Whether you’re a parent, into arts and crafts, or use it for your work, most people have experienced the inconvenience of getting glue stuck in their clothes and fabrics at least once in their lives. At best, it’s on those clothes that have long since been assigned to the ‘decorating’ life. At worst, it’s on your children’s brand-new school clothes.
But if you’ve found yourself in this particular struggle recently, you’ve come to the right place. At Freddie, we know the mess glue can cause, but it doesn’t have to be the end for your clothing - there is an answer.
We’ve compiled the best ways for you to remove various types of glue from your clothing and fabrics. Read on to learn more and give your clothing a new lease of life.
How to Remove Glue From Fabric
Did you know that humans have been using glue—or at least the natural kind we can get from tree sap—for centuries? Ancient civilizations no doubt also knew the inconvenience of glue attacks.
In the last 100 years, scientists have created synthetic glues, which are what we work with today. Lucky for us, we know what goes into creating synthetic glue, and therefore, we know exactly how to remove it.
See below for our top tips.
How to Get Dried Glue Out of Clothes
These tips are for the times when you didn’t realize you’d spilled glue on yourself. Or maybe when your child comes home from school covered in PVA. Essentially, the glue has been on your clothes or fabric for a while now and has well and truly dried. But don’t worry, you can remove it. Follow these steps:
- Start by scraping as much of the glue off the garment as you can (pro tip: don’t use a sharp knife, otherwise you might damage the fabric).
- Soak the garment in cold water for a few minutes and then gently scrub the area with a soft sponge.
- The first two steps should remove the glue, but if it is a stubborn stain, then acetone should be applied to the glue (avoiding the fabric).
- Then, wash your clothes as normal, using a plastic jug-free laundry sheet from Freddie.
How to Remove Hot Glue From Fabric
The big deal with this type of glue is to ensure that you or whoever has glue on their clothes isn’t hurt. Hot glue can be incredibly useful for several reasons, especially in crafting, but it also has the potential to burn. Once everyone is safe, remove the garment and follow the next steps:
- Put the piece of clothing in the freezer overnight. Yes, you read that right. Trust us, frozen glue is a lot easier to remove than hot glue.
- Try to remove the glue in the morning by picking it off gently with your hands. If that doesn’t work, use a blunt tool and be careful not to rip the fabric.
- Use acetone to remove any remaining stains on the fabric. Use cotton wool, being careful not to get it on the fabric.
- Wash the garment using a laundry sheet.
How to Get Super Glue Out of Clothes
Given the extra chemicals and makeup of super glue compared to less intensive adhesives, you should be very careful when removing this type of glue and stains from any sort of fabric or clothing.
You will likely need to use acetone to remove it, but this can cause a reaction in some fabrics, so do some research for the kind of material your clothing is made from before you proceed.
- As with the previous sections, start by letting the glue dry (you can use a freezer to speed this process up).
- Use a small and inconspicuous area of your garment to do an acetone test to check it doesn’t dissolve or discolor your clothing.
- If all is okay, use a cotton wool bud to dab the glue stain with the acetone gently. Work from the outside of the stain inwards.
- If the stain is stubborn, you might want to repeat the above steps for the reverse side of the garment as well.
- Once completed, wash and dry as usual with Freddie laundry sheets, which are free of harmful chemicals such as phosphates, brighteners, parabens, dyes, and 1,4-dioxane.
How to Get White School Glue Out of Clothes
We've left the easiest for last to round out our how-to glue edition. If you have children, it’s almost guaranteed they’ll have come home with white school glue stuck to them and their clothes at some point in their lives. The great news is that it’s one of the simplest to remove. See here:
- If the glue is already dry, use your nails or a blunt tool to scrape it off the garment.
- For any wet glue or residual left after you’ve picked it, run the clothing under cold water from the reverse side. The pressure of the tap should force the excess out.
- Then simply wash and dry with laundry sheets (and send the kids back to school to get covered in glue all over again!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Rubbing Alcohol Remove Glue From Fabric?
Yes, rubbing alcohol can remove glue from fabric. It works in a similar way to acetone by dissolving the adhesive. Use a cotton wool bud to carefully remove the glue bit by bit and avoid getting any on the fabric or clothing you are removing the glue from to avoid adverse effects like discoloring.
Can Vinegar Remove Glue From Clothes?
Vinegar—specifically white vinegar—is a great tool for removing glue from clothes. Similar to acetone and rubbing alcohol, vinegar can break down the adhesive bonds in makeup glue, helping you remove it from unwanted materials like clothing. Mixing it with water is best, followed by using a cotton wool bud.
Final Thoughts
It is almost impossible to avoid getting a glue stain on your clothes at some point in your life, whether you work with glue, do a lot of arts and crafts, or simply have children who love to get stuck in (literally) at school. The good news is that this is a minor inconvenience at best and can be removed fairly quickly and easily with minimal products and tools.
No matter the type of glue you’ve spilled on you or your method of removing it, the last step in glue removal is to wash your garment. For convenience, use our Freddie laundry detergent sheets, designed to minimize environmental impact compared to traditional liquid detergents that come in plastic bottles.