You can use several household items to get super glue off glasses, but not all methods are recommended for all types of glasses and lenses.
The lens type determines the safest and best method to remove super glue from your glasses without scratching or damaging them.
This guide will show you exactly which method is best for different types of glasses and how to apply them effectively.
Some techniques, instead of just simply helping you remove the glue spills from your frame and lenses, can potentially cause unwanted damage.
For example, acetone is one of the most effective methods to remove super-dried glue from many different materials, including glasses.
But, if your glasses or not made of glass but plastic, using acetone can cause damage to it.
If your lenses have different special coatings applied, such as screen protection or UV protection, then again, not all methods are recommended as these protective coatings could be damaged.
Once you know your lens type, there are several household items and methods that can help you get super glue off glasses, such as:
- Warm water and soap
- Acetone
- Toothpaste
- Rubbing alcohol
- Baking soda and oil
- Lemon juice
Super Glue is one of the strongest adhesives and dries very fast. Once it is applied (or accidentally drops onto your glasses), it will set very quickly, so you won’t likely have time to wipe it off before it dries.
Keep reading to find out which methods are the most effective (and safest) to get super glue off your glasses, considering whether your lenses are made of glass or plastic and other important factors.
Also, check out my guide on removing super glue from hair for more info.
Can I Scrape Super Glue Off Glasses?
So let’s hit this nail right away before we discuss anything else.
Can you scrape super glue off glasses? Technically yes. But should you? Not.
Even if you were to use an object or tool that isn’t too sharp, there is too much of a likelihood of scraping the surface of your lenses.
Often tools such as blades, knives, or sandpaper are used to scrape hardened super glue off different materials.
We don’t recommend applying these techniques to get super glue off glasses, as your lenses can end up scratched and damaged.
Warm Water And Soap
The safest method is using warm water and soap to get super glue off glasses. This technique is gentle on your glasses, regardless of their material.
Here is what you need:
- Bowl
- Warm water
- Dish soap
- Microfiber (or soft) cloth
Make sure the water isn’t hot, just warm. Hot water could potentially crack glass lenses or damage plastic lenses or frames.
Follow these simple steps to get super glue off glasses with soap and warm water:
- Mix about 2 teaspoons of (ammonia-free) dish soap in 1 cup of warm water
- Soak a soft and clean cloth in the warm soapy water
- Place the soaked cloth over the dried super glue and let it soak for about 10-15 minutes
- Soak the cloth again, cover the affected area and let it soak for another 10-15 minutes
- You may need to repeat this a few times until the glue softens enough to be removed
- Once the glue has softened enough, wipe away the glue from the glasses
- Clean the glasses with clean, warm water and soap
- Dry it with a very soft cloth
When wiping or drying your lenses, only use soft fabric, such as microfiber cloths, to avoid scratching them.
This method also works to get super glue off car paint.
Acetone
Acetone is one of the most effective solutions to getting super glue off your glasses.
You will need the following items:
- Acetone (or acetone-based nail polish remover)
- Cotton balls
- Cotton swab
- Microfiber clean cloth
Follow these steps to remove super glue from your glasses with acetone:
- Dip a cotton ball in acetone
- Place it over the glue, covering it fully, and let it soak for a few minutes
- Take a cotton swab and dip it in acetone
- Gently rub the hardened super glue with it. This will help loosen it
- Re-dip the cotton swab in acetone a few times and keep rubbing until all the glue is removed
- When all of the adhesives are removed, clean the glasses with warm water and soap
- Use a soft (microfiber) cloth to dry your glasses
When cleaning or drying your glasses, don’t use a paper towel or any other material that isn’t soft, such as a microfiber cloth, as you could scratch the surface of your lenses.
Acetone could potentially damage plastic lenses and lenses with special coatings, such as anti-scratch coating, UV protection, screen protection, and others.
If your lenses are of plastic and have any protective coatings, we don’t recommend applying the acetone technique. Instead, try one of the other methods.
Toothpaste
For this technique, we only recommend using a toothpaste without any particles (such as micro-scrubbers) because these could damage the surface of your lenses.
Toothpaste, without microparticles, is safe for both glass and plastic glasses.
You will need the following items:
- Cotton ball
- Cotton swab
- Toothpaste
- Warm water
Follow these simple steps to remove super glue from your glasses using toothpaste:
- Soak the cotton ball in warm soapy water
- Place it over the glue, covering it fully
- Let it soak for about 5-10 minutes
- Add toothpaste to a cotton swab
- Using a circular motion, gently rub the toothpaste into the glue
- Add more toothpaste if necessary
- Keep sanding the adhesive until it fully comes off your glasses
- Once all glue is removed, clean your glasses with warm water and soap
- Dry it using a clean and soft cloth, such as a microfiber cloth
But, as with any other method, we always recommend testing out a very small area first before applying it to bigger surfaces.
This will allow you to see if this (or any other) method could have any unwanted effects on your glasses.
