Asked on Jan 31, 2014

Anyone have a secret to getting caulking off metal without scratching

Brad Rothlin
by Brad Rothlin
  17 answers
  • Krystal Krystal on Feb 02, 2014
    Lowes and Home Depot sell caulk remover, it is a spray and sold in the same area as the caulk. My husband says it works well. Hope this helps.
  • Debi Debi on Feb 02, 2014
    Any of the caulk removers help a lot! While you're at Home Depot (or any other box store), go to the kitchen area and grab a hand full of the laminate samples.I keep them everywhere, as they work great at removing stickers, caulk and many other things!! Without scratching!!! Get rounded edged pieces and some square cornered pieces, once you try these, you might even keep one in your wallet!! I have 2 in my purse clipped in place with a key ring clip!!! One of those will scrape off the caulk without scratching and they are very strong. I do handyman work often and just did another caulking job.....laminate is better than a scraper even on tubs and sinks!
  • Lisa T Lisa T on Feb 02, 2014
    Goo Gone works... Spray it on and let it set and it will dissolve it so you can scrap it off < use a plastic scraper so it won't scratch the surface>>
  • Sandra Hubley Sandra Hubley on Feb 02, 2014
    Pampered chef sell scrapers (little brown squares) and they are great for removing anything and everything...!Last forever. Try heating up the caulk, see if that makes it easier to scrape.....
  • If you have some Vodka in a cabinet just sitting, try that. LOL I have had a friend tell me she saw it on the internet and tried it and it worked. had to soak the vodka on the caulking but she said it worked like a charm. good luck
  • Rose Van Cleave Rose Van Cleave on Feb 02, 2014
    Not sure but would a heat gun work?
  • Robin B. Robin B. on Feb 02, 2014
    My husband works for a caulking company...he says to use a plastic scraper. The Pampered Chef suggestion is a good one.
  • Brad Rothlin Brad Rothlin on Feb 02, 2014
    Thx everyone for your help. I'm gonna throw out a plug for a product that really works - Liftoff found it at Home Depot
  • Eileen Bush Eileen Bush on Feb 02, 2014
    hi....i have done this myself and it worked....use a hair dryer and gently scrape...good luck
  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on Feb 02, 2014
    I found little scrapers at Walmart in the kitchen section for 97 cents each. They are smaller than the size of the palm of my hand, and very sturdy. Use them for any scraping after using something to loosen what you're trying to scrape. When I scraped caulk off the side of my tub, Goo Gone did the trick. Let it sit for awhile before scraping - worth the wait!
  • Nic Nic on Feb 02, 2014
    Definitely use a caulk remover. It won't "remove" it, but it will loosen it enough to cleanly scrap up with some patience. I usually use a plastic putty knife, found in the paint section.
  • Judith Thomas De Neville Judith Thomas De Neville on Feb 03, 2014
    Try using baby oil ..... you can spray it on or just saturate the caulking with it let it sit a bit and it should scrap off with you finger nail ..... won't hurt the finish ... the oil releases the adhesive quality of the caulk..... it has worked for me .... Good luck!
  • Lanet Tolzin Lanet Tolzin on Nov 19, 2014
    Rubbing alcohol works quite good, just use a cotton ball to put it on and rub it off.
  • CC CC on Jan 27, 2015
    Maybe goof off. That stuff removes everything. I would try it in a spot you can't see just to make sure it doesn't remove the finish. But I swear by this stuff. I know Lowes sells it.
  • Steffony Steffony on Jan 30, 2015
    Goof off works great and won't harm finish .
  • MM MM on Feb 27, 2016
    I use old plastic cards (credit, bank, gift cards..etc) for removing dry caulk and for creating clean seams on install. Plastic doesn't scratch. Also, it's great for dried blobs of latex paint But note: it all has to be dry. Once it's smeared it's a lot more work to remove.
  • Carey Carey on Sep 07, 2016
    You might try warming it with a hair dryer and scraping off with an old credit card.