Removing stains
Stains remaining on clothes after superglue are among the most difficult to remove and can hopelessly ruin any item. Fortunately, there are fairly safe and proven ways to remove superglue stains from clothing without damaging the fabric, and you can do it yourself without resorting to expensive dry cleaning services. The success of independent actions is determined by several factors:
- composition of the affected tissue;
- the degree of its strength and thickness;
- the size of the spot left by superglue;
- the presence in the house of the means necessary to carry out the manipulation.
First steps with a fresh stain
After superglue gets on clothing, you should act immediately, without waiting for the resulting stain to harden. The easiest way to do this is with boiling water (of course, if the item is made of heat-resistant fabric), proceeding as follows:
- The product is removed so that adjacent layers do not stick together.
- After boiling water in a kettle as soon as possible, pour it into a wide bowl.
- Taking care to prevent burns, immerse the item in boiling water (stain side down) and hold for three minutes.
- Having achieved softening of the glue, take the product out of the water and, placing it on a hard surface, quickly but carefully scrape off the stain with a piece of plastic or a blunt metal object. In order not to damage the material, it is better to avoid using a blade or a sharp knife.
Answers to popular questions
If I don't have time to remove a stain, can I soak the stained item in water? No, this method will not always help you. So, in the case of superglue, water, on the contrary, can accelerate the hardening of the base and increase its adhesion to the fabric. Be sure to look at the type of adhesive before soaking it.
How to remove softened glue after treating a stain with a solvent?
Do not make circular movements or rub the stain under any circumstances, otherwise you will only smear it. It’s better to carefully remove excess glue using a cotton pad or napkin using pressing movements.
What should I do if the glue does not come off after pre-soaking and washing?
Use special and available solvents, and also increase the intensity and duration of washing and soaking.
How to properly wash an item when cleaning it from glue?
You can wash the product in a machine or by hand, the main thing is not to wash it together with other things so as not to spoil them. To soften the fabric after repeated treatment, you can use conditioner.
What to do if the glue has dried?
Dealing with already dried superglue stains is much more difficult, but you can try:
- Scrape them off with a not too sharp knife. As a rule, it is not possible to completely get rid of the adhesive stain in this way. Residual traces of superglue can be permanently removed by washing.
- Break them with several blows of a hammer, laying the damaged item on a hard surface. This method is suitable for removing drops of superglue that have frozen on clothing in the form of large peas. The crumbled particles of the adhesive stain are carefully separated, and the clothes are washed immediately using laundry soap and hot water.
How to remove glue stains using improvised means
To remove superglue stains that are deeply embedded in the fabric, you can use one of the methods described below.
Water and soap
If you apply a concentrated soap solution made from hot water and any alkaline (preferably laundry) soap immediately after superglue gets on your clothes, there is a high probability that the damaged item will regain its original appearance.
To do this, you need to hold it in a soapy solution for at least half an hour, and then try to clean off the glue. If the stain does not come off, rub it with a bar of soap and leave for 15 minutes, then wash the product.
Cleaning items made from delicate materials (suede, wool, velvet, silk) must be extremely careful. Too vigorous actions are fraught with the occurrence of irreparable abrasions.
Cold
One of the most effective ways to remove superglue stains is to freeze them. The affected item is placed in a plastic bag and placed in the freezer for a couple of hours.
Under the influence of low temperature, the stain will harden and peel off from the fibers of the material, after which it can be carefully pryed and scraped off using tweezers, a nail file, a dull knife or a tablespoon.
Fat
Fatty bases are a good option for superglue stain removers. The easiest way is to treat the stain with glycerin or petroleum jelly. You can apply a piece of margarine or butter to a cheap cloth. After this, you need to rub the glue stain until it completely disappears. To remove residual traces, you can use dishwashing liquid.
Iron
You can remove superglue stains from your favorite item by using an iron: when exposed to high temperatures, it will melt and easily come off the fabric. Procedure:
- The soiled item is laid out on a flat surface, with a piece of natural, clean cloth placed under it.
- Cover the stain with another layer of the same fabric.
- Heat the iron to maximum and iron the area of contamination for a few seconds, checking the condition of the adhesive stain from time to time.
- The softened adhesive mass is scraped off with any blunt object.
- The item, cleaned of glue, is soaked for several minutes in a solution of stain remover or washing powder, and then washed.
Use of special means
The most effective and safest way to remove traces of any glue from clothing is to use special products such as “Contact” glue cleaner. They destroy the structure of the adhesive, soften it and allow you to eliminate marks on any material.
Contact glue cleaner is suitable for removing even stubborn glue stains, but before use, test it on a small area of fabric to make sure that the product will not spoil the item being treated.
