How and what to remove rhinestone glue from clothes and what type of glue it is?

The need to remove glue from rhinestones from clothes arises in several cases - carelessness during needlework, glue stains are visible in the place of fallen beads, or an applique of pebbles spoils the overall appearance of the clothes. All these reasons are united by the need to find sufficiently strong agents that can dissolve the adhesive base without damaging the fabric. Whether this can be done depends on the type of fabric and the composition of the glue.

Several types of glue are used to glue rhinestones:

• epoxy, cold fixation;
• thermoplastic (melt);
• thermosetting, including epoxy, hot fixing;
• acrylic (superglue).

Thermoactive or thermoplastic glue is used to decorate factory-made clothing. Piece products - Hand Made - can be decorated using any adhesive composition, but most often in this case the fabric will have:

• acrylic glue-varnish for decoupage;
• melt, which is applied using a gun;
• thermoactive glue already applied to the “self-adhesive” rhinestones.

What products will help remove glue?

Properly selected solvents are the key to saving the item from being stained. For those who remove rhinestones from store-bought clothing, the task is complicated by the fact that they do not know the composition of the adhesive base. They will have to select a removal agent through trial and error. But handicraft makers know what they are using, and in extreme cases they can look at the composition on the glue packaging.

1. Thermoactive glue applied to fabric or rhinestones cold and fixed by heating - with a special soldering iron or iron. This adhesive composition is “thermonuclear”, it holds rhinestones well, but is poorly soluble. Unfortunately, as easy as sticking them on, they cannot be removed. Heating will only melt the glue, allowing it to penetrate even deeper into the fabric. For removal you can use acetone, solvent 646, FLEX/FLOCK REMOVER spray.
2. Hot melt adhesive in the form of sticks is inserted into a special gun. Under the influence of heat, the glue becomes liquid, penetrates into the voids that exist in the structure of the fabric, gluing it to the rhinestones. Removing them from clothes without leaving a trace is not easy. Here, too, heating will not have a positive effect, since the glue can withstand repeated heating/cooling without losing its properties. A cleaner – a liquid or aerosol containing ethyl acetate or methoxypropanol – will help remove it. For example, Ninelle nail polish remover spray (acetone-free) or Flux OFF Cleaner (designed for cleaning circuit boards).
3. Acrylic glue (superglue) – “Second” or special compositions for rhinestones based on cyanoacrylate, for example Décor Glitter Glue. Most often used when you need to lay out a small drawing. You can remove it with Dimexide (sold at the pharmacy), nitromethane (fuel additive), acetone-free nail polish remover, Anti-superglue, 3M Glue Cleaner spray.
4. Epoxy adhesive cold fixation can be one- or two-component. The first is enough to apply from a tube, but in the second case the components need to be mixed yourself. They are removed in the same way: with a mixture of turpentine and alcohol (50/50), acetone and any acetone-containing solvents (P 646, P 4).

Delete correctly

To clean the fabric without damaging it, you need to remove traces of glue, observing the following rules.

• Acetone (and solvents based on it) should be applied to the underside of the clothing with a clean swab. In this case, blotting paper is placed on the front side. When it gets dirty, it needs to be changed.
• The spray should be sprayed onto the front side and washed with a clean swab. You can use a cotton pad as a tampon.
• After applying turpentine or nitromethane, wait a few minutes and then wipe the stain with a clean swab. These products can be applied to both the back and front sides.
• When wiping a stain, you need to be careful not to rub the glue onto a clean part of the fabric.
• If the glue has become jelly-like under the influence of the solvent, but cannot be removed with a swab, you can remove it with an eraser.

Advice

You can replace blotting paper with paper towels. They have the same absorbent properties. The only condition is that they must be white so that the dye does not get on the clothes under the influence of acetone.

How to remove glue without using chemicals?

All adhesives for rhinestones have a strong hold. Therefore, even with the use of aggressive solvents, there is no absolute guarantee that it will be possible to completely remove traces of glue from clothes. But there is a very high probability that the fabric will fade or become deformed. Therefore, the best solution is to try to remove the rhinestones along with the adhesive layer. This is not always possible, but you can increase the chance by treating the reverse side of the fabric with alcohol so that it is well saturated. Alcohol is not a solvent, but it reduces the adhesion (adhesion) of the glue to the fabric. After this treatment, all that remains is to pry the bead with a sharp object, trying to catch the layer of glue.

If this method does not work, there is no need to immediately move on to chemicals. There is another gentle way - freezing. Thermoactive, epoxy and hot melt adhesives change their structure when frozen, even in the freezer of a household refrigerator.

The instructions on how to peel off rhinestones so that no trace remains using low temperature are extremely simple.

• Clothes should be placed in the freezer, first wrapped in a plastic bag.
• Wait for it to freeze, not just cool. This can take from 5 to 6 hours (depending on the type of refrigerator) at a chamber temperature of 24º C.
• After removing from the refrigerator, you need to peel off the rhinestones. They should come off along with the glue.
• If the glue cannot be completely removed, you can clean it off with a stiff brush. Sometimes it must first be “broken” with a wooden hammer or rolling pin so that it looks like a powder.
• If it was not possible to clean everything at once, repeat the procedure.

Acrylic glue cannot always be removed in this way, since it is destroyed at temperatures below - 40º C, and in household cameras it is higher. The solution would be aerosol freezing, for example FREEZE 75. This spray will instantly cool the desired area to -49º C. It must be applied in stages in order to have time to wipe off the treated area.

Precautionary measures

To avoid ruining your clothes when removing traces of rhinestones, you need to know a few facts. Acetone and Solvent 646 cannot be used on acetate silk. These chemicals can also discolor the fabric. Non-acetone nail polish removers and commercial nail polish removers have similar effects on dyed fabrics, so any chemicals should be tested on an inconspicuous area.

After applying any cleaners or solvents, clothes should be soaked in water and washed, thoroughly lathering the areas where the glue was with laundry soap. Hand wash in warm water and rinse well. When ironing for the first time, you need to iron the stain area through a clean cloth, placing the same one underneath. If there are glue residues, they will “go away” into the backing when ironing.