Several methods can help get super glue out of your clothes, but not all viable options will also protect your clothes from stains or damage. 

This guide will present methods to help remove dried and hardened super glue from your clothes with home remedies. 

And even more than that, we have carefully selected the safest solutions for your clothes and have a minimal likelihood of damaging or staining them. 

Our favorite methods that we use when in need, as they have proven the most effective and the safest to use on clothes, come down to the following:

1. The Spoon Method
2. Acetone
3. The Ice Cubes Method
4. Water and Soap Wash
5. Rubbing Alcohol
6. Baking Soda and Oil
7. Homemade Scrub
8. Vinegar

If this is the first time super glue gets on your clothes, you may be tempted to grab a knife or even a duller object to scrape away the adhesive from your clothing. 

This is a method we don’t recommend nor suggest as you could end up with cuts, tears, or holes in your clothes, and we are sure this is not the result you wish to have in the end. 

Please keep reading to find out which at-home methods can help get super glue out of your clothes and how to apply them to protect them from damages, stains, unwanted cuts, or even tears in the fabric.

Remember to check out my guide on getting super glue off your carpet.

The Spoon Method

This method usually works well with fabric that isn’t too sensitive as you need to apply a bit of force. 

What you need:

• Metal spoon

For this trick to work, you must ensure that the glue is fully dried on the fabric. Otherwise, you will end up pushing the bond further into it and even causing it to spread. 

We suggest skipping this method when dealing with delicate fabrics, such as silk or wool. 

Follow these steps:

1. Wait until the super glued has completely dried to your clothing which is made of polyester, cotton, or other everyday blend fabrics
2. Once the glue is fully dry, use the round part of the spoon (its back side) and gently scrape it
3. Apply a pull motion to help scrape away the glue from the fabric

For this method to work well, you must hold the clothing. If the glue is only on a very small surface, you can use one of your hands to hold the fabric in place and work the spoon with your other hand. 

Ensure you aren’t applying too severe pressure to avoid scratching or tearing the fabric. 

Acetone

Acetone is commonly used in removing super glue from several different materials, including fabric. If you don’t have acetone, you may try an acetone-based nail polish remover. 

What you need:

• Acetone
• Cotton ball
• Cotton swab 

Follow these simple steps to get super glue out of your clothes:

1. Dab the cotton ball into acetone
2. Place the acetone-soaked cotton ball over the glue
3. Let it sit there for a few minutes to soak the super dried glue
4. Add more acetone to the cotton ball
5. Gently rub the acetone-soaked cotton ball over the glue
6. To help, you may soak a cotton swab in the acetone and use a circular motion to rub the acetone with a bit more pressure (still keeping it gentle)
7. Keep rubbing until the super glue is fully removed
8. Once the super glue is removed from your clothes, clean the surface with soap and water (or wash it in the washing machine)

Before trying the acetone method on your clothes, you must look for one aspect. Check whether or not acetone can stain your clothing. 

Depending on your clothing brand, acetone may cause discoloration or leave a stain on it. 

To test it, add a small amount of acetone onto a cotton ball, and press it on the part of your clothing that isn’t as visible. Wait 10-15 minutes to see if any discoloration, damage, or stain will be left behind. 

Also, you may be tempted to use a toothbrush instead of a cotton ball or swab to speed up the removal process.

We do not recommend this as a toothbrush, especially if you rub it more harshly; it can damage your fabric. 

The acetone method also works for removing super glue from a counter.

The Ice Cubes Method

There are two ways in which you can try out this method to help get super glue out of clothes.

Method number one would be ideal for a smaller item, a piece of clothing that can fit into a bag.

