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....:rolleyes:
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? :rolleyes:

[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 :D:D; 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]

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

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

[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]

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?

[Chris Padilla]

But really, why not just buy another shirt?

C'mon, Howard...it could be his favorite Charlie Brown shirt!! :eek:

[Todd Bin]

surprised no one has suggested scissors yes. Just "clip" "clip" and no more glue in that spot.

Seriously. I thought PVA is water soluble. That is why you can't use it in outdoor projects. Just soak the shirt/pants. You could even put some vinegar in the water. Maybe I'll try this just to see what happens.

Oh yeah, my wife gets all huffy every time I wear a nice T-shirt into the shop for the same reason as stated in the rest of the thread.

[Ron Dunn]

I had a glue-up go bad during the week. I'm sitting here typing in a pair of shorts covered in dried, white glue. Looks vaguely obscene.

[Wayne Cannon]

I, too, have read that white vinegar is the best solvent (Wood Magazine, Apr 1990, p.8) for PVA glue. I've used "De-Glue Goo" (available from Woodcraft) to dissolve/soften yellow glue to remove a cabinet back that was glued around the entire perimeter and fully cured. De-Glue Goo smells like vinegar. You saturate the glue with the solvent, wait 30 minutes for the glue to soften, and the joint comes apart, leaving a somewhat-sticky, rubbery, remainder that scrapes off easily. Hopefully, it will also work on fabric (soak a paper towel or cotton ball and let it sit on the glue) and the residue can be removed.

Vinegar is a mild acid so such lengthy full-strength contact may affect the color and possibly the fabric (although dilute vinegar is commonly used in laundry).

De-Glue Goo: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=3627

[Sam Yerardi]

My vote is for vinegar, but heat it up first. I put mine in the microwave and nuke it for 30 secs or so. Warm vinegar seems to work better than cold for breaking up white & yellow glues.

[Danny Thompson]

Thanks for the tips.

My habit is to come home from the office, lose the dress shirt (leaving just my T-shirt on) and change into jeans. So, now at least half of my undershirts have hard crusty spots on them (which I now realize sounds a bit sketchy).

I generally use Titebond II, so that is part of my problem. I may revert back to TB I.

Meanshile, I'll try the vinegar and report back.

[David DeCristoforo]

"So, now at least half of my undershirts have hard crusty spots on them..."

Wear them proudly. If you are anything like me, the "crusty spots" will eventually become holes because I have this habit of picking at them while I'm watching TV. I'm just waiting for the day when a "stranger" ( a fine looking, admiring young woman perhaps?) comes up to me in some coffee shop and says "Hey, you must be a woodworker...."

YM

[Danny Thompson]

Wear them proudly . . . I'm just waiting for the day when a "stranger" . . . comes up to me in some coffee shop and says "Hey, you must be a woodworker...."

Like 'Fight Club' without the compound fractures.