How to Clean Up Silicone Caulking
Silicone caulk is far more durable than acrylic caulk because it's not water-based. Unfortunately, that same durability makes it tougher - and sometimes impossible - to clean up after you've completed a project. Here's how to prevent long-term damage. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Dishwashing Liquid
- Terry Cloth Towels
- Turpentine
- Utility Blades
- Terry cloth towels
Instructions
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Blot wet caulking using a white terry cloth towel.
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Wipe up smudges and spills with a solvent such as turpentine or naphtha soap.
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Use a utility blade to scrape or peel away cured silicone caulk from smooth surfaces.
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Try dishwashing liquid and water for fabric or carpeting. Rub the material (or fibers) between your fingers until the caulk loosens and you can pick it off.
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Tips & Warnings
Attend to messes right away. Silicone caulk sets up within eight hours. After that, you're not likely to have much luck cleaning it up.
Don't apply solvent to fabric or carpeting without testing the solvent first on a hidden area of the material.
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Comments
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pierred
Jul 21, 2010
I just found something amazing: I used a high quality technical eraser (the kind normally used to erase pencil strokes from blueprint drafts; mine is a Staples technical eraser). This removed the last bit of smudge that was left after frantically removing extra silicone caulk from our expensive acid-washed tempered glass stove backsplash! What a relief! -
Relic
Apr 09, 2008
We installed honed granite countertops in the kitchen. We now want to have the colour darkened with a colour enhancer. However, when the sink installed, a cloth with some silicone caulking residue was placed mistakenly on the counter. There is a light smudge in that location. Before proceeding with getting the counters darkened, we wanted to know if this smudge would be a problem. Would it darken for example the same as the rest of the countertop. Or, does the smudge need to be removed first. If it does, we have heard that acetone is a good cleaner on honed granite. Again though, what would the result be in that area with the colour enhancer after using acetone. Will the enhanced colour will be uniform through-out the counter top including the area where we used acetone to clean way the silicone smudge. If anyone has advice on the best action to take, it would be appreciated.
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Relic
Apr 09, 2008
We installed honed granite countertops in the kitchen. We now want to have the colour darkened with a colour enhancer. However, when the sink installed, a cloth with some silicone caulking residue was placed mistakenly on the counter. There is a light smudge in that location. Before proceeding with getting the counters darkened, we wanted to know if this smudge would be a problem. Would it darken for example the same as the rest of the countertop. Or, does the smudge need to be removed first. If it does, we have heard that acetone is a good cleaner on honed granite. Again though, what would the result be in that area with the colour enhancer after using acetone. Will the enhanced colour will be uniform through-out the counter top including the area where we used acetone to clean way the silicone smudge. If anyone has advice on the best action to take, it would be appreciated.
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Relic
Apr 09, 2008
We installed honed granite countertops in the kitchen. We now want to have the colour darkened with a colour enhancer. However, when the sink installed, a cloth with some silicone caulking residue was placed mistakenly on the counter. There is a light smudge in that location. Before proceeding with getting the counters darkened, we wanted to know if this smudge would be a problem. Would it darken for example the same as the rest of the countertop. Or, does the smudge need to be removed first. If it does, we have heard that acetone is a good cleaner on honed granite. Again though, what would the result be in that area with the colour enhancer after using acetone. Will the enhanced colour will be uniform through-out the counter top including the area where we used acetone to clean way the silicone smudge. If anyone has advice on the best action to take, it would be appreciated.
-
Relic
Apr 09, 2008
We installed honed granite countertops in the kitchen. We now want to have the colour darkened with a colour enhancer. However, when the sink installed, a cloth with some silicone caulking residue was placed mistakenly on the counter. There is a light smudge in that location. Before proceeding with getting the counters darkened, we wanted to know if this smudge would be a problem. Would it darken for example the same as the rest of the countertop. Or, does the smudge need to be removed first. If it does, we have heard that acetone is a good cleaner on honed granite. Again though, what would the result be in that area with the colour enhancer after using acetone. Will the enhanced colour will be uniform through-out the counter top including the area where we used acetone to clean way the silicone smudge. If anyone has advice on the best action to take, it would be appreciated.
