How To Get Wood Glue Out Of Clothes

Wood glue is great for bonding wood, but it can also get places it shouldn’t be, like on your clothes. If you’ve managed to stain your garments with this adhesive you will want to know how to get wood glue out of clothes. 

Let’s take a look at some options for dealing with this problem and removing the wood glue stain. 

Liquid Soap

Liquid soap is good for removing wood glue from clothes. Although it is not as strong as detergent it’s still capable of removing stains, even wood glue. 

If you’re using a washer, put the liquid soap in the pre-treatment compartment rather than in the main detergent compartment. For removing the wood glue from clothes by hand you’ll need the following:

• Liquid soap
• Warm water
• Clean cloth

Put the liquid soap on the wood glue stain and rub in gently. Once it has blended together, rinse the clothes in warm water. 

If there’s still glue staining the garment, put some liquid soap on the stain and rub with the clean cloth to remove the residue. 

Vinegar

The vinegar you use for this should be white vinegar. It is an acid, so it can cause discoloration, do a test on an inconspicuous part of the garment first. 

You will need the following to remove wood glue from clothes with vinegar:

• White vinegar
• Scrub/nail brush or dull knife
• Soap

Put some drops of the vinegar onto the glue stain. If it has already dried, allow the vinegar to soak into it. Then use either a scrub or nail brush or dull knife to remove the wood glue. 

If it doesn’t come off easily, wash the clothes in some warm water and some added vinegar. 

Iron

A trick used by some professional dry cleaners is to use a hot iron to remove wood glue from clothes. For this you will need the following:

• Iron 
• Piece of cotton fabric
• Some warm water
• Soap
• Clean cloth or scrub brush

Lay the cotton fabric over the area with the wood glue stain. With the iron on its hottest setting, place it on the cotton cloth for a few seconds. 

Lift the cloth and see if the glue has liquified. If it has, use a clean cloth and some warm soapy water to rub the stain gently. 

Repeat the process until all the wood glue is removed. Then rinse the clothes in warm water. 

Olive Oil & Lemon Juice 

The combination of olive oil and lemon juice is a great way to remove wood glue from clothes. The lemon juice is an acid and should break down the glue and the oil loosens it from the fabric. 

You’ll need the following:

• Two parts olive oil
• Warm water
• Undiluted soap 
• Scrub brush

Combine the olive oil and lemon juice in a container and put it onto the area with the wood glue. Leave it to work for around 10 minutes. Then using the scrub brush rub the wood glue until it starts to come off. 

For a persistent stain, rub undiluted soap onto the garment and then rinse in warm water. 

Acetone

Acetone or nail polish remover is a strong solution for removing wood glue from clothes. It works well if the glue is already dry and has hardened on the garment. 

Be aware that acetone is a chemical and so may cause discoloration to the clothes. Test an inconspicuous area first, and you may want to wear gloves to prevent irritation to your hands. 

You’ll need the items below for this method:

• Acetone
• Dull knife
• Soap and warm water
• Clean dry cloth

Dip the clean cloth in the acetone and dab it onto the wood glue stain. Wait a few minutes until the glue begins to loosen up on the garment. 

Now take the dull knife and scrape the glue, removing as much as possible. Then wash the clothes in soapy warm water. 

Baking Soda

Baking soda can be used to remove the stain of wood glue after the glue itself has been removed. If you use the hot iron or hairdryer to soften the glue and then scrape it off it will inevitably leave a stain. 

To remove this stain you will need the following:

• Hairdryer or iron
• Baking soda
• Spatula
• Warm water
• Warm soapy water

Once the glue has been removed from the fabric, mix the baking soda and some hot water to make a paste. Put it on the wood glue stain and leave for 10-15 minutes. 

Wash the clothes in the warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly. 

Boiling Water

It’s possible to put a wood glue stained garment into boiling water to soften the glue, so it is easier to remove. 

For this you simply need to fill a large pan with water and bring it to the boil. Then place the garment in it until the glue softens. 

It should then be easier to scrape off, and you can treat the remaining stain with baking soda as above. 

Amyl Acetate Cleaner 

Amyl acetate is a solvent and is available in hardware stores. If you use this to remove wood glue from clothes, wear gloves and keep the area well ventilated. 

You’ll need the following:

• Amyl acetate cleaner
• Dull knife
• Dry cloth

Do a test for possible discoloration on an inconspicuous area. If it is safe to use, put a little of the amyl acetate with the cloth onto the wood glue stain. Leave for an hour or two. 

When the stain starts to lift off the clothes, scrape it with the knife. Rinse off and wash as normal. 

Final Thoughts

If you work with wood a lot then you will at some point be using wood glue. The inevitable will happen, and you will end up with some on your clothes.

But now you have several ways in which you can safely and effectively remove it 

We hope this guide to getting wood glue out of clothes has been helpful to you.