How to Remove Bathroom Sealant

How to Remove Bathroom Sealant

Bathroom sealant does a really important job: It helps keep your sanitaryware in place and keeps your bathroom water tight. If your sealant becomes worn, there’s a danger of water getting in behind tiles, your sink and bath and causing lots of damage. On top of this, old, clean looking sealant helps keep your bathroom looking fresh.

Sealant Removal Gel

Sealant Removal Gel is usually a thick gel that you coat onto the old sealant; Most brands are manufactured to remove sealant from plastics, ceramic tiles, glass and painted surfaces.

You can use sealant removal gel to safely and effectively get rid of and replace old sealant. The great thing about using removal gel is that it will remove the sealant without scratching or damaging your sanitary ware; however, removal gel isn’t always effective at removing smaller bits of residue. You can pick up a bottle of removal gel for between €6 and €8 online.

Stanley Knife or Chisel

A possibly cheaper (if you already own the tools) but riskier way to remove old sealant is with a stanley knife or a chisel. For this method, you’ll also need safety goggles and work gloves to ensure your safety.

Simply slice the sealant away with your knife or chisel, but take care, as it’s easy to scratch surfaces, or worse, slip and hurt yourself. You can then remove any leftover residue with white spirit and a cloth. Keep dabbing the leftover sealant with white spirit (the alcohol in this will dissolve the sealant) and then rubbing it with a cloth until all traces have disappeared. If you’re struggling to get rid of all the sealant, you can also use an old toothbrush to scrub the rest away.

Remove Mould

Before you apply any new bathroom sealant, it’s really important to make sure the tiles, bath, sink or window are thoroughly clean and mould-free as fresh sealant won’t stick to dirty surfaces. Use white spirit and then bleach and water to clean the surface, allow it to dry before applying the new sealant.