How to Remove Nail Glue from Fabric & Clothes: Complete Guide

You might have already noticed that people refer to nail glue as crazy glue or super glue. This cyanoacrylate has quick bonding capability and can firmly adhere to the surface. And when it does bond properly on anything, it bonds permanently.

Talking of which, we once spilled this crazy glue into our clothes while carrying out a project. We panicked and tried loads of things but could not get it off the fabric at all.

How to Remove Nail Glue from Fabric

So, we got fully determined to learn how to remove nail glue from fabric & clothes properly. And once we learned the technique, we basically remained stress-free while carrying out projects that included nail glue.

That being said, we plan to spread the knowledge around. So, if you go through this article, you can achieve that peace of mind too!

How to Remove Nail Glue from Fabric and Clothes: Step by Step Guide

Trust us; we know how panicked one can get when they spill glue onto fabric and clothes. And they will usually follow a random guide that makes them go through unnecessary hassles.

How to Remove Nail Glue from clothes

While most of the available guides make the removal process look harder than it is, we have decided to keep things simple. So, without further ado, let us get into describing the simple approach, shall we?

Step 1: Let the Glue Dry

Do not touch the glue once it is spilled onto the clothes! That will make the adhesive get into other stuff or your hands. Also, you might end up smearing it across the entire clothing or fabric.

Furthermore, you will not be making any progress when you handle the glue in its liquid form. Instead, wait for the glue to dry off. It should take around 20 minutes. Once it is dried, it should look clear and will obtain a solid form.

Step 2: Scrub off as Much as Possible

Once the glue is dried, get yourself a brush that has stiff bristles. Use that to pick off any of the loose chunks of the adhesive. Also, you will be firmly agitating the layer of glue, which will make the loose pieces get off the surface.

However, if the cloth you are working with is delicate, such as chiffon, silk, or lace, it would be good not to use any brush. In other words, skip this step entirely if you are working with a delicate piece of clothing.

On that note, if you can not find a brush that has stiff bristles, opt for a nail brush instead. Also, do not put too much pressure while scrubbing off the glue because that might damage the fabric.

Step 3: Test the Fabric out with Acetone

You might already know by now that acetone is a strong chemical that can loosen up nail polishes pretty quickly. However, it can also act like bleach and discolor the fabric. So, before working with acetone, it would be a wise idea to test out the chemical.

Find a hidden area of the fabric and test out the acetone in that place. Pour a little bit of the chemical on that spot and wait for 30 minutes. If you do not see any signs of discoloration, you will be good to go with the spot that has glue on it.

Talking of which, if you do not have any pure acetone available in your arsenal, you can work with nail polish removers. Nail polish removals will not even cause the discoloration we talked about earlier.

Additionally, we would highly recommend using a cotton bud while working with this chemical. Do not work with bare hands, and do not breathe in the chemical!

Step 4: Use Acetone on the Affected Area

To apply the acetone to the affected area, use cotton balls or a cotton bud. Drip a little bit of the liquid on the ball or bud and wipe the area. That should dissolve the glue.

Do make sure that you are changing the ball and cotton bud during the entire process. A single bud or cotton ball will not be capable of absorbing all of the dissolved glue properly.

Continue wiping the soiled area for a few minutes and dissolve the entire glue. When the cotton bud or ball gets dry, dunk it inside the nail polish remover or acetone again.

Step 5: Rinse the Acetone off the Clothing

After removing all of the glue from the surface, you would need to remove the acetone off the clothing. For this, first, rinse off the area with cold water. A running tap will work like a charm in this case. However, if the tap water is hot, we would recommend using some water from the fridge.

The cold water will get rid of all of the acetone or nail polish removers from the fabric. And that will also lower the chances of the fabric getting discolored because of the acetone.

Step 6: Use Stain Remover

Once you are done with rinsing off the fabric, squeeze firmly to get rid of all of the excess water. Then, apply some of the stain removers to the affected region. However, do not use the ones that are promoted as “bleaching” or “whitening.” Those will discolor the fabric, which you do not want.

Read the instructions from the bottle properly and follow the application process that the brand is suggesting. Nonetheless, a general application method would be to dab some of the solutions to a cotton bud and apply it onto the soiled region. Leave the remover on the surface for at least 5 minutes to let the fabric soak all of it up.

Step 7: Wash the Fabric in a Washing Machine

After the fabric has soaked up the stain remover, put it inside the washing machine. Add some gentle washing detergent or powder into the washing machine and choose the regular warm cycle.

However, if you are working with a delicate fabric, we would recommend washing it by hands. Also, if the cloth is dry clean only, it needs to be washed inside a dry cleaner. Basically, you need to follow the washing instructions of the garment!

Step 8: Dry the Clothing

Last but not least, you need to dry off the clothing. However, do not place them inside the dryer machine. That might end up damaging the fabric. It will also cause the remains of the stain to permanently set into the fabric. Instead, hang the piece of clothing in a place where there is enough air.

Once the clothing is dried, check for the remains of glue. If you find traces of glue on the surface, follow the steps of removing the glue again. This time, follow the steps correctly and use a good amount of nail polish remover.

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Final Words

Learning how to remove nail glue from clothes and fabric is not rocket science. You just have to have a good idea regarding the materials you need to use and follow the steps correctly, and the glue should be off the fabric easily.

Hello there! I’m Jessica, I'm a textile engineer and mom of two little boys. When I’m not playing with my kids, you’ll find me researching and writing for Fabrichow.

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