How do you remove hot glue from fabric

Are you bothered with hot glue stuck in your cloth? We might help you out. The more we engaged in craft, there is no way to avoid getting stuck with our dresses.

So, instead of panicking, it’s good to know the useful ways to tackle them without damaging the fabric, of course. Normal glue acted a bit differently than the hot glue and cooled down within seconds.

Here you will know How to Remove Hot Glue From Fabric and clothes easily. The following ways will get hot glues out from nearly anything.

How do you remove hot glue from fabric
How do you remove hot glue from fabric

We will discuss three different techniques, and one of the three tricks should work for you.

Table of Contents

  • How to Remove Hot Glue From Fabric & Clothes: 4 Ways
  • Method One: Remove Hot Glue From Fabric or Any Hard Exterior
    • Step 01: Consider Dabbing a Small Amount of Alcohol on The Stained Exterior as an Excess Amount Can Damage The Fabric
    • Step 02: Deal With Dried Glue, Not The Messy Liquid Glob
    • Step 03: Time to Take The 70% Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol and Cotton. You Can Even Take a Cotton Bud
    • Step 04: Time to Peel The Glue With a Butter Knife or Finger.
    • Step 05: Finally Clean Off
  • Method Two: Remove Hot Glue From The Carpet
    • Step 01: Placing Off The Fabric’s Scrap Piece Over The Glue
    • Step 02: Put Your Iron on and Take The Heat to a Medium-Level
    • Step 03: Checking and Working
    • Step 04: Cleaning The Carpet at The End
  • Method Three: Freezing Technique
    • Step 01: Freezing and Hardening The Glue
    • Step 02: Take a Dull Butter Knife
    • Step 03: The Alternative Way
    • Step 04: Clean the Residue
  • Method Four: Soaking Into The Detergent
    • Step 01: Prepare a Pot of Boiling Water and Remover
    • Step 02: Preparing The Cloth
    • Step 03: Dipping The Cloth on The Boiling Water
    • Step 04: Washing The Cloth Finally
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
    • What to do if I Don’t Own Alcohol?
    • Is Vinegar Effective on Glue?
    • How to Remove Hot Glue From The Skin?
  • Final Words:

How to Remove Hot Glue From Fabric & Clothes: 4 Ways

Though hot glue sticking to your clothes is not a common scenario, but you don’t know when you have to face this pesky situation. Therefore, be prepared for that and get an idea of the methods to remove hot glue from fabric and clothes.

Method One: Remove Hot Glue From Fabric or Any Hard Exterior

How do you remove hot glue from fabric
How do you remove hot glue from fabric

This method works on fabric as well as hard exterior. As chemical ingredients are used in this method, you should be more careful in every step.

Requirements:

  • Water & Cotton swabs
  • Acetone solution/ Rubbing alcohol

Step 01: Consider Dabbing a Small Amount of Alcohol on The Stained Exterior as an Excess Amount Can Damage The Fabric

To be careful while using any type of chemical ingredients is vital. Don’t forget that for alcohol using also. An excess amount of alcohol can be harmful for fabric. 

Many fabric and hard surfaces like wood aren’t resistant to alcohol and tend to wear off in contact with specific alcohol. So, at first, dabbing a small amount of alcohol will ensure the afterword reaction.

Step 02: Deal With Dried Glue, Not The Messy Liquid Glob

The moment the glue fell or stuck in our cloth, we panicked and acted immediately. That’s normal but it’s easy to deal with the dried one rather than the sticky one. You will end up creating a mess.

Please wait till the glue dries so that you can remove it up in one clump. And hot glue tends to dry pretty quickly, so it won’t be bothersome.

How are you going to know that it’s dried? Please don’t mess it up using your hand. Use a toothpick to see if there is any transfer of glue on the toothpick. If it’s not, then you are ready to act on it.

Step 03: Time to Take The 70% Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol and Cotton. You Can Even Take a Cotton Bud

Dab the cotton bud on the solution and apply it around the glue’s edges. The solution will loosen the glue grip and make it easy to pull that up. The loosening will take time. So, don’t hurry but wait a minute.

The solution we used here contains 70% pure isopropyl. That’s the most standard one. Other than that, you will find the one with 91% isopropyl. Both of them will work.

100% acetone or any nail polish remover containing acetone can be the alternative to the alcohol.

Step 04: Time to Peel The Glue With a Butter Knife or Finger.

You can easily pull off the glue with a knife or hand. You may need to apply more of the solutions while pulling the glue off.

The glue isn’t on a single surface, holding two objects, removing the object carefully, and then trying to pull the hot glue.

Step 05: Finally Clean Off

Finally, after glue removal, wipe that place with water to eliminate any residue of alcohol or glue. Dry the fabric properly.

Read Next: Get Fabric Dye Off Skin Step by Step

Method Two: Remove Hot Glue From The Carpet

How do you remove hot glue from fabric
How do you remove hot glue from fabric
remove hot glue from the carpet

Well, if you want to learn how to remove dried hot glue from carpet, check this out. Not only for carpet, but you can also apply this method for any thick and hard fabric items. As the process requires you to use iron, ensuring precautions is required.

Requirements:

  • Iron
  • Scrap piece of any fabric
  • Water (You can also use carpet cleaner if you own.)

Step 01: Placing Off The Fabric’s Scrap Piece Over The Glue

We are using a fabric piece because hot glue tents stick better on fabric than the carpet. So, we are going to transfer the glue from the carpet to the fabric. And that is why choose a fabric piece that you can throw away after glue removal.

Step 02: Put Your Iron on and Take The Heat to a Medium-Level

After heating the iron, put it over the fabric piece. The motive is to press the heat to the glue to loosen it up. But we can’t do that directly over the glue and why the scrap piece is the medium.

