:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/young-woman-with-her-finger-glued-to-her-face-146362970-57790edf3df78cb62c0b7a62.jpg)
.................................................................................................................................................
How to Remove Super Glue
Removing
Cyanoacrylate Adhesive
By Anne Marie
Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Super Glue is a strong, fast-acting adhesive that sticks to just
about anything almost instantly, so it's easy to accidentally glue your fingers
together or drip the glue onto clothes or surfaces.
Even though it sets quickly and won't wash off, you can remove
Super Glue with acetone.
Acetone: The Anti-Super Glue
Super Glue is a cyanoacrylate adhesive. It's impervious to
water, but it can be dissolved in an organic solvent, such as acetone.
Some nail polish removers contain acetone, but be sure to check
the label, since many acetone-free products are available and will not dissolve
Super Glue.
You can find pure acetone in stores that sell home or art
supplies because it is a useful solvent.
If you view the Material Safety Data Sheet for acetone, you'll see it's flammable and toxic, so it's not a
chemical you want to ingest or inhale.
It is absorbed into the skin on contact. It dehydrates and
de-fats skin, so wash any spills with soap and water and apply a moisturizer,
if possible.
Removing Super Glue
How you apply the acetone depends on what you stuck together
with the glue.
Do not apply acetone to your eyes or lips, but it's still
possible to remove Super Glue from other areas.
Fabric: Acetone will remove Super Glue from fabric,
but it may discolor the material or alter its texture.
Work acetone into the affected area from both sides. Use a
gloved finger or a soft-bristled toothbrush.
The acetone will dissolve the glue and be rinsed away by still
more acetone.
Acetone evaporates quickly, but wash any fabrics that can
withstand cleaning.
Glass: Super Glue does not bond very well to glass, so you can
scrape it off.
It may help to soak the affected area in water until the glue is
loosened. Acetone won't harm glass but shouldn't be necessary.
Counters and surfaces: Acetone dissolves Super Glue
on counters and surfaces, but it may harm varnish on wood.
It will cause some plastics to become cloudy in appearance, and
it may discolor some materials.
Try to pry or scrape off the adhesive using acetone as a last
resort.
Skin: For fingers and most body parts, remove Super
Glue by soaking the skin in warm water and then slowly peeling away the glue.
You can usually pull the stuck skin apart because your skin is
more likely to tear than to detach from the glue using this method.
If necessary, apply a small amount of acetone using a cotton
swab. Since acetone is toxic, avoid using it if possible.
If you do need to use acetone, apply only the smallest amount
needed to remove the glue.
When to Seek Medical Help
If you stick together lips or eyelids or Super Glue gets stuck
on an eyeball, contact a physician: Do not use acetone.
The cyanoacrylate adhesive bonds instantly to moist areas, so
it's nearly impossible to swallow liquid Super Glue or for it to travel far
into the eyes.
That's the good news. The bad news is that you'll have to wait
for your cells to rid themselves of the glue on their own.
Fortunately, eye and lip tissue regenerate very quickly, so the
glue naturally detaches.
If you get Super Glue on your eyeball or eyelids, you may wish
to wear an eye patch or cover it with gauze. The glue naturally detaches from
an eyeball after several hours.
According to Super Glue Corporation, there are no known cases of permanent
damage from this type of injury.
It may take a couple of days to unstick eyelids or lips,
although tears and saliva hasten the removal.
People who have stuck their lips together tend to work at it
with their tongue, but even if you leave the area alone, it will un-stick in
one to two days.
Anne
Marie Helmenstine,
Ph.D.
Ph.D. in
biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville - Oak Ridge
National Laboratory.
Science
educator with experience teaching chemistry, biology, astronomy, and
physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
ThoughtCo
and About Education chemistry expert since 2001.
Widely-published
graphic artist, responsible for printable periodic tables and other
illustrations used in science.
Experience
Anne
Helmenstine, Ph.D. has covered chemistry for ThoughtCo and About Education
since 2001, and other sciences since 2013. She taught chemistry, biology,
astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
She has worked as a research scientist and also abstracting and indexing
diverse scientific literature for the Department of Energy.
In
addition to her work as a science writer, Dr. Helmenstine currently serves as a
scientific consultant, specializing in problems requiring an interdisciplinary
approach. Previously, she worked as a research scientist and college
professor.
Education
Dr.
Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of
Tennessee at Knoxville and a B.A. in physics and mathematics with a minor
in chemistry from Hastings College. In her doctoral work, Dr. Helmenstine
developed ultra-sensitive chemical detection and medical diagnostic tests.
ThoughtCo
and Dotdash
ThoughtCo is a premier
reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the
top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet
measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to
their questions on ThoughtCo.
For more
than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers,
solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content
publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of
the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20
industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named
Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.
No comments:
Post a Comment