The scheme for using the tool is quite simple:
- Apply “Contact” to the contaminated area and spread it with a brush or cotton swab over the stain, without going beyond its boundaries.
- Leave the composition to act for 7-15 minutes (according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and based on the freshness of the stain).
- Gently blot the softened glue with a napkin or cotton pad, being careful not to smear it on a clean cloth.
- Remove any remaining adhesive from the fibers with a toothpick or needle.
- Send the item to the wash.
If stains or marks remain on the fabric after using a special product, additionally soak the item with stain remover before washing.
The price of “Contact” does not exceed 150 rubles, so it is better to use it than to experiment with the use of folk methods and improvised means when removing glue from clothes.
How to remove super glue from clothes using chemicals
You can also get rid of superglue stains using household chemicals that are found in every home.
Acetone
An item made of thin fabric must be placed on a hard surface with a sheet of thick paper or cardboard placed underneath it, thereby preventing the fabric from sticking to this surface. When removing a small drop of superglue from very thick fabric, you can do without adding cardboard.
Armed with two cotton swabs or disks, soak them in acetone and apply them tightly to the hardened spot of superglue from the inside and top. After seven minutes, begin scraping off the loosened adhesive layer.
It must be remembered that the use of solvent or pure acetone is only permissible in relation to natural and very dense fabrics. Fibers of thin synthetic fabric can melt under the influence of acetone, forming a hole in the area of the adhesive spot. Colored items may lose their original color.
Before using solvent or acetone to remove superglue stains, you need to make sure that their effect on the fabric is safe by rubbing an inconspicuous area of clothing or a spare piece of clothing supplied by the manufacturer with a cotton swab soaked in them.
Table vinegar
It is sometimes possible to remove superglue from clothes using a solution prepared from 200 ml of table vinegar and a tablespoon of warm water. After soaking the contaminated area of clothing in it for a quarter of an hour, scrape off the softened stain with some non-sharp object.
Using vinegar to remove superglue from the surface of synthetic fabric is strictly prohibited, as this can lead to deformation of the material.
Petrol
When using gasoline to remove superglue stains, the area of exposure to the fabric must be minimized. To do this, the item to be processed must be placed on a flat horizontal plane.
After moistening two cotton pieces with gasoline, place them on both sides of the stain. After ten minutes, begin to remove the adhesive layer. To eliminate a specific odor, the treated item is washed in a powder solution and then rinsed using conditioner.
Anticlean
One of the most effective ways to remove glue stains from clothes is to use a specialized solvent, sold in construction supermarkets under the name “Anti-Glue”.
This product was developed to dissolve high quality adhesive bases that have a complex chemical formula. With its help you can even get rid of old superglue stains. The components of this liquid substance are particularly delicate in their action on various materials, due to which their structure remains intact.
To remove superglue stains from clothes, just apply a special compound to them and wait about ten minutes. Then the product is rinsed with plenty of warm water.
Solvent "White spirit"
When using white spirit, the area contaminated with superglue is thoroughly moistened with it and left for several minutes. Considering the rapid evaporation of the solvent, you should prevent it from drying completely by wetting the adhesive stain from time to time. After making sure that the adhesive mass has softened, carefully scrape it off with a nail file.
You cannot use white spirit for processing items made of cotton and natural silk.
Dimexide
A solution of dimexide, which gives good results in removing stains left by superglue, can be purchased at the pharmacy. After moistening a couple of cotton pads with it, apply them to the contaminated area both from the outside and from the inside.
After ten minutes of exposure, they begin to remove undissolved glue particles. If the first attempt is unsuccessful, it is repeated several times. Once cleaning is complete, clothes should be washed as usual.
"White"
To remove superglue from colorless things, you can use “Whiteness”. A small amount of this chlorine-containing liquid is soaked in a cotton rag, applied to the stain and lightly rubbed. After this, the cleaned item must be washed.
How can you remove dried mortar?
To clean tools from dirt, craftsmen use a variety of means. Here are the most popular:
- acetic acid;
- washing powder;
- salt;
- lemon acid.
Also, construction stores sell special chemicals designed to remove contaminants from the surface of the tool.
This is an alternative option for those who for some reason do not accept “folk remedies”.
Mistakes when removing superglue stains
The most common mistakes made when removing glue stains are to use:
- not clean, but drained, contaminated gasoline, which can further damage and stain the damaged item;
- acetone without preliminary testing on an inconspicuous area of clothing;
- iron for cleaning items made of silk, fine synthetics and wool.
There are many ways available to help remove superglue stains from your favorite items without causing any harm to them. By using one of the recipes we offer, acting carefully and following the rules for working with flammable liquids, you can not only return your clothes to their original appearance, but also save a significant amount for the family budget by refusing dry cleaning services.
