Polyurethane foam is the building materialwhich is used everywhere. With its help, various elements of structures are fastened and connected, it has sound and thermal insulation properties, it fills cracks and voids qualitatively and quickly. In addition, quite often it is used and not for its intended purpose, for example, in the manufacture of various handicrafts. And it is not surprising that at times she does not go where she should have been.
So how do you clean the mounting foam so as not to damage the contaminated surface and put minimal effort on it? We will try to consider all the options.
General Tips
Construction foam is removed much easier from any surface before it has yet had time to harden, so try to remove it in a timely manner, without waiting for complete solidification.
Any remover for mounting foam can damage the surface to be cleaned, so before using it, try to perform the test in an inconspicuous area.
The industry offers various options.solvents of polyurethane foam for cleaning wooden, metal, glass surfaces, for skin, for hardened and uncured foam, so always choose the one that suits you best.
Выбирая растворитель для монтажной пены, Try to give preference to the same brands that the foam you use, since most manufacturers try to use small “tricks” in their compositions that only the same “quirky” washes can fight with. Simply put, their compositions are likely to be the same, and this solvent will best clean the foam residue.
Even the most professional master of foammay not reach the place of its direct destination, but what can we say about those who decided to work with mounting foam for the first time? Most likely, everything around will be foamed. Below we will analyze the options for cleaning the foam from various surfaces without damage to it.
What if you get your hands soiled?
Polyurethane foam tends to expand andharden on contact with water, so wash it in the usual way will not work. In addition, the use of special washes is not always justified: they may simply not be on hand or they are not intended for use on the skin, you may be allergic to substances in its composition - there may be a great many reasons.
If you look unbiased, then the particular harm to the skinconstruction foam does not inflict, the matter is rather in the "decorative effect". So if you are ready to wear such a “decoration” for several days, you can leave it as it is. After a short time, in about a couple of days, it will disappear by itself due to the natural fat excreted by our skin.
But in situations where you have some important personal or business meeting, the question of how to wash the foam from your hands can be very serious.
In addition to special solvents (for example, Reiniger), which are not always effective, you can try to use proven folk remedies:
- Dip your hands in a strong solution of table salt and hold them there for about five minutes. After that, clean off the foam with a pumice stone or a brush with coarse bristles, and brush your hands with a greasy cream.
- Wipe your hands with an acetone-based product (perfect nail polish remover) or vegetable oil and apply a nourishing cream.
- Periodically wash your hands with a washcloth and, again, apply a greasy cream.
How to remove foam from clothing?
Quite often, in the foam are not onlyhands, but also clothes and the main difficulty here is to clean it off without damaging the thing itself. Many advise to "run" for the strongest cleaners that are commercially available, forgetting that few fabrics are able to bear such "abuse" on themselves. And still half the trouble, if you have soiled working clothes, in which you made repairs, but how to clean the assembly foam, if it accidentally fell on your favorite everyday or, even worse, a festive thing?
Unfortunately, in such situations only people's councils can come to the rescue.
First of all, carefully cut the foam as you cancloser to the surface, taking care not to damage the fabric. And then it all depends on the structure of the fabric. On some things, it will be impossible to completely get rid of the stain, and you will have to turn on your imagination in order to somehow decorate this area, others will have to be washed in a washing machine or process the damage with white spirit.
Thick fabrics can try to "fry" onthe sun or “freeze”, occasionally crushing the place of penetration of foam, so that it cracks. Remove residues with acetone and carefully wash the damaged area.
Polyurethane foam on varnish
It is necessary to use a thinning foam solvent on such surfaces with great care and only after compulsory checking of its resistance to washing action.
Другое дело, что снять пену с лакированных или laminated items quite easily and without special tools. A distinctive feature of cleaning such surfaces is that foam, on the contrary, needs to harden a little, to become, as it were, “rubber”, i.e. plastic, but not sticky to hands.
In this state, you will only need to gently lift its edge and pull - it will easily lag behind, leaving no trace (maximum, greasy stain, which is enough to wipe with a damp cloth).
Dried polyurethane foam on doors and windows
All solvents of the dried foam are usually quiteaggressive, therefore, hardly suitable for cleaning wooden and plastic surfaces. To "pacify the conscience", try Cosmofen or Fenozol on an inconspicuous part of the wash and start looking for proven folk remedies.
So, how to clean the mounting foam, in addition to the commercially available solvents, from doors, windows and other wooden and PVC surfaces?
- Gently remove the foam with a spatula or somea sharp object under the very foundation. Apply vegetable oil to the residue and leave for half an hour to soften the foam. Use a sponge with a rough structure (for example, for washing dishes), wipe off the residue and wash the place with soapy water.
- The second method involves the use of the pharmaceutical drug "Dimexide" for the joints. Apply it in the same way as vegetable oil.
We clean the floor from foam
The floor in the apartment is the surface on which the mounting foam most often falls. Removing its residues without a trace will depend on what material the damaged plane consists of.
Linoleum
If the foam has not yet hardened, carefully assemble it with a spatula towards the center so as not to expand the boundaries of the stain. Scrub the residue with a cloth moistened with acetone or foam remover.
Затвердевшую пену срежьте ножом как можно ближе к surface. For such purposes, it is convenient to use stationery, since it is quite sharp and thin. But be sure not to damage the linoleum. Leftovers as much as possible, scrub with a rubber trowel or coarse brush. Wipe off any stain with foam remover or gasoline.
Parquet and laminate
Unfortunately, these are the surfaces on whichIndustrial washings should be used with extreme caution, since they can do much more harm than good. Carefully collect all the foam mechanically. Remnants can be removed with Dimexide or vegetable oil.
If the stain is small, you should try to removeuse it with dry ice (in case of its absence, use a piece of frozen meat). Try to “freeze” the foam as much as possible, and remove the remnants with a knife or spatula, well, or “at worst” with a school eraser.
We remove construction foam from windows and mirrors
The wash may help remove the foam from the glass, butcapable of causing significant damage to the mirror. At the same time, with both of these ideally smooth surfaces, you can simply clean them off with a wooden or rubber scraper. Knives and other metal objects should not be used to avoid scratching the area to be cleaned.
What should I do if I get polyurethane foam on the car?
This happens, oddly enough, quite oftenwhen car owners put cars under the windows of a house in which the authorities "suddenly decided to replace the seams." The angry owner of the vehicle can shake his fists as much as he wants, but this will not help the case and he will have to solve the problem on his own.
The main task will be to try to remove the foam, without affecting the paintwork of the car.
If the damage area is small, it will be easier to remove it with an abrasive substance and refinish it.
You can also try to treat the surface with acetone or vegetable oil, and clean off the remnants of a piece of plastic or rubber.
Again, you can try to leave everything as isfor some time, if it happened in winter or summer, since it has already been written above that, under the influence of high and low temperatures, the foam changes its structure and can be cleaned mechanically (at the same time, check the quality of the coating - poor quality will go along with the foam).
When you really can’t wait to quickly get rid of the foam, try to heat this area well with a hair dryer and carefully scrub it manually.
The result
Все, кому хоть раз приходилось сталкиваться с removing residual construction foam from any surface will continue to be more careful how to prevent this from happening again. So try to look for positive points in everything: for example, you have not only gained invaluable experience, but also the habit of accuracy.
