their dilemma below…

Dear Rhett-

As I was flying home yesterday, I was horrified to find that I had sat in some gum and really ground it into the back of my one-month-old Barton Rigids. Fortunately, it isn’t too huge of a spot, but I am struggling with what to do. I have attempted to get the gum out by hand, but that is pretty fruitless at this point.

Thanks for your help.

Kevin Isaacs

 

Imogene + Willie’s store manager Rhett replies below…

 

Kevin,

Oddly enough, this very thing happened to me, though I wasn’t on a plane.I am an avid gum chewer and went to bed with gum in my mouth. Went to bed in his jeans, you might ask? OK, let’s be honest: after a big night out, I stumbled to my room and fell into bed, obviously not caring what was on my body or in my mouth.

When i woke up, the gum was in my arm hair and between my legs. I have no idea how this happened. I’m lucky the spot on my jeans wasn’t visible: I washed them in cold water, hung them to dry, and, because I like the rigid, non-broken-in look, ironed them with spray starch. You can still see where the gum was a little bit, but I don’t mind.

Here are two remedies you can try. Both involve freezing the gum. Keep in mind that neither is guaranteed to work, but it never hurts to try.

- Rub an ice cube on the gummed-up spot. When the residue freezes, it should be relatively easy to scrape off.

- Place the jeans in the freezer for an hour or more; as with the ice cube, the frozen gum should peel right off.

In either case, when you get the spot clean, rub dish soap into any leftover stain with a soft clean cloth and launder as usual.

good luck!

Be well,

Rhett

Original tip via Imogene + Willie. Did this trick work for you? Let us know!

—DT Staff

Tags: denim advice, denim care, Denim Therapy, denim tips, gum in jeans, how to remove gum, Imogene + Willie