Several household items can help you achieve this mission to remove glue or glue residue from glass. 

• Soap and warm water
• Vinegar
• Rubbing alcohol
• Lemon
• Acetone
• Oil and baking soda

There is a good chance you will find the above items somewhere in your kitchen or household. All of them can help you remove glue from glass. 

This guide will show you how to work with at-home items to remove dried glue on the glass. 

In this guide, we will also talk about whether or not it is effective and a good idea to use a knife or a scraper to remove hardened glue from glass.

Also, check out my guide on the best glues for glasses if you need product tips.

Warm Water And Soap

Depending on the size of your glass item with glue stains or glue spillage, you can try the soapy warm water method to remove glue from the glass. 

You will need:

1. Bowl or bucket
2. Warm water
3. Soap 
4. Clean cloth or old card or toothbrush
5. Petroleum jelly

The bowl or bucket needs to be big enough to fit your glass item into it so that it can be covered by water – or at least the side with the glue stains on it.

Follow these steps to remove glue from glass with warm soapy water:

1. Add warm water and soap into the bowl (or bucket) – make sure the temperature of the water isn’t too high as that can cause the glass to crack or even break
2. Once you have mixed the soap well in the water, add your glass to it and let it soak overnight
3. The next day, use either a clean cloth, an old card, or a toothbrush to rub the glue off the glass gently
4. If, after a significant amount of time, the glue stains aren’t completely coming off, apply a generous layer of petroleum jelly onto the surface
5. Use a clean cloth or toothbrush to gently scrub the glue residues off the glass using a circular motion
6. Once the surface is cleared of any residues and stains, wash the surface with clean, warm, and soapy water using a clean cloth
7. Let it air dry

Vinegar

White vinegar is one of the household items that can be a helpful hand in removing glue from glass. It contains a milder acidic element that can help dissolve dried glue spills and glue stains. 

These are the items you need:

• White vinegar
• Bowl 
• Steel wool or toothbrush
• Warm soapy water
• Clean cloth 

Follow these simple steps to remove glue from glass with the help of vinegar:

1. Add your glass item into a bowl (if it can fit. If not, below is an alternative method)
2. Add enough vinegar to cover the surface that has the glue patch or residues
3. Let it soak there for about 15-30 minutes, maybe even more, until the glue starts to dissolve
4. Once the vinegar has caused the glue to dissolve and loosen, use a ball of steel wool or a toothbrush to scrub the glue off the glass gently
5. Once the glue has been removed, clean the surface with warm soapy water using a clean cloth 
6. Let it air dry 

If the glass isn’t small enough to soak it in vinegar in a bowl, you can add vinegar to a spray bottle and spray a generous amount directly onto the glue. 

If you do not have a spray bottle, use a clean cloth or cotton balls, soak them well in vinegar, place them over the glue and let it soak for a few minutes.

Repeat this a few times until the glue or glue stain starts to dissolve and it can be removed from the glass. 

This method also works to remove super glue from glasses.

Rubbing alcohol

Rubbing alcohol is another practical and effective household item that can help remove glue from glass. There is at least one bottle of rubbing alcohol in almost every house. 

Here are all the items you need for this method:

• Rubbing alcohol
• Cotton ball 
• Toothbrush
• Soap 
• Warm water
• Clean cloth 

Follow these steps to remove glue from glass using rubbing alcohol:

1. Apply a generous amount of rubbing alcohol to the cotton ball
2. Place the cotton ball over the glue and let it sit there for a few minutes 
3. You may need to repeat this a few more times
4. Add rubbing alcohol to the bristles of your toothbrush
5. Use a circular motion and apply gentle pressure to scrub the glue until all residue is removed
6. With a clean cloth, warm water, and soap, clean the surface of the glass
7. Let it air dry 

If you have gloves at home, then we recommend using them. If not, make sure to wash your hands with soapy water as well, then apply moisturizing lotion to your skin.

Lemon

Lemon (or other citrus fruits such as lime or grapefruit) can effectively get super glue off the glass. 

You can also use lemon juice if you do not have the fruit, but if you do, go straight with the lemon. 

What you will need:

• Lemon 
• Toothbrush
• Warm soapy water
• Clean cloth 

Follow these simple steps:

1. Cut the lemon in half 
2. Use one half of the lemon, place the side that has been cut onto the glue 
3. Use a circular motion and apply gentle pressure to rub the lemon into the glue
4. If the glue isn’t starting to dissolve after a few minutes, add some baking soda to it and keep squeezing the lemon as you rub the glue with it
5. Use a toothbrush to scrub the lemon juice and baking soda into the glue a bit more aggressively 
6. Continue this until all residue is removed
7. Dab the clean cloth into the warm soapy water and clean off the surface
8. Air-dry the glass

If you don’t have a lemon but do have lemon juice, follow these steps:

1. Soak a cotton ball with lemon juice 
2. Place it over the glue and let it sit there for a few minutes
3. If the cotton ball is starting to dry, use a new cotton ball to soak it in lemon juice
4. Place the lemon-soaked cotton ball over the glue and let it sit there for a few minutes
5. Use a toothbrush to rub the lemon juice deeper into the glue to help it dissolve using a circular motion and applying pressure to it
6. Once the glue is dissolving and breaking apart, continue using the toothbrush to remove all glue residue – be careful not to scratch the surface of the glass
7. Clean the glass with warm soapy water and a clean cloth once all glue residue has been removed
8. Let the glass air dry

Acetone

Acetone (or acetone-based nail polish) is one of the most common household items that effectively remove glue from various surfaces, including glass. 

