There's
nothing more frustrating than finding chewing gum stuck to the insides
of your clothes dryer when you are removing a load of freshly dried
clothes. Read on to know how to remove the gum from the dryer without
harming the appliance.
You realize your teenager has forgotten to
empty out the pockets of his jeans before tossing them into the laundry
a tad too late, when you find a sticky mess of gum lining your clothes
dryer. We know how cumbersome it can get to get rid of chewing gum from
clothes and the dryer, but before you yell at your unsuspecting son or
daughter, here are some useful tips and tricks that you must try out
which will get the gum off your dryer.
Easy Ways to Get Rid of Gum from a Clothes Dryer
Method 1
Before
you begin, you may want to soften the gum if it is set hard. Toss a few
rags into the dryer and let it run for a few minutes. The heat should
melt the gum. Now make a paste of your everyday laundry detergent by
adding just a little bit of water. Using a soft cloth and the paste, rub
the dryer where the gum is stuck till it all comes off.
Method 2
With
a firm plastic butter knife, scrape away the gum. Do not scrape too
harshly, or you could damage the inside of the dryer barrel. Do this
only if the gum is not in a melted state. If it is, wait till it hardens
and then get down to removing it. You can try rubbing ice cubes over
the gum; it may dry up faster. Place a few ice cubes in a zip lock bag
and just place it over the gum-filled area. Wait for a while for the
sticky mass to harden up, then scrape away.
Method 3
If traces
of chewing gum still linger even after you have been scraping for a
long time, then wet a cloth in vinegar and wipe down the messed up
surface thoroughly. This should do the trick and the dryer should be
clean.
Method 4
Wet a rag in fabric softener and wipe the
inside of the dryer with it. Wait for a few minutes. Wipe again. Let the
fabric softener work its magic, the gum should easily come off with a
blunt knife once it has soaked for a while in the softener. In this
method, the dryer's position should ideally be such that the gum-stained
area is at the bottom. This way, the gum will effectively be soaked in
the fabric softener.
Method 5
Rotate the dryer such that the
stained area is at the bottom. Sprinkle baking soda liberally over the
gum. Let it stay on for a few minutes. Take a dry paper towel, and rub
the area thoroughly. The gum should eventually come off. Keep in mind
that for best results you should not mix the baking soda with water in
this method.
Method 6
Dryer sheets, which also act as fabric
softener sheets can sometimes prove very effective in removing stubborn
gum stuck to the dryers. Just rub the area with a few of them till the
whole sticky mess just comes off.
Method 7
Take a large towel
(which you would not mind discarding) and wet it completely. Toss it
into the dryer along with half a dozen dryer sheets and run the dryer a
complete cycle. This should effectively remove all gum.
Method 8
Soak
a paper towel with a water-displacing spray and rub the gummy area with
it. Or spray the area with the solvent and let it stay for a while,
then wipe off with paper towels. Works well to get rid of all the
chewing gum your dryer has accumulated.
So these were some
methods you can try out if you realize that your kid (or husband!) has
accidentally left a packet of gum inside his pockets. You may need to
try out several methods to see which one works best for you. Avoid using
any chemical solvents to remove the gum which may emit obnoxious fumes,
since you will be working with your head inside the dryer, which is a
rather confined space. Whatever method you try, in the end, run a cycle
with a damp load of rags or towels to totally get rid of any lingering
gum. Discard the rags. And to prevent yourself this headache again in
the future, be sure to check all pockets first before you put any
clothes in the washer or dryer
