Last night, I found a crack in the bottom of the kitchen sink. The caulk used to seal the sink got old. If I don’t remove them, the sink may fall on the floor and break down.
Also, to replace the new one, I have to remove the caulk to prepare a spotless surface. But at night, I have no caulk remover at my home. And I felt so helpless at that time. How to remove caulk without caulk remover. Find out what is the best way to remove grease and water from walls.
Do you ever face such a situation when you need to remove an old caulk immediately but you don’t have the caulk remover? In this condition, what can be an effective alternative to chemical caulk removers? Have any ideas?
Well, I can remove the caulk that night and save the sink from breaking down. You must want to know the technique and alternative tools for removing caulks right?
Just go through this article –
What is caulk remover?
Usually, caulk removers are specially formulated chemicals that are used to remove caulk effectively from stainless steel, wood, baseboards, marble, glass, porcelain, stone, and even clothes as well.
Caulks are used for sealing the gaps and joints strongly. But after a few years, it may be cracked or weak for several reasons. For applying new caulks you have to remove old caulks. For this reason, you have to use a good caulk remover.
Usually, Vinegar and isopropyl alcohol are used as the chemical of caulk removers But there are some disadvantages to them. First of all, they will finish after using it. Some of them are really expensive. Secondly, if you don’t follow precautions while using caulk removers, it may cause adverse effects. Isopropyl Alcohol may irritate eyes, hands, or a little in your mouth.
Additionally, when you need to remove caulk but there is no chemical remover near your hand, then you can go for non-chemical options.
So, we present some effective and non-chemical options for removing caulk easily. Here we go-
How to remove caulk without caulk remover?
Instead of chemical caulk remover, you can use some tools and DIYs to remove caulk. And they all usually exist in your house.
Caulk Removing Tools
- Utility knife or putty knife
- needle-nosed pliers
- razor scraper etc
DIYs for removing caulks
- Hairdryer
- Hot water
- Ice ( for cloths)
Using a Razor Scraper
A razor scraper is a great tool for removing caulks easily. To do this, you have to use a sharp and flat-edged blade. As a result, the surface will not scratch but rather clean all of the old caulks.
Though a small razor works well for removing thin layers, you need to work a little bit more for removing hard and thick layers of caulk. So far, the razor works more smoothly for Acrylic and fiberglass surfaces.
First, rinse the surface with warm water. Then gently use a razor from one corner. The caulks will start to pull off after a while. Then wash with plain water and dry the surface for further use.
Using caulk removal tools
Similarly, you can use a Utility knife or putty knife and pliers to remove caulks properly. Make sure your selected tool is sharp enough. Also, these tools are well polished so that no scratches fall on the surface.
To remove caulks from small corners and angles, a Utility knife is the best option for you.
For hard and multilayer caulk, you can use pliers. It can do this job properly.
Caulks become hard after application, you need to make them soft first. As you do not prefer to use chemicals, you can use heat instead.
After that, use a knife or pliers to pull away from the caulks. Then rub with a microfiber cloth to make the surface crystal clear. Wash with clean water. It will leave a sparkling surface.
Remove silicone caulk with your hairdryer or hot water bag
For fiberglass or stainless steel surfaces, you can use your hairdryer to melt the caulk. Hot water bags also work-life hair dryers. Again, using a hot water bag ensures zero investment in removing caulks.
So the process is the same for both. Here you also need to use the caulk-removing tools along with them to remove caulks perfectly.
Heat will make the silicone caulk soft mostly. First heat the air dryer at the highest setting. Then take it towards the 8-10 inches of silicone caulk for around 30-40 seconds at a time.
The caulk layers will start to soften. If so, keep it for a few periods again. Then use a plier, knife, or razor whatever you have or prefer. They will take off the remaining caulk.
After that, use a soft towel or cloth to clean the surface.
We would not recommend using a hairdryer and hot water bag for plastic surfaces. For excess heat, they may melt or be damaged.
Removing Caulk Stains from Cloth
While applying to remove caulks, there is a chance of falling caulks on your dresses or aprons. In this situation, wash the place of the cloth as soon as possible. The caulk needs time to be harder, so try to remove it by washing it first. If not remove all of them, rub an ice cube on them for a while. Or keep it in the refrigerator for up to 10 minutes.
Then wash again, all of the caulk will be gone like magic. Your clothes won’t be damaged anymore.
Precautions during removing caulk
When removing caulks using tools or heat, you should be careful to avoid any unwanted occurrence.
As caulks are silicon-based and hard, it starts dusting when you use pliers or razors. So use a mask, eye-protected glass, apron, and hand gloves.
Again the tools are sharp. So you should be extra careful and concentrate while using them.
Again, when using the hairdryer or hot water bag, wear heat-proof gloves. These precautions will save you from any damage, skin irritation, cutting down your hands, making your clothes dirty, etc etc!
Wrapping it up
Now, what do you think is the best option for removing caulks- chemicals or nonchemicals?
The non-chemical and DIYs are a little bit time-consuming but easy, cost-effective, and safer than the chemical caulk removers.
Here we mention the caulk removing tools and DIY ideas with step-by-step guidelines. You can easily remove any kind of caulk by following the steps. Also, we discussed the precautions of using caulk removal tools. Hopefully now removing caulk without caulk removers will not be tough for you.