Acetone contains elements that can help dissolve hardened glue on the glass. 

For this method to work, you will need:

• Acetone (or acetone-based nail polish)
• Cotton balls
• Toothbrush
• Soapy warm water
• Clean cloth

Follow these steps to remove glue from glass with acetone:

1. Soak the cotton ball in acetone
2. Place the acetone-soaked cotton ball over the hardened glue and let it sit there for a few minutes while applying some pressure to it
3. Soak another cotton ball in acetone
4. Place it over the glue
5. Apply gentle pressure as you rub the glue in a circular motion
6. If the glue dissolves enough that it allows you to remove it easily with the cotton ball, then rub the adhesive with the acetone-soaked cotton ball until it is fully removed
7. Otherwise, dip a toothbrush in acetone and now use the toothbrush to rub the glue in a circular motion
8. It may take some minutes until you can remove all glue residues from the glass
9. Once done, use a clean cloth and warm soapy water to clean the surface of the glass
10. Let it air dry 

When using this method, we recommend using gloves as acetone may cause some dryness to your skin. 

If you find it difficult to work with gloves and choose to handle the glue without them, wash your hands with warm water and soap after you have finished removing the adhesive from your glass item. 

Once dried, apply a hand lotion or cream to moisturize your skin and prevent dryness that could lead to cracks. 

Oil And Baking Soda

You can make an easy yet effective homemade paste using simple kitchen items, such as oil and baking soda, to remove glue from glass. 

To create this glue-removing paste, you will need:

• Baking soda
• Oil
• Bowl
• Sponge or a toothbrush
• Warm water 
• Soap 
• Clean cloth

This method requires simple and easy steps to follow:

1. Add about 1 or 2 tablespoons of baking soda into the bowl (depending on how big the glue stain is on the glass)
2. Add just enough oil to it until you get a consistent paste without it becoming a liquid
3. Cover the dried glue with a generous amount of this paste and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes
4. Use a scraper sponge or a toothbrush to scrub the paste into the glue gently
5. If the glue isn’t dissolving enough and it can’t be easily or fully removed, apply more of the paste and let it sit for another 15 minutes or so
6. Then, continue scrubbing the glue until it is removed from the glass
7. Once all residue is cleared, use warm soapy water and a clean cloth to wash the surface of the glass carefully
8. Let it air dry 

Can I Scrape The Glue Off Glass With A Knife Or A Scraper?

Sometimes, the hardened glue on a glass surface can be harder to remove. 

If you have a tough patch of glue dried on glass, you could scrape it off using a knife or scraper; you have to be careful not to scrape the surface of the glass and not to cut yourself in the process. 

In this scenario, you will need:

• Knife or scraper
• Warm to hot water

Follow these simple steps to carefully and gently remove glue from glass with a knife or scraper:

1. Soak the glass in warm to hot water – as hot as it can be without cracking the glass
2. Leave it soaking for a minimum of 30 minutes, or even a few hours
3. Then, use a scraper or a knife to gently scrape away the tough patch of glue on the glass
4. If there are glue residues left after scraping most of the glue away, use any of the methods mentioned above to get all residue off the surface – this will protect the surface of the glass and prevent unwanted scrapes
5. In the end, wipe the surface with warm soapy water using a clean cloth

You may be tempted to start with this method as it may seem the one that will take the least amount of time and effort. 

We recommend implementing this method as a last resort after you have tried and exhausted all the above methods. 

Either way, removing glue from glass may take a while as glue can be a robust adhesive, making the cleaning up a bit more challenging. 

Be patient with the process and always go with a method that will not only help you remove the glue but also protect the surface of your glass.

Conclusion

You can use household items to easily and effectively remove glue from glass. The following are our chosen methods to get the glue off glass:

• Soap and warm water
• Vinegar
• Rubbing alcohol
• Lemon
• Acetone
• Oil and baking soda

Yes, in some cases, using a scraper or a knife to scrape a tougher patch of glue off glass also works.

You would need to be careful not to accidentally scrape or scratch the surface of the glass when using this method. 

Before going for a rougher choice, such as using a scraper or a knife, we recommend trying the other methods as they can be surprisingly effective.

You may need to be patient, but it is still better to be patient with the process of removing glue from glass than regretting having scratches on it later on.