A common issue in creative problem solving is the unwanted fixation on highly associated, but incorrect solutions. In two experiments, we investigated whether retrieval-induced forgetting of previously activated fixation words can mitigate their negative impact on subsequent performance in a Compound Remote Associate (CRA) test. In the beginning of each trial, participants memorized a list containing both neutral words as well as words misleadingly associated with CRA problems that had to be solved later on. Half of the participants then selectively retrieved only the neutral words in a cued recall test, which was supposed to induce forgetting of the non-retrieved fixation words. In both experiments, this mitigated the typical detrimental effect of induced fixation during early problem-solving stages. Additional results showed that participants who had engaged in prior selective retrieval reported a higher amount of immediate access to solutions of fixated problems as compared to a control group in which fixation remained activated. Thus, temporarily forgetting induced fixation by means of prior selective retrieval seems to enable a short initial focus that may be crucial for fast attempts of problem solving. On a conceptual level, these findings support the assumption of inhibitory processes being involved in both selective retrieval and creative problem solving.