We’ve all messed our plastics with Gorilla Glue at some point. One moment the craft or household fix is going great; the next moment, you have various plastic surfaces glue stained, worse the skin. So, read on to understand how to remove Gorilla Glue from plastic because it’s an essential skill for every DIYer.
Gorilla Glue is a staple adhesive for craft projects and home repairs and improvement. But because it dries faster, it is somehow hard to remove when it lands on unintended surfaces.
Worry less since this guide offers practical solutions to help you clean the glue when it lands on the wrong surfaces. We teach you how to remove Gorilla Glue from plastic and skin using everyday household items.
Let’s get to it.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Plastic
Dampen a rag with mineral spirits, acetone, or rubbing alcohol, and then wipe away the glue with the dampened rag. Next, use a chisel or razor knife to remove cured Gorilla Glue off hard plastic surfaces. Once the glue is gone, clean the surfaces with a spray lubricant and an abrasive sponge.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Plastic with Soapy Water
Before using strong solvents, try removing gorilla glue from plastic with soap and water. Soap is a household product making this method inexpensive and convenient.
Liquid dish soap and warm water weaken the adhesive bonds making the glue lose its grip on the plastic surface.
The Supplies You Will Need
- Bucket
- Sponge
- Dish soap
- Water
- Microfiber cloths
The Steps
Step 1: Mix 5 cups of warm water and four teaspoons of liquid dish soap in a bucket. The estimates are for small plastic items or surfaces. You can double or triple them if you want to clean a large plastic item or surface.
Step 2: Immerse the plastic item in the solution. Make sure the plastic is submerged. If you can’t soak the item, dampen a microfiber cloth in the soapy warm water mixture, then lay the damp cloth over the gorilla glue-stained plastic surface.
Step 3: Let the plastic item soak for 2-4 hours to let the gorilla glue loosen its grip on the plastic.
Step 4: Scrub the item with a sponge to remove all the glue stains. Repeat the process until you remove all the gorilla glue stains.
Step 5: Once clean, rinse with clean water and allow to dry.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Plastic by Sanding
Use sandpaper to remove gorilla glue from plastic if you don’t want to use strong solvents. Sandpaper, razor blades, or scrapers helps remove the dried glue before you can soak the residues with strong solvents.
Grab sandpaper with fine grit and sand the plastic surface to remove dried gorilla glue. You can start with a finer grit to avoid damaging the surface. If the gorilla glue is stubborn, try using a razor blade or a scraper to peel off the glue.
Scrapers and razor blades work best on flat plastic surfaces, for instance, plastic cutting boards, whereas sandpaper will work on almost every plastic item or surface.
The sanding or scraping method may damage your plastic item or surface because you need to apply some pressure, so be careful not to damage the surface.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Plastic with Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is famous among DIYers because it has some cleaning properties. It works as a solvent to dissolve gorilla glue, making it easy to wipe away off the plastic surface.
The good news is you probably have it at home, or you can acquire it from the hardware store near you.
The Supplies You Will Need
- Clean rag
- Rubbing alcohol
- Razor knife or Chisel
- Spray lubricant
- Abrasive sponge
- Water
- Soft cloth
The Steps
Step 1: Wear gloves to safeguard your skin.
Step 2: Dampen a rag with rubbing alcohol and rub it on the affected area, making sure the gorilla glue stains are saturated with the alcohol.
Step 3: Let the glue soak for 5-10 minutes as the alcohol dissolves the glue. Remember, the longer you wait, the more the glue weakens. However, do not soak for more than 30 minutes because the alcohol may damage the plastic surface.
Step 4: Using the alcohol-dampened rag, wipe away the glue.
Step 5: If you encounter stubborn glue stains, scrub them off with a razor knife or Chisel. Be careful not to damage the plastic surface.
Step 6: Use a spray lubricant and an abrasive sponge to clean the glue residues. Spray the lubricant, and let lit lubricate the surface before scrubbing with an abrasive sponge.
Step 7: Once clean, dampen a soft cloth in warm soapy water and wash the surface to remove spray lubricant and alcohol traces.