It would be best if you avoid the iron movement in back-and-forth motion like we do while ironing. Such movement will spread the glue on your carpet.

In case you are not experienced, you may end up burning your hand while handling the fabric. As you have to remove the hot fabric over time and check if the whole glue has come over. In that case, use gloves as a precaution.

Step 03: Checking and Working

As I mentioned above, you need to check thoroughly if the glue has transferred or not.

The glue may not come over on the first pressing. If that happens, press the iron for the second time. The second time, choose a different fabric scrap, or else the leftover on the carpet will get messed with the fabric.

Step 04: Cleaning The Carpet at The End

Just like the final step of the previous method, here, you also need to clean the carpet up at the end to get rid of any residue. Use water or any carpet cleaner if you own them.

Read Also: Remove Silly Putty Out of Fabric & Clothes: 3 Ways

Method Three: Freezing Technique

The freezing technique is not appropriate when you desire quick removal of glue. Therefore, do it when you have enough time.

Requirements:

  • Ice cube
  • Freezer
  • Thin & dull butter knife

Freezing tech can also help you out. But let me tell you, it’s a bit time-consuming.

Step 01: Freezing and Hardening The Glue

It’s easy to pull off the glue once it’s hard. Throw your hot glue-stained cloth into a freezer and let it be frozen. Once the glue got hard, take the cloth out of your freezer.

Step 02: Take a Dull Butter Knife

Take of the glue using a dull knife as sharp objects can damage your fabric as well. The glue is supposed to come off in this situation.

Step 03: The Alternative Way

In case you can’t take the cloth to your freezer such as if it’s a carpet or any large cloth, rub some ice cube over the glue to harden it up. However, the required ice cube supply can make the process a bit difficult.

Step 04: Clean the Residue

Like any other process, it is important to finish the job properly. Only one thing you can do is clean up rightly. So, remove all the residues.

Method Four: Soaking Into The Detergent

We call it a convenient solution that you can utilize easily. However, this method works great on mild stains, not severe stains.

Requirements:

  • Detergent
  • Stain remover
  • Boiling water
  • Pot

This is a good method for mild stains that aren’t too old.

Step 01: Prepare a Pot of Boiling Water and Remover

Put the stain remover in the water and mix it properly. The remover should be a pre-wash remover. Check if your remover is safe for your fabric or not.

Step 02: Preparing The Cloth

Pull out any glue that can be pulled out of the fabric by rubbing. If rubbing doesn’t help, try scrapping off.

Step 03: Dipping The Cloth on The Boiling Water

Soak your stained cloth onto the mixture of boiled water and remover. Avoid burning your hand. In this way, the glue will loosen up, and you can remove that off.

Step 04: Washing The Cloth Finally

Finally, use a mild detergent to wash the cloth and dry it naturally. If you aim to use a washing machine instead of hand rubbing, then set the machine’s temperature to the highest level that your fabric can endure. In this way, you can have the utmost output.

Warning:

  • Consider using hand gloves while handling iron
  • If your hand or skin caught hot glue and the pain remains after two days of glue removal, seek medical assistance.
  • While using rubbing alcohol, it’s better to use gloves.
  • It’s better to avoid the stain get too old.
  • Here are a few methods, and you have to find which one will work for you. Before you jump on to another method, clean the solution of your cloth from the previous method.
  • Before you pick any treatment from the list, try to read the label of your fabric.
  • Avoid using acetone if your glue stained cloth is nylon or any other synthetic fabric.

Read Also: Cleaning Sunbrella Fabric: 3 Ways and Step by step

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What to do if I Don’t Own Alcohol?

You can use olive oil instead of alcohol. Soak a cotton bud into olive oil and apply that to the affected area. Continue the process till the glue gets loose, and you can pull that off. Apply more olive oil during the pulling process if requires.

Is Vinegar Effective on Glue?

Yes, it is. Vinegar can loosen the glue grip, and you can finally scrap that off. Vinegar is a natural remedy for glue remover, and you can use it on a wide range.

How to Remove Hot Glue From The Skin?

First, you need to cool down your burning sensation by running the skin underwater or rubbing ice on it. Continue doing this for at least 10 minutes and massage during that time to remove the removable possible glue.

Wait till the glue is fully dried. Working on half-melted glue will worsen the pain. Once it’s dried, take olive oil-soaked cotton and rub it on the affected part to loosen the edge. Rubbing alcohol can be an alternative, but burning the skin underneath the glue is possible.

After that, wash the glue residue from the hand. After running your hand under cold water again, don’t forget to apply antibiotic ointment & bandage over that.

Next Read: 7 Fabric Freshener Sprays

Final Words:

By now, you know how to get hot glue out of fabric. People who love crafting know the benefit of hot glue and can’t avoid getting that stuck on cloth either. So, focus on your creation and let the above methods deal with the stuck glue.

How do you remove dried hot glue?

Allow the glue to cool and dry completely. Take a cotton swab and apply some rubbing alcohol or acetone onto it and start rubbing at the edge of the dollop of glue. Give it a few moments and eventually, the glue should peel off just as easily.

How do you remove glue from fabric without damaging it?

Soak the glue in cold water, then blot the glue with a wet sponge. If the glue persists, apply acetone (or an acetone-based product) with a cotton swab, starting at the stuck glue's seam and working outward, careful not to apply too much directly on the fabric. Blot away excess acetone and softened glue with a cloth.

What chemical will dissolve hot glue?

Acetone (nail polish remover) will dissolve hot glue, so rather than soak in acetone, try applying amounts around the edge of the glue blob with a cotton swab or paint brush and slowly peel the glue blob back bit by bit to expose more of the contact area to acetone.

Does hand sanitizer remove hot glue?

Did you know hand sanitizer can quickly and easily clean off icky sticky adhesive!