How to Remove Gum from Leather?

Leather is a pretty anti-adhesive material that’s tough to damage. But there are certain instances where gum can stick to it. It usually happens when the gum is pressed onto the leather, or when it melts onto the material. Regardless of how you got gum onto your leather jacket, leather shoes or even leather bag, there are some effective methods that you can try to get it of. And we’ve featured a few of these below. Therefore, let’s dive right into the best methods of how to remove gum from leather.

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Method #1: Ice

• Start by placing some ice inside a transparent plastic bag and then rub it onto the gum. If possible, you can also put the leather inside a sealable plastic bag so that you can stick it in the freezer for an hour or so.
• Exposing the gum to freezing cold temperatures will harden it up so that it’s easier for you to remove it later. Just avoid getting the leather wet as that can damage it.
• After exposing the leather to extreme cold for about an hour, you can then start chipping away at it. Make sure you use a sharp and slim item, like a small metal spoon, a butter knife or even a credit card.
• Take a damp clean cloth to create lather with some saddle soap, and then apply it onto the spot where you’ve just removed the gum from.
• If there are still some small bits of gum left, scrub them off with a toothbrush that you’ve dampened with lukewarm water. This will help to completely remove any remaining pieces of gum from the leather while taking care to not damage it.
• After the spot has dried, apply leather conditioner onto it in order to ensure that it retains its color.

Method #2: Hair Dryer

• First, position the hairdryer’s nozzle to face the affected area and then turn it all the way up. Spin the nozzle around ever so slightly to make sure that it heats up the gum evenly.
• At this point, the gum should be soft enough for you to scrape it off with a sharp item like a spatula, a butter knife or a credit card.
• If there’s still a bit of gum left, heat it up again so that you can rub it off with an old but clean cloth rag. Just be sure to use circular motions when rubbing the gum off, so that it comes off easily and without touching the areas surrounding the affected area.
• Once the gum has been completely removed, clean the affected spot with dedicated leather cleaner, followed by an application of leather conditioner.

Method #3: Soap Suds

• Use a butter knife, credit card or spatula to gently scrape off the gum. Make sure not to damage the leather in the process.
• Get leather soap like Amor All or Ivory Snow and mix it with some water to create foam.
• Rub the suds from the foam onto the affected spot using a soft sponge. Rub it until the remaining gum has been completely removed.
• Dry the area off using a clean towel. Afterward, apply some leather conditioner to make sure that the affected area doesn’t get discolored due to water exposure.

Method #4: Peanut Butter

• Start by scraping away the gum off the affected area using a sharp object. It works best with a butter knife or a credit card.
• Apply a tiny bit of peanut butter onto the affected area and leave it on for a few hours. Then wipe it off with a clean cloth. The peanut butter should come off with the gum, after which you should apply a bit of leather conditioner. It’s needed to make sure that the oils from the peanut butter don’t end up damaging the leather.

Conclusion

Removing a gum can be simple, especially if caught at the moment. However, it’s not the case most of the time. Therefore, in order to prevent from marks remaining, one of the above methods should be used.

If you have more questions regarding the cleaning and taking care of leather bags and in general leather goods, refer to our articles How To Clean A White Leather Bag, What To Clean Leather With and How to Remove Ink From a Leather Purse. There are many more, thus if you are interested in leather related topics, you won’t find a better place.

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