It’s essential to wear protective clothing when working with epoxy coating to protect your skin, whether you are creating resin art or working on a home improvement project. However, this means you can end up with hardened epoxy or epoxy adhesive on your clothes. Learn how to get epoxy out of clothes using simple and advanced cleaning methods.
Epoxy is a strong type of glue with a wide range of applications, from airplane and car construction to floor coating, crack repair, and tiling. Unfortunately, with all its uses, it’s easy to get an occasional resin stain on fabric, whether it’s a work shirt, art smock, or favorite article of clothing.
Grabbing a jug of chlorine bleach may be tempting to remove a dried epoxy resin or glue stain from the fabric, but this bleach is too strong for anything other than white clothes. Luckily, you probably have many safe stain remover products in your home, some even suitable for delicate fabrics.
Ways to Get Epoxy Resin and Glue Out of Clothes
Discovering cured or uncured epoxy on your clothing seems like the item is no longer wearable. Yet, there are ways to remove polyester resin and epoxy glue from fabric. Discover how to clean dried epoxy from fabric using everything from nail polish remover to paint thinner.
How to Remove Epoxy Resin From Clothing
The simplest way to remove resin residue from clothing is to use soapy water. Find out how to remove epoxy resin from clothing with detergent or dish soap and warm water.
Lay the garment on a clean surface, and remove the excess epoxy from the fabric with a paper towel. Then, soak the garment in a tub of soapy water. Consider adding a small amount of oxygen bleach to the water for tough stains. After soaking, gently scrape the epoxy from the cloth with a toothbrush, rinse the item beneath running water, and hang it to air dry.
Getting Epoxy Out of Clothes With Nail Polish Remover
Fingernail polish remover is excellent for getting epoxy out of clothes, but it’s important to use an acetone-based remover for the best stain removal. Use nail polish remover to get epoxy hardener off the fabric.
Lay the shirt on a table and place a sheet of paper towel between the fabric. Pour a little nail polish remover into a small bowl, dunk a ball of cotton into the liquid, and rub it in a circular motion over the epoxy-stained area.
Repeat with new cotton balls until the glue is gone. Finish by rinsing the garment beneath warm water to flush away residue before cleaning it in the washing machine. Use this method for cleaning motor grease stuck on jeans and other hard-to-remove messes.
How to Get Epoxy Out of Clothes With Baking Soda
Another way to get hardened resin out of clothes is to make a baking soda paste. Sodium bicarbonate is an alkaline powder with a mild scrubbing action that helps remove everything from grass stains and Gorilla Glue to mixed epoxy. Also, aerosol paint comes out of clothes with baking soda and laundry detergent.
Combine two tablespoons of baking soda with just enough warm water to form a paste in a bowl. Place the garment flat with the stain facing up, and use a sponge to apply the paste to the stain.
Leave it for about an hour and wash it in the washing machine with your favorite laundry detergent. Check if the epoxy stain is gone after the cycle completes, and repeat the steps if necessary.
Rubbing Alcohol Will Remove Epoxy From Fabric
Rubbing alcohol is a mild solvent that cleans various stains, from ink and adhesive to acrylic epoxy. Learn how to remove epoxy resin from clothing with alcohol.
Spread the clothing on a flat surface, and place a clean rag beneath the stained area to prevent transferring it. Apply some rubbing alcohol to the epoxy spot with a cotton cloth.
Blot at the stain quickly since alcohol evaporates, and add more liquid as needed until the glue is gone. Clean the garments in the washer with laundry soap as you normally do after removing dried resin from clothes.
Removing Epoxy From Clothes With Paint Thinner
Paint thinner is the best choice for cleaning epoxy and removing fiberglass stuck to clothing. However, while it’s great for removing stubborn hardener stains, it may damage some fabrics. It’s wise to test it on an inconspicuous spot before proceeding.
Apply a small amount of mineral spirits to a hidden area of the garment to test for color fastness. Spread a large towel over the work area and place the stained clothing over the top. Apply some mineral spirits to a clean rag and use it to rub the epoxy stain.
Try to clean the area with a small, circular motion to prevent spreading the stain further, and use fresh parts of the rag as needed. Once the stain is gone, clean it with soapy water and rinse it thoroughly to remove all traces of paint thinner before washing it in the washer.
Epoxy resin has many benefits, whether you create art, coat a floor, or work on a boat. However, sometimes accidents happen, and you end up with cured epoxy resin on your clothing. Luckily, a little detergent, rubbing alcohol, or baking soda work to remove the stain, ensuring that your work clothes are ready for your next project.
We hope learning how to get epoxy out of clothes keeps your clothing clean and stain-free, and we’d love it if you’d share our tips for cleaning epoxy fabric stains with your family and friend circle on Pinterest and Facebook.