Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Prepare your garment
• Method 2 of 4: Using an adhesive residue remover
• Method 3 of 4: Remove sticky substances using heat
• Method 4 of 4: Freeze off sticky substances
• Tips
• Warnings

Whatever you try to prevent, at some point something sticky will stick to your clothes. Whether it's gum, glue, stickers or tape, sticky substances can be a problem to remove from your clothes. You can remove the sticky substance by using a special agent such as peanut butter or dish soap, or by heating or freezing the garment.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Prepare your garment

1. Lay the garment flat in front of you. When you realize that something sticky has gotten onto your shirt, sweater, or other item of clothing, place it on a flat surface to remove the stain.
   • Do not wash your garment after noticing a stain. Washing the fabrics will make the stain more permanent and more difficult to remove. If you've already washed the fabric before noticing the sticky substance, removing the stain will take more work.
2. Scrape off the fabric. Work carefully, using an object with a flat edge, such as a table knife or an old credit card. Try to remove as much of the substance as you can. This will make removal much easier.
   • If you've already washed the fabric, you may not be able to scrape off much.
3. Gather your materials. To remove the stain, first choose a means and method to remove it. You also need a soft brush to massage the product into the stain. An old toothbrush works well, or even an old cotton washcloth. Once you've massaged the stain, you'll need to wash the garment - so you'll need detergent too.
   • You can also use cotton balls to remove the stain if you don't have a soft brush.
4. Test the agent on a small area. Before you start, you will want to test the removal product you have chosen on a small area of ​​the fabric. Choose an area that is inconspicuous and out of sight. This way you know whether the product causes stains on your fabric. Some delicate fabrics, such as satin or silk, are more likely to stain than harder fabrics, such as cotton or polyester.
   • If the removal product stains your garment, choose a different removal product. Test this new product in another inconspicuous area to make sure it won't stain.

Method 2 of 4: Using an adhesive residue remover

1. Choose an adhesive removal product. There are a number of different products you can use to remove sticky materials from clothing and fabric. you can use whatever you have on hand. Some are alcohol-based, while others are oil-based. They break down the sticky residue once rubbed into the stain. You can use these adhesive removal products on any type of fabric. Here are some of the most common products:
   • Dishwashing liquid
   • WD-40
   • Rubbing alcohol
   • peanut butter
   • Vegetable oil
   • Nail polish remover with acetone
   • Goo-Gone or any other product made specifically to get rid of sticky stuff
2. Spray a small amount of the product on the garment. The amount of product you need will depend on the size of the stain, but start with a small amount first.
   • For more liquid products, such as nail polish remover, soak a cotton ball in the solution and then dab it onto the fabric.
3. Work the product into the fabric. Massage the product into the fabric with your fingers or a soft brush until the sticky substance disappears. This can take 10-15 minutes. Continue to work it into the fabric, scraping off any bits of debris that come off in the process.
4. Scrub the area, if necessary. For some sticky substances, you may need to use a soft brush to scrub the product into the fabric.
   • If the clothes have already been washed, you will likely need to do some scrubbing to get the glue out.
5. Wash the fabric. Once the sticky substance has been removed, you can wash the fabric as you normally would.

Method 3 of 4: Remove sticky substances using heat

1. Have an ironing board and iron ready. You can also use heat to remove something sticky that has been washed with it. Turn your iron on a high setting and wait for it to get hot. Make sure not to use the steam setting.
   • You also need paper towels for this method.
2. Prepare the garment for ironing. Place the garment on the ironing board with the sticky area facing up. Cover the area with two layers of paper towels. The paper towels should cover the entire sticky area so if you have a very large stain you may need a few more paper towels.
   • This method works well for tacky materials, such as the adhesive on the back of stickers, that have been washed.
3. Hold the iron against the sticky side of the garment. Press your iron against the top of the paper-covered stain. Hold the iron on the stain for about five to 10 seconds. This heats up the sticky substance, making it easier to remove.
   • Some fabrics burn more easily than others, such as polyester or acetate. The paper towels should prevent the iron from burning your fabric, but be careful and use a different method if the fabric does start to burn.
4. Set the iron aside and start scraping. After about 5-10 seconds of heating, the sticky substance should have warmed enough to start scraping it off. Use a flat edge, such as an old credit card or your fingernail, to scrape off the mess.
5. Repeat this until the mess is gone. This may take a few rounds of heat and scaling before all the junk is gone. Repeat the process (heating for 5-10 seconds and then scraping) until the absorbed stain is gone.
6. Wash the garment as you normally would. After all the gunk has been removed, you can wash the fabric according to the washing instructions.

Method 4 of 4: Freeze off sticky substances

1. Place the fabric in the freezer. Some sticky substances, such as hot glue or gum, become very brittle when frozen. Freeze the substance until the sticky substance is completely frozen. This method works better with gum and glue-like substances than with stickers or sticky substances that have been absorbed into the fabric.
   • You can put the garment in a freezer bag as long as the sticky substance does not touch the bag.
   • You can freeze any type of fabric without damaging it.
2. Scrape off the frozen fabric. Once the sticky substance has frozen, remove the garment from the freezer. Immediately scrape off the substance with a flat butter knife or an old credit card. The frozen glue should come off the fabric.
   • You may also be able to use your fingernails to pick off the gum.
3. If necessary, use a different method. If freezing the sticky substance did not remove all of the residue, use a different method to remove the remaining stain. Try to remove the remaining tack using heat or adhesive remover.
   • Once the stain is completely removed, you can wash the garment.

Tips

• If you've tried everything and nothing worked, you can make the sticky substance less sticky by dusting it with talcum powder.
• You can also use a hair dryer to heat up the stain if you don't have an iron handy. Hold the hair dryer on the stain on high for about a minute to loosen the stain.
• For permanent adhesives, such as epoxy or super glue, you will need to use acetone to remove the fabric.

Warnings

• Be very careful when working with an acetone-based nail polish remover. Acetone fumes can be toxic, so work in a well-ventilated area. It can also damage wood, so be very careful when using acetone on fabric near wood.
• For fabrics that should only be steam cleaned, have a professional remove the stain instead of trying this yourself at home.