I learned the hard way that a preschooler cannot be trusted with A.B.C. gum left in her room overnight. It's not bad enough that I rarely buy the stuff but this was "special" gum. I wasn't allowed to throw it out, and sometimes at bed time I have to try REALLY hard to pick my battles wisely! So I caved. We stuck the gum to a plate and left it on a night stand, with explicit instructions to under NO circumstances was it to be touched until morning... Sure Mom, OK, I won't.
In the morning she was fussing because she was stuck to the sheet. So at some point she had disobeyed the direct order and not only chewed the gum again, but failed to put it in it's proper resting place. It must have fallen into the bed and "melted" into her PJ top & the fitted sheet.
Becoming permanent evidence that I should not have given THAT battle to the little one!
I scoured the met for tips on how to remove it, especially since the PJ top was almost new. It is in the freezer waiting for the results of my experiments on the sheet. I have heard of peanut butter working and freezing it and ice. But this was more of an embedded stain than something sitting on the fabric. I found my first tip - Vinegar. Plain old white vinegar, purchased at Aldi for a low 59 cents! I parked myself in the laundry room with the sheet & my bottle. I poured some onto the gum and began to rub it in. I realized quickly that some of it could have been picked off if it had been frozen first, but it was breaking it down rather effectively. After I had it all treated with the vinegar I tossed it in the washer. I only added a few other things, mostly because I didn't want gum on anything else, but I felt that it could use some agitation. I used my regular laundry soap and some fabric softener. I did set the machine for a heavy stain, that bumps the regular cycle to an hour and 5 minutes.
When I took the sheet out the gum was gone, all that is left is a faint stain. I am hoping that will come out over the next few washes.
In the morning she was fussing because she was stuck to the sheet. So at some point she had disobeyed the direct order and not only chewed the gum again, but failed to put it in it's proper resting place. It must have fallen into the bed and "melted" into her PJ top & the fitted sheet.
Becoming permanent evidence that I should not have given THAT battle to the little one!
I scoured the met for tips on how to remove it, especially since the PJ top was almost new. It is in the freezer waiting for the results of my experiments on the sheet. I have heard of peanut butter working and freezing it and ice. But this was more of an embedded stain than something sitting on the fabric. I found my first tip - Vinegar. Plain old white vinegar, purchased at Aldi for a low 59 cents! I parked myself in the laundry room with the sheet & my bottle. I poured some onto the gum and began to rub it in. I realized quickly that some of it could have been picked off if it had been frozen first, but it was breaking it down rather effectively. After I had it all treated with the vinegar I tossed it in the washer. I only added a few other things, mostly because I didn't want gum on anything else, but I felt that it could use some agitation. I used my regular laundry soap and some fabric softener. I did set the machine for a heavy stain, that bumps the regular cycle to an hour and 5 minutes.
When I took the sheet out the gum was gone, all that is left is a faint stain. I am hoping that will come out over the next few washes.
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