How to Remove Chewing Gum from Leather

Co-authored by Raymond Chiu

Last Updated: October 21, 2021 References Approved

Removing chewing gum from leather can be tricky. Gum generally won’t stick to leather unless it’s pressed or melted onto the leather. Regardless of whether the gum is on your new leather couch, leather car upholstery, a saddle, shoes, or your favorite leather jacket, there are several ways to remove gum from your favorite leather item. Scroll down to Step 1 to get started.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Ice

1
Rub the gum with ice.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Raymond Chiu
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 15 October 2019.} Place a piece of ice in a sealable plastic bag to avoid any water damage caused by drips from the ice. Take a piece of ice and slowly rub all over the gum. The coldness of the ice will harden the gum, making it easier to chip away later.^{[2]
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- If the leather item is small enough, place it in a plastic bag and then put it in the freezer for about an hour. Putting the item in the freezer will have a similar effect as the ice--the gum will harden and become easier to chip away from the leather.
- If you don’t have a plastic bag, you can rub the ice directly on the gum. Make sure that if the ice drips onto the leather, you wipe it up immediately, as water left on leather for too long can stain it.
2
Chip away the hardened gum.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Raymond Chiu
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 15 October 2019.} Use a hard, flat edge to remove the gum from the leather. In a pinch, a fingernail will do the trick, as will a credit card, butter knife or even a metal spoon. Avoid very sharp items or else you may gouge the leather. The hardened gum should scrape off easily.
- If you chose to put your piece of leather in a bag and into the freezer, remove it and chip it away with a hard, flat-edged tool as listed above. After you have done this, proceed with all of the other steps listed in this method.
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3
Apply some saddle soap to the spot. Use a damp, clean cloth to rub some saddle soap onto the spot where the gum was until you have a light lather on the leather.^{[4]
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4
Use the saddle soap to get rid of any gum remnants. Clean any remaining spot where the gum was stuck to the leather with the saddle soap lather, using circular motions to rub it into the spot.
5
Use a toothbrush for the hard to remove bits. Scrub any small bits of gum remaining with a soft, dampened toothbrush. The toothbrush bristles will work to dislodge the lathered gum. The gum should be completely removed when you are done with the toothbrush.
6
Remove the saddle soap lather. Wipe off the saddle soap with a second, damp clean cloth. You don’t want to wash the lather away with water because water, if left on the leather for too long, will damage the color of the leather.
7
Use a leather conditioner on the spot after it has dried. The leather conditioner will help to ensure that there is no discoloration caused by the gum, soap lather, and damp cloth.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Hair Dryer

1
Turn your hair dryer on to high heat. Aim the nozzle of the hair dryer at the contaminated spot on your leather. Run the hot air in circular motions over the gum until the gum becomes soft.^{[5]
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2
Scrape off as much gum as you can. Once the gum has warmed up, you should be able to scrape most of it off with a plastic hard-edged scraper. You could also try using an old credit card, a butter knife, or a spatula.
3
Reheat any gum that is left. Once the gum is reheated, take a dry, clean cloth rag (one that you don’t care about getting gum on) and rub the gum. Using a circular motion, you should be able to rub the gum so that it forms into little balls and wipes away easily.
4
Use a leather cleaning product to wipe your leather down. Using a leather cleaner will help to remove any greasy residue left by the gum. Once you have wiped down the leather with the cleaner, apply some leather conditioner to moisturize the area that you applied heat to.^{[6]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Soap Suds

1
Scrape away as much gum as you can. Take care not to scrape your leather—use a plastic scraper, spatula, butter knife, or credit card to make sure you don’t damage the leather (more than the gum already has anyway).^{[7]
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2
Mix leather soap with lukewarm water. Leather soaps like Ivory Snow or Armor All work well for this. Mix the soap with the water so that it forms a thick foam. You will only be using the suds of the foam.^{[8]
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3
Use a sponge to apply the suds to the gum stain. Gently rub the suds into the gum stain. Continue to rub until of the gum remnants are removed. Only apply the suds to the affected area.
4
Dry the spot with a clean, dry towel. Once the area is dry, apply a leather conditioner to restore any discoloration created by the gum.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Peanut Butter

1
Scrape away any gum that you can. Use a hard, thin-edged tool to do this. You can use a fingernail in an emergency, but should try to find a plastic scraper, butter knife, or old credit card if you can.
2
Mix the peanut butter before using. If you are using peanut butter where the oil and solid peanut butter have separated, mix the peanut butter to make sure that the peanut oil is thoroughly mixed into the butter. The oils are what break down the gum fibers and help you to remove them, while the butter is easier to coat onto the gum.
- Some peanut butter will stain leather. It is always best to apply a small amount of peanut butter somewhere inconspicuous on your leather (so that if it does stain the leather, no one will notice). Give it an hour or so, wipe it away, and apply a leather conditioner. If it has stained the leather, do not use it to remove the gum.^{[9]
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3
Spread peanut butter on the gum. Try to get as little of the peanut butter on to the leather as possible, since oil can stain leather if left for too long. Let the peanut butter sit on the gum for several hours. During this time, the peanut butter will break down fibers in the gum, making it easier to remove from the leather.^{[10]
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4
Wipe the peanut butter and gum away. Use a slightly damp, clean towel to wipe away the peanut butter and gum. The gum should easily come up with the peanut butter. If there is some left, apply saddle soap and rub in a circular motion to get rid of the gum remnants.
5
Wipe away the saddle soap with a damp, clean cloth. Once the spot has dried, apply some leather conditioner to restore any damage done to your leather.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Scotch Tape

1
Press Scotch Tape firmly multiple times onto the gum. Any other really sticky tape will also suffice.
2
Pull until the gum lifts off completely.
3
Condition the stained area of the leather with a suitable leather conditioning product.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I get adhesive off glass?

Community Answer

Use a small amount of eucalyptus oil on a paper towel. Wipe over the sticky residue, it should remove it from most hard surfaces.