Rubbing Alcohol
Isopropyl rubbing alcohol is another effective method to get super glue off glasses, regardless if your lenses are made of glass or plastic.
You will need the following items:
- Rubbing alcohol
- Cotton ball
- Cotton swab
- Microfiber cloth
- Warm water and soap
Follow these easy steps to remove super glue from your glasses using rubbing alcohol:
- Soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol
- Place it over the bond, and make sure it fully covers it
- Leave it to soak for about 10 minutes
- Dip a cotton swab in the rubbing alcohol
- Gently rub the glue away from the glasses
- If the glue seems to be very stubborn and isn’t loose enough to be removed, soak another cotton ball in rubbing alcohol
- Cover the glue with it and let it soak for another 10 minutes
- Dip a new cotton swab in rubbing alcohol
- Using a circular motion and applying gentle pressure, rub the adhesive away from the glasses until all glue is removed
- Once you get the super glue off your glasses, clean them with warm soapy water.
- Dry your glasses with a very soft (and clean) cloth
If your lenses have any protective coatings on them, before applying rubbing alcohol to a bigger surface, try a little part of your lenses first to see if there is any damage caused to them.
You can use this method also to remove super glue from metal.
Baking Soda And Oil
Using oil and baking soda to create a consistent paste can help get super glue off your glasses.
It doesn’t matter as much what type of oil you use. It can be olive oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, or a different oil. But generally, this paste is made using coconut oil.
You will need the following items for this method:
- Mixing bowl
- Baking soda
- Oil
- Cotton swab
- Warm water and soap
- Clean, soft cloth (preferably microfiber)
Follow these easy steps to remove super glue from your glasses with this homemade paste:
- In one bowl, mix equal amounts of baking soda and coconut oil (for example, ½ baking soda and ½ cup oil) – the specific amount depends on how much glue is there to remove
- Mix well until you have a consistent thick paste
- Scoop up a generous amount of the paste with a cotton swab
- Using a circular motion and applying gentle pressure, scrub the paste into the glue
- Keep scrubbing until the glue loosens and can be fully removed from the glasses
- Once the adhesive is removed, clean the glasses with warm soapy water
- Dry with a very soft and clean cloth
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice, as it is well-known, contains acidity. This acidity can help loosen the glue’s bond after it dries to your glasses.
Lemon juice is another helpful technique to get dried super glue off your glasses.
Here is what you will need:
- Bowl
- Lemon juice
- Cotton ball
- Cotton swab
- Soapy warm water
- Clean, soft cloth
Follow these simple steps to apply lemon juice to hardened super glue on your glasses:
- Add lemon juice to a bowl
- Soak a cotton ball in lemon juice
- Place the cotton ball over the glue, making sure it gets fully covered
- Let it sit there for about 5-10 minutes
- Dip a cotton swab in lemon juice
- Apply gentle pressure and use a circular motion to scrub the glue off your glasses
- If the glue is still very hard and isn’t loosening enough, don’t rub it harsher; soak another cotton ball in lemon juice.
- Cover the glue with it and let it soak for about 10-15 minutes
- Dip another cotton swab in lemon juice
- With circular motions and gentle pressure, rub the adhesive until all of it comes off your glasses.
- Clean the glasses with warm soapy water
- Dry with a clean, soft cloth
The lemon juice method also works with getting super glue off glasses.
Conclusion
If you are using super glue to fix your glasses or during another project where an awesome bond gets on your glasses, it is important to act as soon as you notice this gluey situation.
Keep in mind that the longer you leave the glue on your glasses. The longer the glue stays, the stronger the bond becomes, and the harder it will be to remove it.
The techniques in this guide are some of the best and safest to get super glue off glasses. These are the following:
- Warm water and soap
- Acetone
- Toothpaste
- Rubbing alcohol
- Baking soda and oil
- Lemon juice
Remember, before you start with any of the above methods, make sure you know the type of material your glasses are – glass or plastic, and whether they have any protective layers.
This is important because some techniques, such as acetone, could potentially damage lenses made of plastic or lenses with different protective or special coatings.
How Not To Get Glue On Your Glasses When Fixing Them At Home?
You can fix your glasses at home with super glue if you accidentally break them.
Super glue is a very strong, quick-drying adhesive. It can glue almost any material or broken objects, including glasses.
All the abovementioned techniques can help you get super glue off your glasses. But, besides helping you fix the broken problem, some super glue may end up in unwanted spots on your glasses.
But as with many other things, prevention is the best solution.
So how can you prevent super glue from getting on your glasses? Here is a simple trick that will save you the hassle and time of cleaning dried glue off your glasses.
Use a non-abrasive material to cover the parts of the glasses that don’t require fixing.
Use aluminum foil, plastic, or any material that won’t scratch your lenses by simply wrapping them with it.
Then, use tape to secure it so that as you do your gluing job, the material you are using to protect your glasses doesn’t accidentally slip.
