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Buying chewing gum in bulk can save y'all money, but only if yous store it properly and so information technology remains chewy and flavorful. Fortunately, packaged chewing mucilage stays fresh for several months, if non longer, when kept in a cool, dry out, nighttime identify. However, if yous happened to invest in some "chewing glue art" (or fabricated some of your own), be warned that information technology's really difficult to permanently preserve used chewing gum![1]

  1. 1

    Keep the gum in its original packaging. Gum is packaged to maintain freshness, then it makes sense to keep information technology that style until you lot're prepare to chew information technology. If your gum parcel is sealed in a plastic overwrap, keep the overwrap in place until it's time to grab a piece of gum from the bundle.[ii]

    • Glue comes packaged many dissimilar ways, from plastic bags to metallic tins to paper cartons, to name but a few. However your favorite glue is packaged, get out it as-is as much equally possible.
  2. 2

    Seal your gum packages in one or more closed containers. If the gum package is already sealed up in a plastic overwrap, this stride is probably overkill. However, if you've already opened the glue bundle, storing information technology in a jar or other airtight container can help proceed your glue fresh and flavorful.[3]

    • Keeping unlike flavors of gum in the same sealed container may cause the flavors to mingle in unpleasant means. If you similar both cinnamon and spearmint gum, for instance, you should probably shop them separately!

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  3. 3

    Stick the mucilage in a absurd, dry, dark place. Most types of gum outset to soften at around lxxx °F (27 °C), and get really soft in environments above near 95 °F (35 °C)—like in your mouth! For the all-time results, aim for these storage conditions: a temperature betwixt nigh 50–75 °F (10–24 °C); average indoor humidity (around l%); and cover from direct sunlight.[4]

    • A pantry closet or coat closet tin can make a good storage spot for gum. Bad storage choices include a jar on the windowsill or a kitchen cupboard right upwardly against the oven.
  4. 4

    Don't store gum in the fridge or freezer. "Absurd" is good for gum storage, just "cold" may cause more harm than good. Glue that has been stored in a refrigerator or peculiarly a freezer usually becomes brittle and hard to chew. Gums that are encased in hard shells may fare a chip better than stick gums, just room temperature storage is ordinarily superior in all cases.

    • Your freezer is, nonetheless, very useful in helping to remove gum from fabrics!
  5. 5

    Chew the mucilage inside 8-10 months for the best season and texture. The sooner you open a pack of glue, the softer, chewier, and more flavorful it volition exist. That said, even a mucilage connoisseur is unlikely to observe much difference between a newly-bought stick of gum and one that'due south been properly stored for 6 months! In general, you lot won't notice any divergence in quality for at least 8-10 months after purchase.[5]

  6. 6

    Throw out the gum if it looks or smells bad. You're unlikely to come up across moldy or rotten chewing gum, but information technology'south possible in some cases. Trust your senses before putting any questionable piece of gum in your oral fissure. If you see splotches or discolorations, or scent whatsoever off odors, toss the unabridged bundle of glue in the trash.[6]

    • If the gum looks and smells okay merely has an off taste once you put information technology in your mouth, spit information technology out and get rid of the whole pack.
    • It's much more than likely that the gum in an old package will become dry, breakable, and unpleasant to chew. While you can try to soften it up with some assertive chewing, buying new gum is probably your best bet.
  7. seven

    Don't toss out mucilage just because information technology'southward past its "all-time past" date. Call back that chewing glue rarely "goes bad" in the sense that information technology might cause y'all harm. Generally, its quality simply goes downhill over time. The "best past" date is only an estimate by the manufacturer almost when this decline in quality will happen. If the gum still looks and tastes fine, go ahead and chew it![7]

    • Some gums may be perfectly fine for months afterward the "best by" engagement, while others may turn down in quality presently after. Simply, even every bit the quality fades, information technology's extremely unlikely that the mucilage volition become a possible source of foodborne affliction.
  8. 8

    Store nicotine gum according to its specific instructions. The storage instructions for chewing glue and prescription medications are similar in several respects—it'south usually all-time to store them in a cool, dry, dark identify. Not surprisingly, so, this is the general storage advice for medicated nicotine gums used for smoking abeyance. Always follow the specific storage instructions on the package, though.[8]

    • The packet may give you a maximum temperature—for example, 77 °F (25 °C)—at which to store the gum.
    • Storing the gum improperly may impact the dominance and effectiveness of the medication.
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  1. 1

    Proceed your gum in a pocketbook or purse instead of your pocket. While it'southward convenient to stash a pack of gum in your pants pocket, your body heat may cause the gum to become overly soft, sticky, and deformed. In some cases, the softened gum may ooze out of the packaging and get stuck to the inside of your pocket.[9]

    • A shirt pocket is a slightly better option than a pants pocket, but it's nonetheless possible that your body oestrus may brand the gum soft and glutinous.
    • More often than not speaking, endeavour to keep packaged gum at or beneath 80 °F (27 °C).
  2. 2

    Store glue in a shady spot in your vehicle during hot weather. A sunny location in your vehicle tin can easily accomplish 130 °F (54 °C) or higher on a summer day, which is plenty hot enough to turn your gum into viscid goo! Keeping your gum in a shady location, like the glove box or center panel, is more probable to go along information technology under nigh xc °F (32 °C).[10]

    • Alternatively, during the winter, the temperature within your auto may autumn beneath 32 °F (0 °C) and cause your packaged gum to plough brittle and unpleasant to chew. And so you may just want to keep your gum package with you instead of leaving information technology in the car!
  3. 3

    Save the gum wrapper for disposal or short-term storage. If you need to remove a piece of mucilage from your mouth, the near sanitary option is to spit it out into its wrapper, wrap information technology up, and throw it in the trash. If you really desire to put the gum back into your mouth after you take a beverage or brand a telephone call, it will probably stay soft in the wrapper for a good five minutes. Just why not but chew a new piece of gum instead?

    • Don't stick your used gum on the wall, under a desk-bound, or anywhere else merely the trash—that's unsanitary and just plain gross! And, assuming that you don't like stepping in gum yourself, don't throw your own used gum on the basis.
  4. 4

    Run into if "gum recycling" is available in your area. Some cities have run trials that involve setting up "gum recycling" boxes for used chewing gum. If this is happening where yous live, become ahead and put your unwrapped used gum in the marked box instead of in the trash.[11]

    • Don't worry—"recycling" doesn't mean that your old chewing gum is turned into new chewing mucilage! Instead, the used mucilage and the recycling box are turned into a plastic production that can be molded to shape for various uses.
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  • Storing a overnice stash of gum may be good for your wallet and your health! Some studies point that chewing glue can reduce impulse buys while grocery shopping,[12] improve concentration,[13] assistance digestion,[fourteen] and assistance yous feel more alert still relaxed.[xv]

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  • Store your chewing gum out of the reach of minor children. Generally speaking, children nether 4 years of age should not chew glue, and kids over 4 need to know how to properly chew and dispose of gum (instead of swallowing it).[16]

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Reader Success Stories

  • Ana Arellano

    Ana Arellano

    Jul 19, 2020

    "I learned the benefit of chewing gum, plus, how to take care of gum."

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