Have you ever used Gorilla Glue? Chances are if you have, you were immediately impressed with how strong the glue is. Gorilla Glue is often used to make furniture because of its strength and the fact that it is made with polyurethane. The best method to remove gorilla glue from skin is to wipe your hands, wash your hands, use a gritty exfoliator, dry your hands, and apply lotion.
Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that the founder of The Gorilla Glue Company first came across polyurethane glue in Indonesia as it was used to make teak furniture in 1991 and decided to import the product to the U.S. and create the Gorilla Glue brand!?
It could have taken much longer for the glue to reach the U.S. if he hadn’t stumbled across it then. Thanks to his chance encounter with the product, we can now buy Gorilla Glue in stores across the country and online.
Although woodworkers have gained a product that they can use besides a nail gun, there’s only one problem that anyone who uses Gorilla Glue will encounter after using it; once you get it on your skin, it’s nearly impossible to remove. Thankfully, there are a couple of methods that do work, so by the end of this article, you should have a good strategy for how to remove Gorilla Glue from skin.
Here is a video of someone from The Gorilla Glue Company describing how to remove Gorilla Glue from skin.
What You’ll Need
There are four methods to removing Gorilla Glue from your skin. Let’s start by taking a look at what you’ll need for the first method
For Method 1:
The first method for how to remove Gorilla Glue from skin is the method described by The Gorilla Glue Company’s employee in the video above. It’s best to try this method first. For this method, you will need:
- Dry cloth and paper towel
- Cool or cold water
- Soap
- Gritty Exfoliator
- Lotion
For Method 2:
If you still have Gorilla Glue on your skin or you wish to try a different approach, you can try using the second method for how to remove Gorilla Glue from skin. Although the video above recommends not using acetone, nail polish remover is acetone-based.
It is also a recommended possible method for removing glue in this article, so it is a relatively safe method. After all, people use nail-polish remover on their fingernails all the time. For this method you will need:
- A bowl
- Acetone-based nail polish remover
- Cotton balls
- Gentle moisturizer
For Method 3:
If your fingers are stuck together, you could also try this method to unstick them. For method 3, you will need:
- A bowl
- Water
- Butter, coconut oil, or avocado oil
- A dry cloth or paper towel
- Moisturizer
For Method 4:
If you are trying to find out how to remove Gorilla Glue from skin and are looking for another method to try, there’s a fourth. For this method you will need:
- A bowl
- Lemon juice
- A soft toothbrush
- Two dry washcloths
- Soap
- Moisturizer
Step by Step Instructions
Now that you’ve chosen a preferred method and gathered the materials you’ll need, check out the step by step instructions for removing Gorilla Glue from
For Method 1:
Follow these steps as recommended by the manufacturer.
1. Wipe Your Hands
If the glue is still tacky, you should try wiping your hands with either a dry cloth or a paper towel first to get as much of the glue off of your hands as possible. You may be able to remove some of the glue this way, which will make the remaining steps easier and less time- consuming.
2. Wash Your Hands
Next, wash your hands under the sink with cool or cold water and soap. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly, and for a longer period of time than you usually wash them for; otherwise, this step will not be as effective.
3. Use A Gritty Exfoliator
Use a gritty exfoliator. Apply the exfoliator to your hands. The exfoliator should be gritty because that will help wipe off the remaining glue.
4. Dry Your Hands
Use a dry cloth or paper towel (whichever you didn’t use in step 1) to dry your hands. Make sure that your hands are completely dry. Use a soft cloth or paper towel to avoid irritating your skin.
5. Apply Lotion
Finally, the last step is to apply lotion to your hands. By this step, you should have removed all of the glue. The brown stain from the glue might take up to four or five days to disappear.
For Method 2:
Follow these steps if using nail polish remover.
1. Pour Nail Polish Remover
If you wish to take a different approach and use a stronger removing substance to remove the glue, try the nail polish remover method. The first step of this method is to pour nail polish remover into a bowl.
2. Soak A Cotton Ball or Cotton Swab
Next, soak a cotton ball or swab in the nail polish remover. Make sure that the cotton ball is completely soaked. You may need to use multiple cotton balls throughout the process for this method.
3. Apply The Cotton Ball or Cotton Swab
Apply the cotton ball or swab to your skin. It’s important that you completely saturate your skin with the nail polish remover. Hold the cotton ball to your skin for one minute, and then remove the cotton ball.
Next, get another cotton ball, dip it in nail polish remover, and apply it to your skin for one minute. Continue to do this until the glue has dissolved.
Keep in mind that acetone can dry out and irritate your skin. People who have skin conditions like eczema are more likely to have irritated skin after applying nail polish remover to their skin. For this reason, the final step is crucial for Method 2.
4. Apply Gentle Moisturizer
Finally, once the glue has dissolved, apply a gentle moisturizer to your skin. It’s important to use a moisturizer designed for sensitive skin so that your skin can recover. Continue to apply moisturizer to your skin as needed over the next few days.
For Method 3:
Using the oil or butter method? Follow these steps.
Method three is a different method you can use to remove Gorilla Glue from your skin. This method is used sometimes for fingers that are stuck together.
1. Fill A Bowl
Fill a bowl with water and soak your hands in the water for a few minutes.
2. Rub Oil Or Butter
Rub coconut oil, avocado oil, or butter onto the glue. This can help to remove the glue from your skin.
3. Continue With More Oil
Rub more coconut or avocado oil onto the glue until the glue is gone.
4. Dry Your Skin
Next, dry your skin with a dry paper towel or cloth. Make sure that your skin is completely dry before moving on to the next step.
5. Apply Moisturizer
Finally, apply a moisturizer to your skin as needed over the next few days. This is especially important for people who have sensitive skin or who have skin conditions.
For Method 4:
Ever notice how difficult it is to eat lemons and limes? They are just so sour! That’s because they are very acidic fruits. Interestingly enough, this acid can help you remove glue from your skin if you apply lemons to your skin correctly.
1. Pour Lemon Juice
The first step is to pour lemon juice into a bowl. You need to use an adequate amount of lemon juice.
2. Soak Your Skin
Soak your skin in the lemon juice. You need to do this for five or ten minutes to make sure the process is effective.
3. Rub The Lemon Juice
Next, using the soft toothbrush, rub the lemon juice onto your skin. It’s important that you use a soft toothbrush, with soft, light motions, as using a hard toothbrush or a more aggressive brush stroke could irritate your skin.
4. Rub Skin With Washcloth
Rub your skin with a dry washcloth. Rubbing your skin with the toothbrush and then the dry washcloth will remove the Gorilla Glue.
5. Wash Your Hands
Wash your hands with soap and water to wash any remaining lemon juice away.
6. Dry Your Hands
Dry your hands with a second dry washcloth. You have to remember to use the second one. Otherwise, you might wipe the lemon juice onto your skin again.
7. Apply Moisturizer
Finally, once your hands are dry, apply moisturizer as needed.
Final Thoughts
There are multiple possible ways to remove Gorilla Glue from your skin. However, it makes the most logical sense to try the method suggested by The Gorilla Glue Company first since it’s their product that you are trying to remove. However, if you are unsatisfied with the results, one of the other methods is likely to work well.
If your issues with Gorilla Glue happened because you spilled the glue on your skin during a woodworking project, you might want to check out my picks for the best orbital sanders, best sawzalls, best table saws, and more.
Now that you know how to remove Gorilla Glue from skin, there’s no longer a downside, so you can get back to using it!
