Removing dried glue . . . from your shirt?

[Danny Thompson]

Over the past year I've had a more than a few cases of regular yellow glue smearing and then drying into the fabric of my work shirts. Anyone know a trick for removing it?

[Mike Wilkins]

I've got shirts and pants with dried glue on them from years ago, with multiple washings and the glue is still there. Looks permanent to me.
Hopefully the glued wood joints will hold up this well.

[Greg Cole]

I've found that if you pick at it long enough, the peice of fabric with the glue on it seperates itself from the shirt. Denim aka jeans are a little better at holding up during the picking process....
Funny... when LOML gives me a new hoodie or flannel style shirt, I promise to not work in it 'cause I'll ruin it. So I wear it anyway with the other promise of "I won't get anything on it" or "I'm not going to get dirty wearing it". Famous last words....

Greg

[John Towns]

I have had my share of 'accidents' so my shop clothes collection is growing.

Just thinking out loud here (danger, be careful)..but I wonder if my refinishing chemicals would work on the clothes? Hmmm...I know I have used the chemicals to clean brushes clogged with dried yellow glue. Also, I have used shop towels with the chemicals with seemingly no adverse affect on the towels. I have cleaned the towels with soap and water afterwards and they look good.

With clothes tho, I would have to preclean the affected clothes prior to putting them in the washing machine. And I wonder if there would be any residual chemical which would be sensitive to skin? Hmmm...

Might be better to let the dried glue alone.

Well, my thoughts are out there now, so the danger is passed...all clear.

John

[Don Orr]

I believe vinegar will soften dried yellow glue enough to get most of it out. Soak it for a while and see what happens.

[Todd Bin]

Won't one of theose Tide stain sticks work?

[Richard M. Wolfe]

One of the reasons I use regular Titebond whenever I can......which is for about 99+% of my work. I run a glueline - smooth and spread it with my finger - wipe finger on pants - do the clamping.

When the pants go through the washer (and somethimes there's enough dried glue to make a real stiff patch) it's never failed to all come out. The times I used Titebond II.....chunk the pants.

[James Wellman]

I found this on a Google search this week and tried it on some jeans I was not supposed to wear in the shop that had been through a wash and dry cycle with the offending glue spot (Titebond). It worked really well but have not tried it on some older clothes and I have some that have Titebond II and III on them so I don't know if it will work.


Water-based Glues and Adhesives
Use a spoon to remove as much of the excess stain as you can.
Rub petroleum jelly directly into the stain.
Gently rub and remove the glue pieces from the fabric.
To remove the petroleum jelly, rub dish washing liquid into the stained area and rinse thoroughly in warm water.
Continue repeating and removing the glue until no more remains.
Wash in the hottest water that the clothing can safely tolerate.

[David Duke]

Why search for a a rag to wipe your hands on when you have perfectly suitable surfaces right with you Tshirt and pants ; after all they are WORK clothes aren't they?.

[David DeCristoforo]

This reminds me of an old friend who used to wear the same shirt and pants in the shop every day. He would come to work in "street clothes" and change into the "shop clothes" when he got to work. On Friday, he would take the shop clothes home and wash them but I think this was more for hygiene than anything else. These clothes were completely covered with dried glue, wax, finishing material...whatever got on his hands he would wipe on them. He claimed that the shop clothes lasted much longer than they might have under "normal" wear because the dried glue and other stuff somehow strengthened the fabric. Also, he did not seem to mind the fact that the clothes looked gross.

YM

[Guy Germaine]

Originally Posted by David Duke

Why search for a a rag to wipe your hands on when you have perfectly suitable surfaces right with you Tshirt and pants ; after all they are WORK clothes aren't they?.

Exactly!!!
I've got a sweatshirt that I wear that is almost bulletproof!

[Chris Padilla]

I like to chew on the dried glue...helps me think. Just pull the particular spot into your mouth, let your 6-pack stomach glisten, and chew away. I solved MANY problems this way....

[Jim Becker]

Try white vinegar first. If that's ineffective, try amonia, but do it first in an inconspicuous inside area to be sure that the fabric color is not damaged. It's generally best to get the glue out immediately with water before it cures, but if it's hard, it's not easy. White glue is usually water soluble. Type II PVA is water resistent; hence the vinegar, etc., recommendation. Type III PVA will be even tougher...

[allan cripe]

I run a drycleaners here in central texas, and I can tell you that this type of adhesive is one of the most difficult to remove from fabric. Glue bonds to clothing fibers even better than wood.....

I would try two things before wearing that stain permenantly as a badge of honor and accomplishment......

1. take an old rag that is clean, lay it over the stain, and hit it with an iron on it's hottest setting. If the glue can be heated up to the point of re-liquifying, you may be able to wipe most of it off.

2. There is a product in our industry we use for plasticized adhesives called amyl acetate. If you can soak the stain with this stuff for hours, then maybe it will start to break it down. If it works, then just flush it out with naptha or mineral spirits in a rag.

my 2.

[Howard Acheson]

Originally Posted by Danny Thompson

Over the past year I've had a more than a few cases of regular yellow glue smearing and then drying into the fabric of my work shirts. Anyone know a trick for removing it?

Put the area with the glue into boiling water. Boiling water softens PVA adhesive and a stiff bristled brush like a fingernail brush should remove the softened glue.

But really, why not just buy another shirt?