You will need:

• Ziploc bag
• Freezer

For this to work, follow these steps:

1. Place your piece of clothing into a Ziploc bag
2. Squeeze the air out (as much as you can)
3. Close it and place the bag in the freezer for a couple of hours
4. After a minimum of 4-5 hours, take the bag out of the freezer, and your clothing out of the bag
5. Gently try to peel the dried (and now frozen) super glue away from the fabric
6. If it isn’t coming off, don’t force it too much to avoid damaging the fabric
7. Once the super glue is fully removed, clean the surface of your clothing with detergent and water

Now let’s look at another way to use ice cubes to remove super glue from your clothes. This is ideal for bigger-sized items that won’t fit into a Ziploc bag and into the freezer.

You will need:

• Ziploc bag
• Ice cubes

Follow these simple steps:

1. Fill a Ziploc bag with ice cubes
2. Place the bag over the super dried glue and let it sit there until the cubes are starting to melt
3. If you need to, add more ice cubes into another Ziploc bag (or the same one once you empty it), place it over the glue, and let it sit there to cause the adhesive to freeze as much as possible
4. Repeat multiple times if necessary
5. Once the freezing of the super glue is achieved, try to peel it away from the fabric gently
6. There may be some adhesive residues left on your clothing – you can remove these with any of the methods you can find in this guide 

Freezing the super glue will cause it to harden even more. This can help in cracking it. As the adhesive breaks apart, these can be removed more easily. 

Water and Soap Wash

You may be used to washing your clothes – and just generally many other things – in warm water. Keep in mind that for this method, you need cold water. 

This solution will require: 

• Cold water
• Laundry detergent
• Container or a large bowl 

This method requires a longer waiting period, but it has worked effectively many times, so it’s worth investing the time and patience. Plus, it is a very simple process. 

To try this out, follow these steps:

1. Pour the cold water into the container, large bowl, or a bucket (it needs to be big enough to fit the clothing)
2. Place your piece of clothing in the water and let it soak overnight
3. The next day, take the dress out and, using your hands, press as much water out of it as you can
4. Add a smaller amount of laundry detergent directly to the glue stain
5. Massage the detergent into the glue and material for a few minutes
6. Place your clothing into the washing machine (by itself) and start a washing cycle with warm water 
7. Once the washing cycle is done, air dry your clothing
8. If necessary, repeat the process

It is important to stick with air drying and not a dryer. Placing your clothing in the dryer can cause any super glue residues to set.

Water and soap wash is also effective for removing super glue from hair.

Rubbing Alcohol

This method is only recommended for clothes that aren’t specific to dry cleaning. 

The items you will need are the following:

• Rubbing alcohol
• Cotton ball
• Cotton swab

Before trying this method to remove super dried glue from your clothes, consider testing the rubbing alcohol on your clothing to ensure that it won’t cause stains or discoloration. 

Follow these easy steps:

1. Add a generous amount of rubbing alcohol to the cotton ball
2. Apply the cotton ball to the glue and let it soak through 
3. Add more rubbing alcohol to the cotton ball
4. Gently rub it over the glue stain until it starts to loosen
5. If needed, you may swap the cotton ball with a cotton swab
6. Soak the cotton swab with rubbing alcohol
7. Using circular motions and applying gentle pressure, rub the super glue until it is fully removed from the fabric
8. Once removed, clean the surface of the fabric with detergent and water

It may take some time until you manage to remove all the glue from your clothing. 

Even though it may be more effective to use a toothbrush instead of a cotton ball or cotton swab to rub the dried glue away, the use of a toothbrush may cause damage to the fabric (which is why we don’t recommend nor suggest its use in this case).

The rubbing alcohol method can also get super glue off metal.

Baking Soda and Oil

Baking soda and oil mixture is a very effective homemade adhesive remover. This mixture can help remove super glue that has hardened on clothes. 

Here are the items you will need:

• Baking soda
• Oil
• Cold water
• Bowl
• A cotton swab or soft toothbrush

Usually, coconut oil is used to create this homemade scrub to get glue out of clothes. But if you do not have coconut oil in your pantry, grab another type that you do have available. 

