Q. I have some bubble gum stuck on wool gabardine pants! Can you please tell me the best way to get it out?

A. Given that the pants are a wool blend, your best bet probably is to take them to a dry cleaners. They have the solvents you would need to deal with the problem and should have the experience to successfully remove the gum.

However, you can try to remove it by:
1. Carefully scraping away the excess
2. Freezing the remaining gum with an ice cube
3. Scraping away any residual material
4. Applying a dry cleaning solvent to entice the gum to release the fibers
5. Applying either liquid laundry or dishwasher detergent, then rubbing it into remaining gum
6. Washing as usual. Be careful, as any gum removed may redeposit onto other clothes.