Glue, we often need it for all sorts of projects around the home, arts and crafts, repairs, etc. and yet seldom escape its often damaging, long lasting effects on clothing. When it comes to kids and their crafting, there is just something magical about the attraction to glue, we liken it to a permanent marker in its undeniable draw. But, how to remove glue stains from fabric? Keep scrolling for the best tips and tricks.
Creative kids will often have just about every kind of glue in their arts and crafts corner. Much to the dismay of their parents, these crafty kids will often encounter glue stain troubles. Unfortunately, these situations almost always end up in either having to toss the damaged clothes in the trash or only being allowed to wear those items when playing at home, creating art or working on a craft project. Needless to say, these situations can become costly with having to replace otherwise perfectly good clothing that could have been saved had the following methods been used.
Whether it be for yourself or your children, it is important to know the different ways you can help in these sticky situations. These quick fixes can help save money on clothing replacements. For glue stains due to super glue, hot glue, nail glue, glitter glue and rubber cement, below are the best methods on how to remove glue stains from fabric. You’ll learn what supplies you need and the various steps to take to remove glue from fabric.
Let’s get started …
How to Remove Super Glue From Fabric
Super glue works wonders when you need that quick fix on a project in your home. This handy glue can also work great for your kids' arts and crafts. Unfortunately, this quick fix often results in gluing your fingers together or even worse, getting it on your clothes. Whereas, super glue will naturally come off of your skin over time, that’s not the case for your clothes. When trying to remove super glue from your clothes with acetone, remember to always begin the process by testing on a sample patch, somewhere you won’t really see. If you don’t want to use acetone, you can switch it out for acetone-free nail polish or white vinegar. Here is the recommended method for how to remove super glue from fabric.
Here Are The Supplies Needed To Remove Super Glue From Fabric
- Butter knife or spoon
- Acetone or white vinegar
- Cotton balls
- Scrub brush
- Laundry detergent
- Patience
Step One: Scrape off any chunks of glue
Using the edge of the butter knife or spoon, scrape off any large chunks of glue from the fabric.
Step Two: Test fabric safeness
This is the most important step! You want to make sure that the acetone won’t damage your fabric. Acetone dries very quickly so you will know almost immediately if it is safe for your clothes.
Step Three: Apply acetone to the spot
After testing the acetone on your fabric and you feel confident it's safe, apply a few drops onto a cotton ball. Press the acetone-soaked cotton ball onto the affected area and hold in place for 2-3 minutes.
Step Four: Scrub the stain
Using the scrub brush, scrub the stain until the glue starts to flake off.
Step Five: Reapply as necessary
Sometimes it takes a couple of repeats for all of the super glue to be removed from your fabrics.
Step Six: Wash your clothes using laundry detergent
Finish it off by rubbing some laundry detergent on your fabric to help remove any residual glue and acetone from your clothing.
How to Remove Hot Glue From Fabric
Hot glue is one of the best types of glue for your crafting needs. It’s easy and effective and dries extremely quickly. The issue with hot glue is that it’s well, … HOT! Because hot glue is applied in a melted state it wraps around your fabric before it starts to harden. The result is a harder-to-clean, more frustrating stain…We recommend the following method on how to remove hot glue from fabric.
Here Are The Supplies Needed To Remove Hot Glue From Fabric
- Freezer
- Butter knife or spoon
- Laundry detergent
Step One: Put clothing in the freezer
Throw the affected garment into the freezer for approximately 30 minutes. Cold temperature makes hot glue more brittle and it will start to lift. A cold temperature is your friend when hot glue is not. If your clothing doesn’t fit in your freezer you can place it into a cooler or a bag of ice.
Step Two: Peel the glue off carefully
Once you take your clothes out of the freezer, place them on a solid surface and carefully use the butter knife to scrape off the glue. Make sure you are being gentle when trying to peel the glue off of your clothing, especially when it is a sheer or lace fabric.
Step Three: Wash away any residue
After removing the hot glue from your clothing, either use some detergent mixed with water on the spot where the glue used to be to remove any residual hot glue from fabric. You can also toss the garment in with a load of laundry to help.
How to Remove Nail Glue From Fabric
While not as common an occurrence as some other glue stains, nail glue can also impact your fabrics when a spill takes place. The good news is that a nail glue spill doesn’t mean you’ll need to say goodbye to your clothing. Below is our favorite method on how to remove nail glue from fabric.