Here is what you need to do:

1. Mix two parts baking soda with one part coconut (or other) oil. Example: half a cup of baking soda with one-fourth a cup of coconut oil
2. Mix until you reach a consistent, smooth paste
3. Use a cotton swab or a soft toothbrush to massage the paste over the hardened super glue gently
4. Keep doing so until the adhesive starts to break off into tiny pieces
5. Continue massaging the paste into the loosening super glue until all residue is left. Be gentle towards the end, especially with the toothbrush, not to damage your fabric by brushing too harshly
6. Once all glue is removed from your clothing, clean the surface with soapy water to make sure the oil doesn’t leave a stain on it

You may also choose to wash your clothing in your washing machine. Don’t add any other garments or clothing items into the washing cycle. 

Once the washing cycle is over, air dry your clothing. Check whether there is any stain left behind. If there is, repeat the washing cycle or clean off the stain with a clean cloth and soapy water. 

Vinegar

In this case, the best type of vinegar would be distilled white vinegar. It can act as a solvent agent on various glue and have impressive stain-removing properties. 

Prepare the following items:

• Bowl 
• Vinegar
• Dish soap
• Warm water
• Clean cloth

Follow these steps to get super glue out of clothes:

1. Measure one cup of warm water, two tablespoons of vinegar, and one teaspoon of dish soap
2. Mix the above items in the bowl until it becomes consistent
3. Dab a clean cloth into this mixture and let it soak through
4. Lay the soaked cloth over the super dried glue for about 5-10 minutes
5. Gently rub the glue with the cloth
6. If necessary, soak the cloth in the vinegar mixture again and gently scrub the glue again
7. Continue doing so until all super glue is removed from your clothing

This is also a great method to remove stains from your clothes.

Vinegar can be used to remove super glue from leather.

How To Avoid Getting Super Glue On Clothes

Even though there are several effective at-home solutions to remove super glue from your clothing after it has been stained and even dried on, the ideal situation would be to prevent this from happening in the first place. 

So how could you avoid getting glue on your clothes? Several creative and practical methods can help protect yourself and your clothes from super glue stains. 

Depending on the size of your projects, check out some of these ideas and see which ones inspire you and will protect you on your next super glue “adventures.”

• If your gluing need can fit inside a box, prepare a container and place your items inside it. Carry out the gluing stage inside the box if you have enough space. This way, if the glue drips down, it will end up at the bottom of the box and not on your clothes.

• Why not have a glue apron? Dedicate an apron to gluing projects. Who says aprons should be limited to kitchen use? If you have an apron (or something similar) that you don’t mind using as protective gear when you need to glue items, your clothes will thank you, and then you will thank yourself when you don’t need to spend hours trying to get dried super glue out of your clothes. 

• Use a plastic cover. You know, those types they have for rainy weather as well. You pull it over you, and your clothes remain protected from rain and now from glue as well.

Conclusion

Super Glue is a powerfully bonding and quickly drying adhesive. It can do a great job at fixing things, but there are times when besides the fixing, there is also some spilling. 

If the glue spills over your working desk in the garage, you may not mind it as much.

But when it spills on your clothes, that may be a different story, especially if your clothes aren’t specific to work projects and you don’t mind spills, stains, and holes in them. 

So what happens when super glue spills on your clothes and hardens? Your clothes can be saved as there are several at-home solutions to help you out, with simple items that bring effective methods, such as:

• The Spoon Method
• Acetone
• The Ice Cubes Method
• Water and Soap Wash
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Baking Soda and Oil
• Homemade Scrub
• Vinegar

With each of these methods, you will need to be patient. Super Glue is a stubborn adhesive, so removing it might not be as quick and smooth as you’d prefer. 

Once the super glue spills on your clothes, don’t try to do anything until it has fully dried. Otherwise, you will spread it over the fabric even more. 

How can you know if the super glue has dried? It will be hard. If it still looks shiny and soft in texture, let it dry fully before you try out one or a few of the methods described in this guide, with easy step-by-step instructions.