• Chewing gum can leave behind a gooey mess on your furniture.Jacqueline Veissid/Lifesize/Getty Images
  
  Gum can be soft and sweet to chew, but if it ever gets stuck to something of importance, you know how sticky it is to remove. Hardened gum may seem to be permanently stuck to whatever it lands on, and pulling and picking at it may make the situation even worse; however, a few household tips will help you tackle that mound of goo.
  
  

Freezing the Gum

• Harden the gum by freezing it. Use an ice pack or ice cubes wrapped in towels, and lay it on the gum that is stuck to the furniture. Keep the ice on the gum until it is frozen and hard. Alternatively, use canned, compressed air to freeze the gum. Use a butter or putty knife to gently lift the hardened gum from the furniture. If the gum has been sufficiently frozen, you can hit it with a hammer or other hard tool to crack the gum into pieces. Gently blot any residue that may remain with a soft towel that has been dipped into warm water and gentle soap.
  
  

Petroleum Jelly

• Petroleum jelly can help you lift the gum off wood furniture. Put on a pair of gloves, and work a glob of petroleum jelly into the gum. Leave it on overnight to work. If the gum does not fall off by itself, you will need to do a bit of prying to loosen it. Simply slide a putty knife under the edge of the gum and lift. Take care not to scrape hard or gouge the wood with the knife. Remove any residue of petroleum jelly by blotting the area clean with a towel moistened in gentle soap and water. Blot the area clean.
  
  

WD-40

• Spray WD-40 on the offending gum, including around the edges. Let it work its magic, and pry away with a clean soft knife. Since WD-40 evaporates, you may need to reapply the solvent until the gum loosens. When the gum is removed, place a small amount of gentle soap to a cloth and remove any residue. Do not apply WD-40 directly to fabric.