Silicone sealant is an extremely effective tool for insulation of various kinds of joints. Despite the high efficiency and ease of use, it is extremely difficult to remove it from surfaces, since when it enters materials, the substance quickly penetrates into their structure. Let's find out how to remove the silicone sealant.
Mechanical cleaning method
How to wash silicone sealant? If you want to remove a layer of hardened substance from surfaces, you can mechanically. However, it is recommended to use such a solution only for cleaning sufficiently hard materials that are not afraid of scratches.
How to clean silicone sealant? The following tools may come in handy here:
- metal scraper;
- abrasives
- sandpaper;
- putty knife;
- stationery knife ;
- sharp blade;
- metal brush.
It is necessary to choose a tool for removing silicone sealant, depending on the situation. The best solution for scraping a thick layer of solidified substance is a sharp scraper, clerical knife, and a durable spatula.
First you need to remove the surface layer of sealant. Abrasive powder should be applied to the remaining material . Next, use a stiff brush to clean the surface.
In conclusion, it is necessary to finish polishing the contaminated area. To do this, use a piece of fine-grained sandpaper. Then it remains only to wash the traces of sealant with a sponge soaked in household detergent.
Chemical cleaning method
A solvent for silicone sealant is capable of coping with the task. Similar products are available in the form of pastes, aerosols, foams. Among the solvents that have proven themselves when removing silicone sealants, it is worth noting:
- "Lugato."
- Penta-840.
- Silikon-Entferner.
- Antisil.
- CRC Gasket Remover.
How to remove silicone sealant if it is not possible to purchase a specialized, expensive solvent? In this situation, acetone will come to the rescue. In addition, the white spirit solvent has proven itself of the available household products. To remove the hardened layer of silicone sealant from surfaces using the indicated means, it is enough to perform work in the following sequence:
- Pre-mechanically remove as wide a layer of the substance as possible without damaging the surfaces.
- Apply white spirit or acetone to the contaminated area. Leave a piece of fabric soaked in the selected product on the surface for about an hour. After the specified time, the hardened silicone sealant should acquire a jelly-like texture.
- Gently pry off a layer of material with a sharp blade. Try to remove silicone in large layers or immediately remove the entire contamination, if possible.
- If necessary, repeat the procedure in the same sequence.
Heat treatment
How to dissolve sealant? A sufficiently effective solution is the effect on hardened silicone with high temperature. In this case, it is necessary to warm the contaminated surface to at least 400 ° C. After softening the silicone sealant, it can be removed with a regular sponge soaked in detergent. However, this method is suitable for cleaning far from all surfaces.
How to remove silicone sealant from clothes?
Quite often, in the process of working with silicone, the material gets on clothes, solidifying in the structure of the fabric. In such a situation, even expensive stain removers and powders will be useless.
How to wash silicone sealant from clothes? To save a thing dear to the heart, it will be enough to use an alcohol solution and acetic acid. At the preliminary stage of cleaning, you will have to resort to scraping the surface layers of the sealant mechanically. It is enough to soak up the rest of the substance with alcohol, and then apply a sponge moistened with vinegar to the fabric. In this condition, clothes should be left for about half an hour.
As a result of the above exposure to the fabric, the sealant softens. Thus, it will be enough to clean the contaminated areas of clothing with a rag or brush. After these measures, the remaining silicone will easily leave the fabric during machine or hand washing.
How to remove sealant from the skin?
If the silicone substance has time to harden on the skin, do not panic. It can be washed using a nail polish remover, vinegar, ethyl alcohol, or vegetable oil. A small amount of one of these substances must be applied to a cotton swab and treated contaminated skin areas. Finally, wash your hands with detergent.
When you need to remove fresh sealant from your hands, just put a plastic bag on the dirt. Fresh substance will stick to cellophane and remain on its surface. Then it will be enough to thoroughly wash the skin with laundry soap under a stream of warm water.
How to remove silicone sealant from a bathtub, sink, tile?
The best solution in this situation is the use of specialized solvents - Penta-840, Antisil, Lugato, which were already mentioned in the material. Here it is worth focusing on the recommendations presented on the packaging of the product.
Before dissolving the sealant, it is recommended to carefully remove the layer of hardened material with a sharp blade. You need to work extremely carefully so as not to harm the decorative coatings. The remnants of the sealant softened by chemical means can subsequently be removed with a wooden stick, rags, wiped with a moistened sponge.
Cleaning plastic sealant
The most simple is to remove the sealant from the plastic. Indeed, between the materials presented, a rather weak coupling is formed due to poor adhesion of substances.
The shower cabin can be cleaned from traces of sealant if the places of contamination are treated with any solvent, whether it is white spirit or acetone. The remaining traces will be sufficient to soak with a degreasing agent, such as alcohol, and then wipe the surface with a sponge.
Removing sealant from glass
How to clean silicone sealant when it hardens on a glass surface? In this case, the same white spirit will come to the rescue, which must be applied to a piece of tissue and applied for half an hour to the site of contamination.
Then you can proceed to mechanical cleaning. To do this, apply slightly moistened table salt to the sponge. The remnants of the softened sealant should be removed by performing circular movements in one direction. To avoid the formation of scuffs and scratches on the glass, it is worthwhile to carry out a fairly light pressure on the surface when it is processed with an abrasive.
Silicone Seal Precautions
As you know, any trouble is easier to prevent than to deal with its consequences. Therefore, in order not to burden yourself with questions about how to clean silicone sealant, when working with the material, it is worth resorting to simple preventative measures:
- The use of rubber gloves will protect the skin from substance ingress.
- Drops of sealant must be cleaned with a damp sponge immediately after they hit the surface. After the material hardens, it will be much more difficult to cope with the task.
- Before processing joints with sealant, it is recommended to insulate surfaces with masking tape. Thus, you can not only get perfectly smooth contours, but also avoid smudges of the substance.
Finally
As you can see, silicone sealant is able to leave fairly stable spots on the surfaces. To prevent this from happening, you need to work with the substance very carefully. If the precautionary measures did not allow to avoid pollution, the methods that are presented in this material will allow to eliminate the problem.