Step 8: Rinse and allow to dry. Repeat the process if necessary.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Plastic with Acetone
Acetone is a strong solvent making it every DIYer staple cleaner. It dissolves almost every stain on major surfaces such as metal and plastic.
Because it’s strong, acetone can melt the plastic. I, therefore, recommend you spot-test the plastic you intend to work on. Place some acetone on an inconspicuous area of the plastic and watch the reaction. If safe, proceed with the cleaning.
Do not use acetone on polystyrene. Acetone easily breaks down the bonds holding polystyrene together. The broken bonds let the air escape because Styrofoam is majorly pockets of air, making the plastic melt.
The Supplies You Will Need
- Acetone
- Cotton ball
- Abrasive sponge
- Soft cloth
- Water
- Gloves
- Towel
The Steps
Step 1: Wear gloves and apply acetone to the plastic surface. Dampen a cotton ball with acetone and rub it on the surface. Ensure the glue is saturated with acetone.
Step 2: Let the glue soak for 5-10 minutes as the acetic acid in acetone breaks down and dissolves the glue. Do not wait for too long. Acetone will likely harm your plastic.
Step 3: Scrub the weakened glue with an abrasive sponge.
Step 4: Once clean, dampen a soft cloth in warm water and rinse the surface.
Step 5: Allow the surface to dry. Either let it air dry or dry with a clean towel.
Repeat the process if necessary.
Use acetone if all the other solvents have failed because it is a strong solvent and may melt or damage the plastic.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Plastic with Mineral Spirits
Mineral spirits will also remove gorilla glue from your plastic items or surfaces because they serve as paint thinners that break the adhesive bonds, making the glue lose grip on the plastic surface.
Mineral spirits contain various chemicals. Therefore, I recommend using the adhesive remover in a well-ventilated room or outdoors.
The Supplies You Will Need
- Cotton ball or a Clean rag
- Mineral spirit
- Razor knife or Chisel
- Lubricant
- Soft cloth
The Steps
Step 1: Dampen a cotton ball or a clean rag with mineral spirits.
Step 2: Rub the glue-stained plastic surface with the mineral spirit dampened cotton ball or rag.
Step 3: Let it sit for a few minutes as glue bonds weaken. The waiting time depends on how tough the glue is.
Step 4: Wipe the glue away with the mineral spirits dampened cotton ball or rag.
Step 5: Use a razor knife or Chisel to scrape off stubborn glue or peel them with pliers. Pliers are the most effective because it is likely not to damage the plastic surface.
You may also add a lubricant to weaken the gorilla glue stains further.
Step 6: Dampen a soft cloth in warm soapy water and wipe off the surface to remove mineral spirits and lubricant traces.
Step 7: Rinse the surface and allow it to dry.
If you haven’t removed all the glue on the first attempt, repeat the process.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Plastic with Goo Gone
Goo Gone is an effective adhesive remover, especially if you intend to remove gorilla glue from plastic, especially plastic lenses.
Goo Gone contains ingredients specifically designed to disintegrate adhesive bonds making them easier to wipe off plastic surfaces.
You can use Goo Gone on almost every surface, including polyurethane. Removing gorilla glue from plastic with Goo Gone is easy.
You will need;
- Goo Gone
- Water
- Paper towel
The Steps
Step 1: Wear your gloves
Step 2: Grab your Goo Gone and spray it on the stained glue area.
Step 3: Let sit for 15-30 minutes. The adhesive remover performs magic, breaking the glue bonds as much as possible.
Step 4: Wipe away the surface. Dampen a paper towel with water and wipe the solvent and glue away.
Step 5: If you spot some gorilla glue, repeat steps 2 and 3 to remove all the glue.
Step 6: Rinse the surface with warm water and allow it to dry.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Skin
Gorilla glue is a strong adhesive that sticks to almost every surface, making it a staple product when doing your projects or crafts.
However, the glue may spill off to the skin, and removing it is not easy as it dries quickly.
Let’s learn how to remove gorilla glue from the skin.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Skin through Exfoliation
Try exfoliating the glue before resorting to strong solvents such as acetone. You can access the commercial, gritty exfoliators from the stores near you or make one with household products.
