As a result of repair or construction work, it is necessary to cope with the consequences: to remove garbage, get rid of dust, remove residual paint or silicone sealant. If many people know how to wash off the paint, practically nothing is known about how to cope with the remnants of the sealant, which after two to three months become yellow spots, spoiling the appearance of only the renovated premises. This raises the question of how to wash off silicone grease, because an inaccurately formed seam not only looks ugly, but also collapses faster, starting to let water through, which will force a premature restoration of the structure.
What is the material?
Silicone grease is a white translucent mass that has been widely used not only in everyday life and industry, but also in aviation. It is actively used to preserve rubber parts and consumables and lubricate them, to prevent the destruction of various interior parts and electrical equipment. This is a heat-conducting material that withstands temperature fluctuations in the range of -40 ... + 250 ° C, which means it is suitable for electrical elements.
How to wash silicone grease: wipe, dissolve, cut?
Unfortunately, a universal remedy suitable for all types of surfaces has not yet been invented, therefore combined methods are used that can be used to sealant:
- soften (dissolve);
- cutting down;
- scrape off;
- wipe off;
- wash off.
If you do not know how to wash silicone grease from linoleum, then you can remove the sealant mechanically by preparing a set of tools:
- scraper;
- putty knife;
- sand paper;
- abrasive composition;
- a knife.
It is most convenient to work with silicone, taking a boot knife. With mechanical removal, they first get rid of a thick layer of the product, and then an abrasive substance (sodium chloride) is applied, and the residues are wiped with a scraper. Another way to flush silicone grease is to use a silicone solvent. After using the product, it remains only to wash the remaining traces.
An effective tool that will help get rid of sealant
Construction hypermarkets sell special fluids. The species variety of products is quite wide, therefore the question arises: how to wash silicone grease off the metal and how not to damage the surface? Which type of wash will be most effective?
To get started, find out what kind of silicone grease was used for sealing. They are one-and two-component. The second is often used in an industrial environment, so it would be appropriate to consider household one-component sealants.
According to the type of vulcanizing substance, they are divided into neutral and acidic. The neutral ones include:
- amine;
- amide;
- oxide;
- alcohol.
For safe softening of acid silicone on a stainless metal surface, concentrated vinegar (70% essence) is used. To dissolve the alcohol sealant, medical alcohol is suitable, and for the remaining neutral silicones, acetone, white alcohol or gasoline.
From the purchased special products you can choose Antisil or Penta-840, which are suitable for cleaning the surface, regardless of the type of curing agent used to produce silicone grease.
How to rinse silicone grease? It is better to purchase a special tool to make sure that the surface does not deteriorate during cleaning.
How to remove sealant from an enameled surface or tile
Leave mechanical impacts and abrasive cleaners on other surfaces. Acrylic and tile are sensitive to such things, so follow the concise instructions to put the surface in order and without damaging it at the same time:
- Using a knife or blade, remove a thick layer or sag of silicone, being careful not to touch the surface of the bathtub or tile.
- Apply solvent to sealant residues and leave for 2-3 hours.
- After waiting until the silicone softens and acquires a jelly-like consistency, try to pry it with a sharp object and completely remove it from the tile or acrylic surface.
- Wash cleaned areas and wipe with a dry cloth, checking to see if there is any silicone left.
Silicone grease lags badly
In some cases, the sealant cannot be removed with an entire strip. The reason for this may be the wrong choice of silicone softener or poor quality sealant. In this case, the treatment is repeated, wiping the surface with a cloth or sponge moistened with solvent. Repeat the procedure until the grease begins to curl, then remove the spools with a dry cloth.
It is not an easy task to face those who need to clean the old layer of porous sealant, not covered with enamel tiles. In this case, the adhesion of the substance and the tile is much stronger. Therefore, in order to wipe off the grease, in addition to the solvent and the sponge, it is necessary to use a pumice or scraper to erase the softened sealant.
Removing sealant from a plastic surface
It is easiest to remove grease from plastic or rubber surfaces, since the adhesion of the substance with this material is the weakest. You do not know how to wash silicone grease from plastic: from a shower cabin, acrylic bathtub, tray? The answer will surprise you. Moisten the grease with a solvent, leaving for 30-60 minutes, then rinse the remaining marks with a degreasing agent. Thus, it will be possible to remove the sealant only if “Primer” was not used during application, since its use significantly complicates the task.
For car rubber seals , special sealant is used. Using the same substances as for conventional silicone formulations, you can wash silicone grease off the rubber. The better you study the composition of the container, the sooner you will find a way out of the situation and successfully clean the surface.
As you can see, to wipe the silicone sealant off the surface, regardless of its type, you don’t have to make a lot of work, and you can do this even without the purchase of solvent solvents for silicone, which will save your budget.