Methods for removing silicone grease stains from clothing, floors, and other surfaces

Silicone-based oils and greases are common today in many areas of human activity, so a stain from silicone grease can appear on any thing. Fortunately, if you correctly approach the issue of cleaning, at home it is quite possible to wash clothes soiled in silicone, remove dirt from the floor and furniture. Consider the main methods and choose the most effective.

Why is silicone grease difficult to clean?

Very often, the disadvantages become the virtues shown "at the wrong time, in the wrong place." Stains from silicone-based lubricants are difficult to wash for the same reasons that these substances are so popular in technology and everyday life.

Here are the most important properties of silicone greases that interfere with stains:

• Speed ​​of hardening. If you do not wash the silicone grease almost instantly, then it will be much more difficult to do.
• Resistance to moisture and heat. Even very hot water does not help in removing stains from silicone on its own.
• Great elasticity and excellent adhesive properties. The grease fits perfectly on any surface and with great difficulty is cleaned from them. This allows her to reliably reduce friction, but is very difficult to clean.

Do not proceed to stain removal without understanding all the nuances! By inept actions it is easy to damage the surface and spoil the thing being cleaned.

To understand how to deal with silicone grease, you first need to figure out what it is. Having understood the structure, it is easy to choose a suitable solvent.

Determine the type of lubricant

By its chemical nature, silicone is close to rubbers. In order to get grease (as well as sealant, glue or other silicone mixture), silicone must be dissolved in a suitable liquid.

Two types of solvent are most commonly used:

• Acid. It is easy to distinguish funds on such a basis: they emit a characteristic smell of vinegar.
• Neutral. Typically, such solvents do not have a specific color and odor.

The cleaning method depends on the type of solvent. Therefore, to remove the stain as quickly and without a trace as possible, before starting work, you should read the composition of the product on the package.

We wash stains from clothes

Dry cleaning specialists will help remove silicone dirt from a down jacket, jacket, and jacket. But such a solution is not always acceptable. In some cases, it is not possible to spend 2-3 days waiting for the item to be returned after cleaning, and you don’t feel like spending money.

At home, several methods are used to remove silicone stains from clothing. Each of them has positive and negative sides, therefore we will dwell on them in more detail.

• The mechanical method involves removing pieces of silicone with a sharp knife. The fabric is pulled in one layer, and then, gently picking up the silicone film, remove it piece by piece. It is necessary to act very carefully so as not to damage the fabric.

The mechanical method will only help against fresh spots that do not have time to dry.

• The chemical method is based on the destruction of a dried film with a solvent. The store sells a lot of products that can cope with silicone-based mixtures (for example, Penta 840, Antisil). The product is sprayed onto the stain, given time to dissolve the film, and then the residual contamination is washed off.

Before you clean the clothes with a chemical product for the first time, try “dyeing” the dye by spraying solvent on clothing in an inconspicuous place. If the product does not damage the paint, it can be used.

• For old spots, the folk method is recommended. The dried film is steamed with an iron through wet gauze. After that, softened silicone is much easier to wash off.

How to wash or clean grease from furniture?

The same methods that are used to clean clothes will help remove stains from fabric-covered seats.

It is easiest to wipe off silicone with plastic furniture: this surface has minimal adhesion to silicone. Large pieces are cleaned with a spatula, and then the remaining stains are washed off with acetone or another degreasing compound.

Silicone is carefully cut off from the wooden parts and polishes. From solvents and abrasives, the surface becomes cloudy, so you have to act manually and as accurately as possible.

We remove stains from the floor

To wipe off silicone stains from linoleum, Penta-840 is the best choice. Acid based formulations will help dissolve the vinegar essence, but it is important to make sure that it does not destroy linoleum itself.

Silicone is removed from the tile in three stages:

1. First, the coarsest influx is cut with a knife.
2. Then the contaminated area is moistened with a solvent and left for several hours.
3. After that, it is easy to pick up the softened film with a knife or spatula and remove the pieces.

Finally, we note: the faster you start removing the stain from the silicone compound, the easier it will be to do it. Do not delay cleaning!