For homemade exfoliator, you will need;
- 1 cup coarse sea salt
- ½ cup of coconut oil
The Steps
Step 1: Mix the ingredient in a glass bowl
Step 2: Store in an airtight container
Step 3: Apply when needed.
The Supplies You Will Need
- Gritty exfoliator
- Water
- Soap
- A dry cloth or paper towel
- Lotion
The Steps
Step 1: Once you spill the glue on your skin, wipe it away with a dry cloth when it’s still wet. Remove as much glue as possible.
Step 2: Wash the affected area with warm water and soap.
Step 3: Apply an exfoliator with a gritty texture on the affected area. Rub it over and wash it off with cool water.
Step 4: Once clean, dry your skin and apply lotion.
The brown marks will wear off eventually.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Skin with Acetone
Acetone is the most effective solvent for removing gorilla glue from the skin but, apply a moisturizer after removing the glue.
The Supplies You Will Need
- Soft cloth
- Soap
- Water
- Cotton balls
- Acetone/nail polish remover
The Steps
Step 1: Wash the affected area with warm soapy water and leave it wet.
Step 2: Soak a clean, soft cloth in acetone and rub it on the affected area in circular motions to dissolve the glue, making it easier to wipe away.
Step 3: Repeat the process to remove all the gorilla glue from your skin.
Step 4: Wash the affected area with warm soapy water when you’re done.
Step 5: Once clean, apply some lotion to moisturize your skin because acetone dries out the skin.
How to Remove Gorilla Glue from Skin with Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol works best on Gorilla Glue that is yet to cure fully. An alcohol concentration of 70-90% will yield the desired results.
The Supplies You Will Need
- Liquid soap
- Soft cloth
- Bowl
- Rubbing alcohol
- Lotion
- Cotton swab
The Steps
Step 1: Grab a large bowl and fill it with warm water. Add a few drops of liquid soap and stir until it foams up.
Step 2: Submerge your hands in the solution and let them soak for 10 minutes to loosen the glue. If you cannot submerge the affected area, dampen a soft cloth in the warm soapy water solution and hold it over the affected area.
Step 3: After loosening the glue, moisten a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol and rub it over the affected area until you see the glue dissolving.
Step 4: Wash your skin with warm water and ensure you have removed all the alcohol and glue residues.
Step 5: Again, moisturize your skin with some lotion once clean.
Being Safe When Removing Gorilla Glue from Surfaces
Follow the directions highlighted on the product’s label. Use the products correctly to avoid damages.
Wear gloves when carrying out a project. Putting on gloves prevents the glue and cleaning solvents from getting to your hands.
Work in a well-ventilated room or, even better, outdoors for maximum air circulation.
Use the right applicator to avoid spilling glue onto unintended surfaces.
Frequently Asked Questions
What dissolves dried Gorilla Glue?
Acetone dissolves dried Gorilla Glue. Dampen a rag with acetone/nail polish remover and rub it on the affected area. Let it soak for a few minutes before wiping away. Remember, the longer you wait, the more the glue weakens.
How do you remove dried glue from plastic?
Acetone/nail polish remover and rubbing alcohol will remove dried glue. Apply a light coating of rubbing alcohol/acetone over the affected area, cover it with a plastic wrap, and let it sit for a few hours, even better, overnight. Once the glue has weakened, scrape it off with a scraper or a small knife.
Does olive oil remove Gorilla Glue?
Olive, vegetable, or coconut oil removes Gorilla Glue, especially from the skin. Mix olive oil and baking soda in a dish and stir until it forms a thick paste with the same consistency as cake frosting. Heat the paste in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to warm the oil, then apply the mixture to the affected area before brushing with a soft-bristled brush or your fingers.
Bottom Line
Whereas many DIYers prefer Gorilla Glue to do the adhesive work during household repairs and fixes, it sometimes can end on unintended surfaces by accident.
However, if Gorilla Glue spills on your plastics or skin, you know what to do based on the techniques mentioned above. Pick one that is convenient and works best.
Remember, the best method may depend on the tools and products you already have at home because most of the needed materials are household products.
Happy cleaning!