Table of Contents:
Mauricio asked: How do I clean hot melt glue from fabric? I let some hot melt glue spill on my jeans. Now, I want to know if there is a way to clean it without messing it up more?
Hot melt glue is strong stuff. Since it is applied in a liquid, melted state, it is able to wrap around the fibers before hardening to a solid bond. There are a few methods that can be implemented to remove the glue from fabrics. It may take several attempts to find the right solution for the particular fabric.
Freezer Method
You Will Need:
- Freezer
- Spoon or dull knife
Steps to Remove the Hot Glue:
- Hot glue becomes brittle when it gets extremely cold. In this case, it’s an advantage. Place the item in the freezer and allow the glue to get very cold and brittle.
- Remove it and work quickly with a spoon or dull knife to break up the glue and scrape it away. Often the glue will pop off of the surface when it is so cold.
Iron Method
You Will Need:
- Iron
- Cotton cloth
Steps to Remove the Hot Glue:
- Find a scrap piece of cotton fabric and lay it flat on an ironing board.
- Lay the glued piece, glue side down, on top of the cotton fabric.
- Apply a hot iron (no steam) for 10-20 seconds.
- Remove the iron and carefully peel the clothing off of the fabric.
- Move the glue spot to a new area on the cotton fabric and repeat.
- Continue until all of the glue is transferred off of the clothing and onto the cotton piece.
Acetone Method
You Will Need:
- Acetone or
- Acetone nail polish remover
- Cotton balls or soft cloths
Steps to Remove the Hot Glue:
- Acetone is a well-known adhesive remover and works well for removing thin layers of hot glue.
- It is important to test a small, hidden area first to ensure there is no damage to the colors or fiber of the clothing.
- Once the test area comes out fine, moisten a cotton ball with acetone or acetone nail polish remover and apply it to the glue.
- Blot with a clean cloth. The acetone will break down the glue so it can be transferred to the clean cloth.
- Continue applying the acetone and blotting to remove until the glue is completely gone.
Additional Tips and Ideas
- A brown paper bag, newspaper (NOT with print) or wax paper can be substituted for the cotton cloth if necessary.
- Goo Gone is an adhesive remover that is readily available at any hardware, home improvement or department store. Simply apply with a soft cloth or cotton ball and rub gently until the glue is gone.
I just tried this method of using acetone on some hot glue that my son got on his silky shorts. Low and behold, every bit of it came out!! Amazing!!!
Acetone fingernail polish worked great. Thanks…
The hot iron method worked a treat! Thanks very much. 🙂
How should I remove melted adhesive from a tablet end from my polyester car seat that is Scotchguarded? Freezing method?
I tried acetone and isopropyl alcohol on a very delicate fabric and it didn’t work. Then I tried Goo Gone and it worked fantastic and did not stain or damage the fabric. Thank you for the tip!!
I have an old precious wool rug. It was glued to a board in order to frame it. The glue is thick.
Do you have an idea as to how I can remove the glue?
Used nail polish remover and it worked great on my pants! Thanks very much!
I tried just regular nail polish remover and a knife on my dyed book bag and it work great.
Thank you! This saved me!
My daughter had a fair bit of the stuff on her polyester school blazer. First I tried the nail varnish remover, then the freezer and last of all the iron. That worked perfectly. A big thank you.
Thanks, it’s great 🙂
Combination of acetone and ironing did the work.
Thanks.
Goo Gone worked like a charm. I spilled some super glue for fabric on my favorite pair of jeans. 🙁 Tried everything: acetone, ice, an iron, but only Goo Gone worked. Thanks you very much.
Did you use the iron with the Goo Gone or just Goo Gone by itself? Any change to carpet color?
Terry,
If you want to try Goo Gone, use it by itself, not with an iron. Goo Gone is flammable, and even the low temperature of an iron my be high enough for it to cause problems. Also, it isn’t needed for the iron method. The iron method uses heat to melt the glue so it can then be absorbed by the cloth.
If you don’t have cloth to use for this, you can use brown paper instead. Do not use white paper. If using a brown paper bag, make sure there isn’t any printed ink on it (turn it inside out if there is so the ink is on the inside of the bag) or the ink could stain the fabric.
Can u tell me if acetone will work on velour? If not, how can I remove glue on velour?
Marion,
The best way to know for sure if a cleaner is safe for your specific material is to test it on a small, hidden area first. With velour, it’s possible that it could leave the fabric stiff once it has dried, so be sure to allow it to dry completely before trying it on the glue.
Source: HowToCleanStuff.net – How to Clean Velour Upholstery
Thank you! This helped me a lot.
I have tried rubbing alcohol, then acetone, with little success. The hot melt is on our sofa… my wife was hot melting on our sofa!!! Should I get a new sofa or a new wife? I will try a hot iron, but will wait for the acetone to evaporate first since it has such a low flash point; I could burn the house down!
