How do I get superglue off skin and surfaces?

Superglue bonds skin in seconds and comes off far more easily than people expect, provided nobody pulls. Almost all superglue injuries come from the first reaction rather than the glue.

Safety

Step by step

1. Do not pull bonded skin apart.The bond is stronger than skin, so pulling tears it. This is the only genuinely important instruction here, and it is the one people ignore in the first ten seconds.
2. Soak in warm soapy water.As warm as is comfortable, for several minutes. Add washing-up liquid. The warmth and the water soften the bond gradually and it is the correct first move for skin.
3. Roll rather than pull.Once softened, work the surfaces apart with a rolling or peeling motion, or slide a blunt edge such as a spoon handle between them. Slow and sideways rather than straight apart.
4. Use oil for stubborn skin bonds.Olive oil, butter or a hand cream massaged into the edge over a few minutes. It works into the bond and is gentler than acetone on skin.
5. Use acetone only if oil fails, and not on broken skin.Nail polish remover containing acetone, on a cotton bud at the edge. It is effective, drying and an irritant — wash afterwards and moisturise. Never on broken skin, near eyes or on children.
6. Let glue on fingertips wear off.A patch of dried glue with nothing bonded to it will come away by itself within a couple of days. Picking at it removes skin with it.
7. Treat eyes and lips as medical.Glue in an eye or on an eyelid should not be treated at home — cover it and go to A&E. Lips bonded together usually release with warm water and saliva, but do not force them.
8. Test acetone on hard surfaces first.Somewhere hidden. It dissolves many plastics, strips varnish and damages painted and laminated surfaces. On glass, ceramic and most metals it is safe.
9. Soften rather than scrape on hard surfaces.Acetone on a cloth held against the glue for several minutes rather than rubbed. Then lift the softened edge with a plastic scraper. Scraping dry glue takes the surface with it.
10. Use a plastic scraper or a fingernail on glass.Glass tolerates a blade held almost flat, but a plastic scraper is safer and usually enough once the glue has been softened.
11. Freeze it off fabric.Fabric is the hardest case. An ice pack makes the glue brittle so some can be picked away. Acetone will often damage the fabric or its dye, so test somewhere hidden.
12. Never mop a spill with a cotton cloth.Superglue reacts exothermically with cotton and wool, and a large spill can generate enough heat to burn and to smoke. Let a spill cure and deal with it as a solid.
13. Prevent it next time.Gloves, a sheet of card underneath, and the tube stored upright with the cap clean. Most superglue incidents start with a blocked nozzle being squeezed hard.

Tips

• Superglue cures with moisture, which is why it grabs skin instantly and why a tube left open in a humid room sets solid.
• Keep the tube in a sealed bag in the fridge. It extends the life considerably and stops the nozzle setting between uses.
• A pin through the nozzle before use prevents the hard squeeze that causes most of the mess.

Common mistakes

• Pulling bonded fingers apart — The bond is stronger than skin, so pulling tears it. Soak in warm soapy water and roll the surfaces apart instead.
• Wiping a spill with a cotton cloth — Superglue reacts with cotton and wool and generates real heat — enough to burn and to produce smoke with a large spill.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask