23 Surprising Ways To Remove Super Glue From Your Fingers (2025)

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23 Surprising Ways To Remove Super Glue From Your Fingers (1)

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Coconut Oil and Baking Soda

According to Melissa Maker, the author of Clean My Space: The Secret to Cleaning Better, Faster, and Loving Your Home Every Day, a coconut oil and baking soda paste can help remove super glue. Mix equal parts of coconut oil and baking soda and apply to skin. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes and after that begin to gently rub your hands. It’s one way to know how to get glue off skin painlessly.

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Salt and Water

Here’s another way you can get super glue off your fingers. Dip your super glued fingers in some water and then a pile of salt. Add some more water and rub the salt into the glue to get it off your hands.

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Mineral Spirits

As a solvent, mineral spirits will work to undo the lack of handy work you did by gluing yourself. Soak the glued area with mineral spirits and then try loosening the glued parts.

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Margarine or Butter

TheSuper Glue Corp. lists butter as a home remedy on its blog, so it must work, right? If butter is applied to the bonded area, as it softens, fingers will begin to peel apart. For the health-conscious, a butter substitute like margarine remains an equally viable option, though cooking times may vary.

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Olive Oil

Olive oil is even great for releasing your super-glued fingers. It might take a little longer to free your bonded appendages, but if there’s nothing else around, it’ll work just as well as another solution to getting crazy glue off your fingers. (Vegetable oil works, too!)

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Laundry Detergent

Laundry detergent placed directly on a super glue stain will remove that stain efficiently. So, if you have to figure out how to get super glue out of clothes, just grab the laundry detergent.

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Petroleum Jelly

Super Glue Corp. also lists petroleum jelly as a home remedy for breaking superglue bonds. Just massage the petroleum jelly into the skin until it is loose. It can be an effective solution for getting crazy glue off your fingers.

Neosporin is another similar option. It contains a petroleum jelly base similar enough to work on de-bonding glued parts.

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Lemon Juice

Lemon juice can work on affected skin and materials to loosen the hold of super glue. Work it onto the skin with a cotton swab or with a scrap toothbrush onto the material.

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Sandpaper

Grab a piece of sandpaper to remove excess super glue from a material for one solution on how to get super glue off wood. Just watch out for the grit and how much glue you really need to remove. You don’t want to strip the paint off of something at the same time.

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Goo Gone

Goo Gone is a catch-all adhesive removal liquid and is one way to remove super glue from skin. It can help loosen superglue and make it easier to remove.

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Nail File

A nail file or emery board can help rid people of super glue stickiness by scraping the dried glue off the affected parts. Keep a nail file in your home so you know what takes super glue off your skin.

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WD-40

Next time you’re working on a project and accidentally get somesuper gluestuck to your fingers, just spray the area with WD-40. The sticky glue will come off when you rub your hands together.

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Lotion

A little old lotion can help work your fingers free from super glue. Here’s how to remove super glue from your hands: rub in the lotion and gently circle your fingers to get them loose.

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Rubbing Alcohol

Soak a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and apply it to the skin. Rub the swab on the skin to loosen the bond of the glue. The rubbing alcohol works as a glue solvent.

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Magic Eraser

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers contain melamine, which can have abrasive properties when combined with other compounds. Just be careful when using Magic Eraser because of its abrasive quality.

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Nail Polish Remover

Make sure the nail polish remover you use contains acetone. Acetone is the ingredient that will break down the adhesive agents of superglue.

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Hydrogen Peroxide

Pour some hydrogen peroxide on your hands and begin rubbing. The sticky stuff will soon fade away.

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Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a great tool for pest control, it’s also pretty effective at getting rid of super glue. Regular vinegar is an opinion, too.

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Baking Soda and Vinegar

Baking soda and vinegar will help remove super glue from clothing.

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Toothpaste

Toothpaste will work when super glue gets on glasses, just make sure not to use toothpaste that has micro-scrubbers because they can scratch the lenses.

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Lip Balm

Because lip balms contain some petroleum jelly, they can be a handy tool to remove superglue when you’re in a bind.

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Window Cleaner

Some people on the internet have reported that window cleaners can help remove superglue from surfaces like desks.

Author

Rebecca Wright Brown

Rebecca has been her dad’s DIY assistant since she was old enough to walk. Prior to FamilyHandyman, she worked as a freelance writer and editor across industries.

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23 Surprising Ways To Remove Super Glue From Your Fingers (2025)
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