How to remove super glue from skin: Several effective methods

Super glue has been part of every DIYer’s toolbox for many years. It can work wonders on many surfaces, but it’s difficult to remove if you don’t know how to get super glue off skin. Read on for our tips and tricks to safely remove super glue.

First off, the key to removing super glue from skin is to be patient. You’ll need to soften the glue up and pry gently, a little at a time. Never try to suddenly rip bonded fingers or skin apart - this can cause tears in the skin and be very painful. Take your time, be gentle and you’ll be successful. Let’s look at some solvents you can use to soften up the glue and get super glue off your skin.

One of the best solvents to soften up super glue is acetone or nail polish remover. It takes a few minutes to work but should enable you to separate bonded skin or remove glue residue from your skin without pain or damage. Follow these steps:

1. First, try soaking the area in warm soapy water. This will help loosen the glue and wash away any undried adhesive.
2. Use a small brush or cloth to apply acetone to the glue. Keep the acetone in contact for several minutes.
3. Take a blunt edge item such as the back edge of a butter knife, a credit card, or similar and gently pry at the bonded glue. Go slow and just do a little at a time.
4. Reapply acetone every time you make some progress to soften newly exposed glue. Just be patient and work your way along the bond.
5. Once the glue is gone, wash the area and your hands with soapy water.

If you don’t want to use acetone (or don’t have any), there are other solvents that you probably have in your home that can work well to loosen super glue.

Try vinegar, rubbing alcohol, or an oil-based spray lubricant. Each of these have been shown to soften glue and get super glue off skin. Plus, they’re non-toxic and harmless. Use these solvents in the same way as described above for acetone.

If you want a quick and easy way to get super glue off skin, try a glue remover gel. Its easy-to-use formula will separate fingers, badly bonded objects, and glue spills in minutes. It’ll also clean away glue residue, label adhesives, and stains.  The thick gel formula stays where you put it and can be used on vertical surfaces as well. It’s the easy way to get super glue off!