Here Are The Supplies Needed To Remove Nail Glue From Fabric
- Dish soap
- Clean toothbrush
Step One: Soak your clothing
When you notice that you dropped some nail glue on your clothing, place the item into a bowl or sink and fill it with cold water and dish soap. Let it soak for approximately 10 minutes.
Step Two: Scrub the area
Remove the garment from the water and soap mixture and place it on a hard surface. Grab your clean, soft toothbrush and start gently scrubbing the affected area.
Step Three: Wash the fabric
Once you have scrubbed as much glue as possible from the fabric, add it to the washing machine and wash it as usual with laundry detergent. This should work to remove any remaining pieces of nail glue from fabric.
How to Remove Glitter Glue From Fabric
Glitter glue is not only the prettiest and most fun of all the glues; but perhaps the most stressful for parents when it comes to cleaning due to the combination of not only glitter but also sticky glue. As soon as glitter glue touches your clothing, or more likely your childrens’ clothing, the fun often disappears …
Pro Tip: The following method for removing glitter glue from fabric also works to remove crayon stains from your clothes!
Here Are The Supplies Needed To Remove Glitter Glue From Fabric
- Butter knife or spoon
- Iron
- Clean cloth
- Non-chlorine bleach
- Dish soap
Step One: Scrape off chunks of glue
Make sure that the glue has completely dried before trying to remove the glue stain as it can spread into an even larger stain if it is still wet. If the glue is still wet, put your clothes in the freezer and wait approximately 30 minutes. Use a butter knife and carefully scrub the excess glue off of the fabric.
Step Two: Use the proper iron setting
This is the most important step!! Make sure you know the fabric type that the glue is stuck on and set your iron to the appropriate iron setting. I cannot stress this step enough as an iron set at the wrong temperature can further damage your clothing.
Step Three: Wet Cloth and Iron
Once you have set the iron to the appropriate setting, grab a clean cloth and wet it with cold water. Place the cloth over the glue stain and lightly press down on the cloth with the hot iron. Adjust the cloth as needed until the entire stain has been treated several times. I recommend repeating this process 2-3 times. You will notice that the glue will begin to melt and the cloth will absorb the glue. This is why it is important to change the location of the cloth every time you are repeating the process.
Step Four: Wash the fabric
At this point, you will see that a lot of the glue has now transferred to the cloth and you can now toss the item of clothing into the washing machine.
Step Five (optional if glue stain is still present): Apply some non-chlorine bleach
After laundering the fabric, apply some non-chlorine bleach to the area that was stained with glue then soak it in water for 1 hour. Finally, rinse the fabric thoroughly with dish soap and hang it to dry.
How to Remove Rubber Cement From Fabric
Rubber cement is a great tool for a variety of home and crafting projects. It works extremely well to bind materials such as leather, glass and ceramic together. The downside is if rubber cement comes into contact with your clothes the stain can be very difficult to treat. Below is the method we suggest of how to remove rubber cement from fabric.
Here Are The Supplies Needed To Remove Rubber Cement From Fabric
- Butter Knife or Spoon
- Petroleum Jelly
- Cotton Swabs
- Stain Remover
Step One: Scrape off excess
Using the butter knife or spoon, gently scrub the excess rubber cement off and remove as much as you can.
Step Two: Use petroleum jelly
Layer petroleum jelly on top of the cement rubber stain. Then using the cotton swabs, rub the petroleum jelly into the stain to start to loosen and dissolve the rubber cement from the fabric of your clothing.
Step Three: Use stain remover
Using a stain remover such as Kind Laundry’s Vegan Stain Remover Bar. Follow the directions on the label to pretreat the garment before placing it into the washing machine and launder as you normally would. A stain remover bar works incredibly well, allowing you to use a little elbow grease to tackle the stain first before your machine completes the job for you. Trust me, you’ll be amazed at how well a stain remover bar can work!
Just like spills, glue stains are common accidents that occur around the home and workplace. How to remove five of the most common types of glue stains including super glue, hot glue, glitter glue, nail glue and rubber cement will help you remedy the situation with confidence and save your clothes from being ruined. As a parent, knowing how to remove a variety of different glue stains will help you save money on clothing and not stress as much when your kids want to craft, have fun, be messy and break out the hot glue, glitter glue or super glue to work on their projects.
More often than not glue stains occur when we’re being creative with arts and craft activities, but can also happen while completing repairs around the house. Knowing how to treat a variety of glue stains will ensure you feel more prepared to tackle them when accidents happen.
Get crafting!
