Softening

• Softening up the gum that's left inside the dryer is a must. Rock-hard chewing gum is hard to remove from any surface, including the walls of a dryer. Fabric softener sheets can help you out of this pinch; wet a sheet with water and place it on top of the gum. If you have gum streaking several areas of the dryer, tear the fabric softener sheet into small pieces after wetting and affix a piece to each wad of gum. Let the sheets sit for several minutes and assess the damage. Sometimes, the gum will not soften enough and will need a little help. In this case, run some rags or old towels in the dryer on the warm setting. After a few minutes, the gum should be soft enough to remove more easily.
  
  

Scrubbing

• Heat alone will not get the chewing gum off of the surface of the dryer; you will need to scrub the gooey substance to remove it. Moisten a rag with liquid or powdered laundry detergent and water or use a microporous cleaning block. Avoid using a wire brush or any other abrasive tool that can scratch the inside of your dryer.
  
  

Test Load

• After you have removed all of the visible chewing gum from the clothes dryer, run a test load to ensure every last drop is gone. Place some damp towels or rags in the dryer and run for a normal load time. Use old items in case some of the gum debris remains. After the towels are dry, inspect for greasy streaks of gum before using the dryer for clothing.
  
  

Removal Tips for Gum-Stained Clothing

• Laundry stain removers and dry cleaning solvent -- a liquid sold in the laundry care aisle -- can remove chewing gum stains from your clothing. Scrape off any solid matter first, and douse the stain with stain remover. Blot with a towel and wash the garment with regular laundry detergent. Check garment before drying. Gum that remains on your clothes after the first washing may be treated with dry cleaning solvent and washed again in the washing machine.