How to Get Plumbing Glue Off a Shirt

Plumbing projects can be the source of glue stains on shirts.

Plumbing glue, also known as pipe glue, adheres PVC piping together when it's used for plumbing repairs. It's also used for pipes in vents and central vacuum systems. The glue works by causing the top layer of PVC to melt long enough for the ends of the two pipes to become welded together. A spill of plumbing glue on your shirt can't be washed out in the laundry. But you can use other methods to get the glue off your shirt.

Things You'll Need

• Nail file
• Acetone-based nail polish remover
• Cotton swabs
• Laundry detergent

Instructions

1. Wipe as much of the glue off your shirt as you can while the stain is still fresh, then lay your shirt on a flat surface with the glue stain facing up. Allow the remaining plumbing glue to dry on your shirt.

2. 

   A nail file acts as sandpaper and wears off hardened glue.

   Rub a nail file back and forth over the dry plumbing glue stain to wear it down. Wear the dried glue down as close to the fabric as possible. Brush the fabric off to remove the dust.

3. Pour acetone-based nail polish remover onto a cotton swab to wet it. Wipe the plumbing glue residue with the nail polish remover to remove it. Change to another cotton swab as needed until the glue residue is gone.

4. Pre-treat your shirt by rubbing three or four drops of laundry detergent into the fabric at the site of the plumbing glue stain. Allow the detergent to be absorbed into the fabric for five minutes.

5. Wash your shirt in the washing machine with laundry detergent. Dry it in the dryer or hang dry the shirt, as directed on the care label.

Tips & Warnings

• After filing down the glue stain, soak the glue-stained area of your shirt in a diluted detergent solution made with 1 tablespoon dishwashing detergent and 2 cups of warm water to help soften the stain as an alternative to using nail polish remover.

• Test the acetone nail polish on a hidden seam of the shirt to check for colorfastness before using it on the glue.

References

• Super Glue Corp: Removing Super Glue
• "Reader's Digest": How to Really Use Nail Polish Remover
• "Good Housekeeping"; Stain Busters -- Superglue
• University of Missouri Extension; Stain Removal for Washable Fabrics -- Greasy, Non-Food Stains; Sharon Stevens; June 2009

Resources

• This Old House; Gluing PVC Pipe; Thomas Baker