Before discovering GUM-OUT, our now happy customers tried all kinds of methods for removing gum from a range of surfaces, with little or no success. Read more about why these techniques simply don't work. 
Freezing agents 15 years ago saw the arrival of freezing agents onto the international cleaning market. At first they were viewed as a reasonably effective method of extracting gum from the fibres of carpets, clothing etc. The gum is sprayed with the agent and it is frozen solid. To remove the gum you have to strike it with an object (such as a hammer) and the fragmented pieces are picked up by hand. You may have used such systems in the past or you may still be using them. In our experience, freezing agents are (a) not cost effective, as a percentage of the propellent gas is left in the can, (b) time consuming and labour intensive, (c) environmentally unfriendly due to the expulsion of CFCs into the atmosphere. These products are still available for purchase but by today's standards are crude and backed up by few positive testimonials. Pour-on chemicals These removal agents are usually available in half to one litre sized bottle and can be purchased from retail or wholesale cleaning outlets. Gum deposits are broken down by chemical action when the product is poured onto the wad. Our tests on a variety on surfaces including short and long pile carpets, denim and dralon indicated (a) that nearly all pour-on chemical agents were fiddly to use, (b) in many instances much of the chemical would drain into the material as it failed to properly absorb into the gum wad; this was certainly the case with hard/old pieces that had possibly been there for many years and (c) such products could not be regarded as cost effective due to the wastage factor and primitive method of application. Ice cubes Some people still resort to the humble ice cube as a means of removing chewing gum. This method has proven most successful in the removal of recently deposited gum but has little effect on older gum which has hardened. If a fresh wad of gum is stuck to an item of clothing, this method may prove effective. But for the industrial cleaner facing a large surface area deposits of gum, an alternative means of removal is necessary. |
