Remove silicone residues on tiles, glass and co

• Distance options
  • Suitable tools
  • cleaning supplies
• Remove silicone residues
  • tiling
  • Sink and shower
  • plastic
  • Glass
  • Wood
  • laminate
  • carpeting
  • dress

Silicone is a true all-round talent and is used in the entire household. It acts as a sealant and protects gaps from water. However, if it reaches the wrong places, then it is often difficult to remove. Learn how to best handle the different substrates to remove the silicone without causing damage.

Removing silicone can be necessary for a variety of reasons. On the one hand, the sealant may inadvertently have reached certain places. On the other hand, it may be remnants created during work. For example, if you pull the joints in the bathroom or in the kitchen and work with silicone, silicone residues are formed which have to be removed. Especially in the shower this is a common practice. Remove the joints later as you remove the bathtub or other objects, leaving silicone residue. While these are located on the tiles or the ceramic, when grouting window frames silicone residues on plastic and glass.

Distance options

Suitable tools

When removing large amounts of silicone, tools for mechanical removal are often used. This is where cleaning scrapers for the ceramic hob of the cooker but also other scrapers are used. This is possible in principle, but must be carried out with the utmost care. If you work with sharp-edged tools and slip off, then it can easily cause damage to the ground. It is ideal to use the tools for the first treatment and thus to reduce the thickness of the silicone residues. Work slowly and wisely. Another option is wire wool, which can also be used for mechanical removal. It is also suitable for working with fine silicone residues.

cleaning supplies

In the trade, various chemical agents are offered to remove silicone residues. They are mostly liquid and are given to the remains. After a short soak, the silicone residues can be easily wiped off. However, these are chemicals that naturally can cause side effects. Therefore, it is important to follow all safety instructions on the packaging and then to ventilate the room well. For which substrates the respective means are suitable is also evident in the description or the instructions of the remover. If you use cleaning agents on surfaces other than those specified, severe damage to the surface may result.

Tip: Test the chemical removers in a small spot to make sure they do not damage them.

Remove silicone residues

tiling

Apply silicone to the tiles, then it is best to react quickly. If it does not come to any drying, then you can wipe the silicone with a damp cloth. However, the dirt smear first on the tiles and only a part gets on the cloth. As a rule, wipe them over several times and work with sufficient water. The problem is that silicone is water repellent and therefore difficult to wipe off. Larger soiling may require multiple wipes. Another alternative with fresh silicone is dry household towels, with which the silicone can be removed from the tiles. If necessary, can be wiped or worked with a high pressure. For already dried silicone residues, for example, a steam cleaner is suitable, this softens the remains first. Alternatively, use can be made of ceramic field scrapers, which work mechanically and therefore require careful work. However, they are difficult to leave in small cracks without scratches.

Sink and shower

• Procedure similar to the tiles
• Remove coarse remains with a Ceran field scraper or steam cleaner
• remove fresh silicone residues with a cloth
• be careful not to scratch the curved surfaces
• work with steam cleaner
• use chemical agents
• Allow silicone to harden with ice cubes or ice spray and then remove

plastic

• Use detergents, oils or special detergents
• Use scraper for rough remains
• remove fresh silicone residues with a scraper
• Wipe the sealant with household cloth

Glass

If the joints are redrawn at the window, then silicone residues can reach the window. These are often difficult to remove. Even when still fresh, residues remain after wiping with a cloth. Water alone is not sufficient here because the silicone is water repellent. You can therefore try to work with other aids, such as dishwashing detergents . Add plenty of dishwashing liquid to the silicone without adding water. This must be completely enclosed by the detergent. This releases it from the substrate and can be removed with a cloth. In addition to dishwashing detergents, other household-based agents are often available to remove silicone. These include oils, such as baby oils or a body lotion. Alternatively, special silicone removers are offered commercially, which are suitable for glass. If the silicone remains dry, you can use a plastic scraper that will not scratch the disc. Even wire wool of strength 0 can be used carefully.

Wood

If the silicone remains on wood, then caution is advised. The soft surface combines with the silicone as it penetrates the wood. A mechanical removal alone is therefore not sufficient because remains remain. In addition, it can easily cause damage to the wood surface, so that it is either rubbed off or later appears rough. To remove the silicone from the upper layers of the wood, dish soap is a good choice. This dissolves the silicone, making it easier to remove. Although oils would be effective here, they usually leave stains that remain on the wood.

laminate

If silicone gets on the laminate, it can be roughly removed with a plastic scraper. Then you can work with detergent. The difficulty is not to put too much moisture on the laminate as it will otherwise swell.

Tip: Sealants used for laminating are not always silicone-based products. Therefore, when selecting chemical removers, the composition of the sealant used must be checked again.

carpeting

If silicone has got on the carpet, this is a bigger problem. Commercially available removers can damage the carpet as they can attack the material. Therefore, great care should be taken here. It is best if you have some leftover carpet left over. So you can try on these carpet leftovers, which means the silicone residues well remove and yet cause no damage to the floor. Possible, for example:

• dish soap
• alcohol
• Treatment with a wet-teat

However, this must always be a trial in a non-visible place in order to estimate possible risks. On the one hand, dried silicone residues are detached from the carpet fibers, but when removed, the hair on the carpet can break or be pulled out. Therefore, if you decide to use an ice spray to solidify the silicone and then remove it, caution is also required.

dress

When working with silicone, it can happen that this gets on the clothes. The distance from the fabrics depends on the material of the clothing. The smoother the surface, the easier the removal. However, in many cases, stains may remain or color changes occur on the surface.

Tip: If you work with silicone, make sure you choose the right garment. Since removal of silicone residue does not always work, you should use older and no longer needed clothing or work clothes.

If it is workwear, then it is about removing the silicone, color changes must be taken into account here. Therefore, you can put the clothes in the fridge or in the freezer and thus let the silicone harden. Then it can be rubbed off. For remaining stains can be worked with diluted vinegar essence. The stain is soaked with the liquid and must soak for a few minutes. Then you can wash the stain as best as possible in a small tub filled with water.

The clothing may only be placed in the washing machine when silicone can no longer peel off. Otherwise, the silicone residues can get into the washing machine and settle there on the drum. From here you can get to the next laundry on other clothes. It is even worse when the silicone passes through the openings of the drum and thus leads to a seal inside the washing machine. This can lead to the defect of the washing machine.

Tips for quick readers:

• chemical cleaning agents: pay attention to the respective surface
• Ceran field scraper for mechanical removal: work carefully
• Plastic scraper for mechanical removal
• Remove silicone residues as quickly as possible: Remove with a cloth
• Apply detergent to the silicone over a large area
• Do not use oils with wood
• Use oils for plastics
• for clothing: use vinegar essence
• Steam cleaners and wet vacuum cleaners can help
• Clothes with silicone residues not in washing machine
• Allow silicone residues to cool to solidify
• to aerate well by chemical means