Ask Mrs. Clean: House Cleaning, Stain Removal and Organizing Tips

[chocsoymilk]

I have a hairbrush with a silicone gel handle for ergonomic ease of handling.

My dog chewed up the hairbrush on the newly reupholstered sofa. Silicone gel has now soaked into the fabric. Luckily I recently sprayed the sofa with Scotchgard. However, I'm still having difficulty getting the silicone gel out of the fabric.

Any suggestions? I've tried placing a paper towel over the spot and ironing it. This does allow me to scrape more of the silicone gel off the fabric, but the silicone spot remains.

Thanks in advance.

[Danny Strickland]

Isopropal alcohol is the safest solvent you can use. get a much of the gel off first. use the alcohol and a cotton cloth to dab and lightly agitate the remaing gel. i would use a blow drier to speed the drying and avoid a moisture ring!

[mrscleannw]

Hi chocsoymilk,
Welcome to the Mrs. Clean Forum!
I would like to offer some advice, but first, can you tell me what kind of fabric is covering the sofa?
Mrs. Clean

[jak19424]

yep same problem...
silicone plastic grease on the micro-fiber couch..

[mrscleannw]

Hi jak19424, welcome.

Microfiber is the tiniest man-made fiber and is said to be finer than a piece of your hair. Microfiber is very popular because the fabric is soft, lightweight, and easy to care for.

The fibers leave no lint or dust, so microfiber furniture is highly recommended for allergy sufferers.

Microfiber is stain resistant, but it is not immune to stains and dirt. Check the fabric tag or manual prior to cleaning and always follow the manufactures suggestions first before trying anything else.
When using chemicals to clean your couch it is always best to test in an inconspicuous spot first.

Silicone is impervious to detergents, ammonia, and most stain removers. No product exists to completely remove silicone that will not also destroy the fabric.

There are several dry cleaning type solvents that are effective in removing silicone but be careful when trying these as you might damage the fabric on your couch.

Some other products you might try:
WD-40

Products containing Xylene like:
Lift Off
Goof Off
Denatured Alcohol
And Acetone
Commercial Silicone Dissolvers

Follow all manufacturers’ instructions and use plenty of paper towels as you try this to avoid leaving a larger stain from the stain remover and don’t use heat.

If the stain has been on your couch for a while you may have to repeat the process, letting it dry completely between cleaning.

If you have any doubts about doing this yourself you should consider hiring a professional cleaner.

Mrs. Clean

[Silicone Man]

There is a product that will remove Dried Silicone, Wet silicone, Liquid Nails®, Polyurethane Caulks, Expanding Foams, regardless of what some say is impossible! There web site is http://www.re-mov.com

Silicone Removal
Re-Mov Silicone & Adhesive Remover easily and quickly removes silicone and polyurethane caulks from a multitude of surfaces without damaging coatings or surrounding materials.
It's totally effective and absolutely safe on metals, including aluminum, glass, reflective glass, mirrors, wood furniture, floors, cabinets, fiberglass, gel coat, Plexiglas, polycarbonates, most plastics, most carpets, vinyl, fabrics, upholstery and clothing, varnished, urethaned or painted surfaces, stone surfaces, cultured marble, tiles Formica, Corian®, ceramics, enamel and porcelain surfaces, and brick.

Adhesive Removal

Re-Mov Silicone & Adhesive Remover also cleanly removes butyl and urethane sealants and adhesives, glue, foam gasket tape, film or foam attachment tapes, including very high bond acrylics, transfer adhesives (emulsion or water based), duct tape, coatings, chewing gum and most other sticky substrates and their residue from all surfaces.