How to Remove Silicone Glue from Hands

Try acetone. One of the most common tips you can find online is to use acetone to remove the dry silicone glue. Acetone, an organic chemical commonly used to remove nail polish, can readily dissolve some resins (such as acrylic nail polish). The ability to dissolve or soften silicone glue is not so obvious, but many online sources confirm the effect of acetone in this. ^[3]

• When using this method, you will dip a corner of a tissue in pure acetone or acetone nail polish remover and dab it lightly on the silicone spots on your hand. Don’t pour acetone all over your hand; This is wasteful and produces harmful gases. If you use nail polish remover, check the ingredients on the label to make sure it contains acetone before you use it.

Try using a hair dryer (carefully). As with other synthetics, silicon eventually softens when heated slowly. Because of this property, some sources recommend using a hair dryer to loosen the glue on your hands. Turn on the hair dryer and blow on the glue on your hand to let the silicone gradually warm up. When the silicone feels hot, you can try using a sponge or another mild abrasive material to remove the glue.

• If you want to try this method, you should set the hair dryer to the lowest setting, then gradually increase the heat, and stop immediately if it gets too hot or irritated. A little bit of silicone on your skin isn’t worth the burn; It will eventually come off on its own.

Try using abrasive materials. Another way to remove silicone glue from your hands is simply scrubbing (scrubbing and scrubbing…) until the glue is clean. However, you need to be careful when using this method. Silicon is quite durable; In fact, for most uses, it’s sturdier than your skin. Therefore, you will have to be very careful when removing the silicone with an abrasive material to avoid scratching the skin. Use only mild abrasive materials, do not use strong ones such as steel rods. Stop scrubbing before you feel your skin may break. Don’t forget that silicone will eventually peel off on its own, so there’s no point in hurting yourself trying to remove it. Some abrasives that you might consider are:

• Dishwashing sponge
• Fine sandpaper (if you’re careful)
• Pumice

Try white gasoline. Similar to acetone, white gasoline is sometimes used to soften stubborn silicone sealants. Like acetone, white gasoline’s use in this is not guaranteed, but some home repair manuals still recommend it. ^[4] If white gasoline is available, try dipping a paper towel in the gasoline and dabbing it on the dried silicone, then scrub with an emery material after the gasoline has softened the silicone. If you don’t have white gasoline at home, you can find it at big stores for quite cheap.

• White gasoline is not usually dangerous to the touch, but you should also wash it thoroughly after coming into contact with this chemical. You can get serious chemical burns if you come into direct contact with white gasoline for hours or longer. ^[5]

When all of the above methods fail, wait patiently. Sometimes silicone can stick to the skin, no matter how many times you try. In this case, your best option may be to simply wait for it to come off on its own instead of rubbing your hands red to try to remove the glue. Dead skin cells are almost constantly sloughing off naturally. As the skin underneath the silicone dries and peels off, the glue will also peel off.

• The human body usually takes 27 days to get rid of the old skin and completely replace it with new skin. ^[6] The dry silicone layer on your hands may peel off earlier than this time (about 1 week).

Do not use strong solvents. When removing silicone adhesive from your hands, you should use the safe methods described in this article; Don’t risk anything that could hurt you. For example, while acetone and white gasoline are generally safe for brief hand contact, other more potent chemicals can cause serious problems. Many toxic or corrosive solvents can be harmful when touched, inhaled, or swallowed. So you need to stay away from these chemicals. Here are some chemicals that you absolutely should not use to remove glue from your hands:

• Bleach
• Drainage water
• Paint thinner
• Lye
• Strong acid or alkali.