Regards,
Alan
Are you kidding me? None of this stuff worked… What kind of website are you running?
I have a crochet bag that I can’t iron. The freezer method didn’t work and the nail polish takes the colour out. Any other options?
Abbey,
You can try using Goo Gone; another commenter wrote in to say they had success with that. For the ironing method, you don’t actually have to iron the fabric as though it is flat fabric; just passing the iron over the surface of the paper on the bag will be enough for the heat to dissolve the glue. The iron trick is used for upholstery and pillows as well.
Will it work on cloth toys such as a Pokémon plush? I’m asking because my Leafeon plush has some dried hot glue on its lower back, near the tail, where I think the tail was originally hot glued to the body in a certain place, but when it arrived in the mail a couple days ago, it was completely invisible to my eyes, but I just recently noticed it, and my mom has tried the alcohol method with a Q-tip but nothing happened. Please help me, I’m getting annoyed with having to pick and scratch at the glue to try and get it off.
Shining,
Yes, the iron method can work on plus toys as well. Just be careful not to let the hot iron touch anything other than the paper bag though as it could melt the fur on the toy with direct contact (depending on what type of fur it has). You could also try shaving it off with a razor. Good luck!
Do these work on shoes also ?
David,
It depends on what material the shoes are made of. If they are fabric, such as canvas, then yes, these methods should work.
If the shoes are tennis shoes, then any of these methods either could work or could cause damage, such as by the paint on the rubber being torn off with the freezing method or part of the shoe melting with the ironing method. The ironing method is probably the least likely to cause damage as long as you’re careful to not let the iron touch anywhere on the shoe without the paper in between, and as long as the paper is sturdy, such as a brown paper bag rather than a paper towel. If you want to try the acetone method, test it first on a small hidden area like under the shoe tongue to be sure it does not damage the shoe.
If the shoes are leather, then the freezing method or ironing method should work, but you may need to use a leather degreaser afterward to remove the stain from any wax that has soaked into the leather. Do not use the acetone method on leather.
Will this method work on Converse? I glued some crystals to them and my mom got mad so now she’s making me take them off. Please help!!!
Elizabeth,
Yes, these methods should work on shoes. Good luck!
What is the best way to remove glue used for fastening letters & numbers to a sports jersey? The majority of the glue is gone, but there still remains glue residue. I have also tried Goo Gone; no significant change.
John,
Since you mostly just have the residue left, the acetone method would be best. If that doesn’t work, you can try some of the ideas in the article How to Remove Super Glue Stains. There are more ideas on the guide How to Remove Sticker Residue from Clothing as well.
I bought a beautiful picture frame from estate sale; looks like someone had a cloth bow hot glued on one side. Any idea how to get a big glob of hot glue/cloth off safely?
Susan,
There’s never any guarantee, but using the Iron Method is probably the best and safest choice. That way you can avoid any chemical reactions from the acetone, and that should also be avoided if the frame is wood since the acetone would have to soak on the glue to soften it and liquid should never be allowed to soak on wood. The freezer method could work, but also could cause damage if you accidentally chip off some of the frame along with the glue, etc. Good luck!
I have appliqués applied on top of and all over a large tulle gray skirt part of a dress. A great deal of the hot glue came off when chunky, but there still is a lot there I am unable to get off. What is the best method for this dress to use?
Kathleen,
For tulle, the Iron Method is probably best. However, a piece of cotton fabric will have to be placed on both sides of the tulle. Be sure to use a large piece of cotton to ensure the iron never touches the bare tulle as it could melt. It would be best to test this on a small hidden area first to ensure the tulle doesn’t melt even between the cotton fabrics. If it does, either use a thicker piece of cotton fabric, or you can try using the Acetone Method. Again, test the acetone in a small hidden area first though as it could damage the tulle. If neither method works, the best plan may be to add more appliques to cover the glue areas. Good luck!
Naptha soaked on a cotton makeup pad; worked in less than a minute on my jeans that had the hot melt glue imbedded in the fibers.
Use in a well ventilated area away from sparks and open flame!
Test on area not seen on the jeans!
Soak a cotton ball or cotton makeup pad with Naptha, apply it to spot with hot melt glue, lay the pad on top of the glue and let stand for thirty seconds, then rub with the pad to make sure the Naptha penetrates and loosens the glue.
Lightly scrape with the blade of a flat screwdriver in the vertical position, try to avoid the untouched areas; repeat until all the glue has been removed.
It appeared to me that the Naptha softened and expanded the hot melt glue and caused it to rise above the fibers allowing the flat edge of the screwdriver to remove it easily.
I saved a $60 dollar pair of jeans from going to the thrift shop.
Good luck!
Hot iron method worked, but a mark is remaining.
Any idea , how to remove it?