Gum on your jeans.

August 9, 2007 5:36 PM

Pantsfilter.

Yesterday, at my new job (I maintain the carts outside a bookstore) I managed to place my bejeaned knee directly in fresh chewing gum on the sidewalk and it stuck to it. My wife said to put my jeans in the frrezer overnight and it would come off. No dice. Any other ideas?

posted by jonmc to clothing, beauty, & fashion (9 comments total)

Try nail varnish remover (acetone).
posted by gergtreble at 5:39 PM on August 9, 2007

I would try something oily, like Goo Gone or peanut butter, just like you would use in hair.
posted by blackkar at 5:40 PM on August 9, 2007

Goo Gone or WD40 will work. You'll have to wash your jeans afterward to get the solvent/oils off, but it shouldn't be a problem.
posted by dancinglamb at 5:41 PM on August 9, 2007

I'd avoid oily stuff if possible. An oily stain may prove even harder to get out than the gum. Patch test any substance you try on the inside of the hem or some other invisible spot to make sure it won't stain.

Along the same lines as the freezer, but maybe more direct, is holding ice or an ice pack right up to the gum.
posted by doift at 6:35 PM on August 9, 2007

There's lots on Google. This says to try ice then lighter fluid before washing. Remove matches from pocket first.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 6:41 PM on August 9, 2007

WD-40 will get gum out of anything, hair, pants, carpet, sidewalk, anything. It will even separate two kinds of gum that are stuck together.
posted by Pastabagel at 7:03 PM on August 9, 2007

I have the same problem. The freezer didn't work. Too nice a sweater to try a bunch of grease on it. Let us know if something works for you, would you please?
posted by salvia at 10:00 PM on August 9, 2007

Trust your wife. Freezer does it.
posted by essexjan at 11:08 PM on August 9, 2007

Hmm...I really doubt that just being in the freezer will help the gum come out. What has worked for me in the past was actually holding ice on the gum for a while. I've had to do this several times, and it's never failed me (unless the gum is in your hair, in which case peanut butter really is quite useful).
posted by I_love_the_rain at 1:13 AM on August 10, 2007