Getting mastic/silicone off your hands or tools

skiddy2k

dont you just hate it when your putting some white silicone in your bathroom on the corner of your bath or lino and the mastic just doesnt come off your fingers?!!

the problem doesnt even go away much when you wash your hands in white spirit.

well, i think iv got an idea how to get it off, better than white spirit.

use washing up powder.
when its on your hands, because its waterproof, water doesnt really help, rinse your hands with some white spirit, then get some washing up powder and massage it into your hands, it loosens up the stuff!

and works on e.g. your scrapers aswell as if you've got some mastic on your floor, and its semi dried when it doesnt come off with a damp tissue.

would like to hear your feedback!!

Seamus

This sounds strange but it does work.

Next time your hands are caked up in the stuff grab a black plastic bin liner and rub your hands on it. It seems to change consistency and comes off on the bin bag.

DIRK_GENTLY

Before you use it dip your hands in a washing-up liquid solution---then it doesn't stick to your hands.

Davidboy

This may also sound silly, but I saw on a DIY prog, that to get this stuff off your hands use baby wipes ::)

Not tried it myself, but it worked on the tele!

dougk_2

Best practice is to buy some latex gloves if you are not allergic to them!

Jody_Eagen

I can confirm the baby wipes work. 30 minutes and 8 wipes, but they worked.

My canister did not work and the silicone was coming out the back rather than the tip. I did not know I should not use my fingers as a painter brush / scraper, so you can imagine what was going through my mind when I was done patching 2 leaks in my eaves and my hands were covered in silicone and I tried getting it off.

Well with paper towels on my keyboard and mouse, I found the posting about babywipes and thankfully I have a 3 year old.

Latex gloves yes. But if you are not smart enough to do that, the baby wipes work.

Carcon

Good to know, i'm planning to reseal my bath sometime this week so thanks for the tips

Rosebery_2

Carcon wrote: »

Good to know, i'm planning to reseal my bath sometime this week so thanks for the tips

There is no reason to get it all over your hands at all in honesty. Run a thin bead of silicone along the edge you want to seal - just enough to do the job no more. Most peeps put far too much down which is why it gets everywhere.

Before you smoothe it get yourself a saucer or similar with warm water mixed with a little washing up liquid in it. Dip your finger in the mixture and very lighly run it over the silicone to start compressing it. Do not press it and you won't get a filthy mess. Then do it again. By the third pass you should have a decent resultn and none on your hands either.

If its an acrylic bath don't forget to fill it 2/3 full of water before you start and leave the water in it for 24 hours to give the silicone time to cure.

And finally do use a decent silicone sealant like Dow Corning. The carp that the sheds sell is useless frankly.

HTH

Cheers

Carcon

Rosebery wrote: »

There is no reason to get it all over your hands at all in honesty. Run a thin bead of silicone along the edge you want to seal - just enough to do the job no more. Most peeps put far too much down which is why it gets everywhere.

Before you smoothe it get yourself a saucer or similar with warm water mixed with a little washing up liquid in it. Dip your finger in the mixture and very lighly run it over the silicone to start compressing it. Do not press it and you won't get a filthy mess. Then do it again. By the third pass you should have a decent resultn and none on your hands either.

If its an acrylic bath don't forget to fill it 2/3 full of water before you start and leave the water in it for 24 hours to give the silicone time to cure.

And finally do use a decent silicone sealant like Dow Corning. The carp that the sheds sell is useless frankly.

HTH

Cheers

Yeah i would probably have been using my fingers to run it along the edges. Recently had a new bathroom suite fitted but they appear not to have filled the bath before they sealed it so now i'm left with gaps round the edges and my neighbour having drips of water coming down her wall

maninthestreet

How did you manage to get silicone sealant on your tool?

m.shane

I so can relate to this. No matter how I washed my hands that sticky mastic won't come off. What I did is that I rub some oil on it and then in minutes it's loosen and was able to peel it off my skin. Whew!