# I've got spray foam stuck to my arms. How to remove it?



## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

I had to crawl into an 11" tall space to spray foam some penetrations and I got the job done but at the expense of bathing my arms in the stuff. I've used this stuff a lot but I've never had this much stuck to me. If it wasn't for a date over the weekend I wouldn't be so worried about it. So, what have you guys used to get cured spray foam insulation off your skin short of using a flamethrower?


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

scrape it off with a sharp knife.


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## PCI (Jun 8, 2012)

Special sauce, lots of it!


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## darthdude (Dec 30, 2012)

Laquer thinner will soften it up a bit, its also absolutely horrible for your skin/body and nowadays we're supposed to be more aware of such concerns:whistling, but it works!


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Try Acetone...:thumbsup:


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

Just grab it and pull.


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## Munanbak (Jan 19, 2011)

Buy a "lava rock" from a beauty shop.


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## Needles (May 18, 2012)

Hand sanitizer works to break it down when it still sticky. Soak in the bath tub for a bit and scrub it hard.


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## ScipioAfricanus (Sep 13, 2008)

A rasp file works for me, but then, I am a manly man and my blood platelets work extra quick.

The blow-torch you mentioned will also do the job.


Andy.


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## Diamond D. (Nov 12, 2009)

griz said:


> Try Acetone...:thumbsup:


Give that guy a cigar! :thumbup:


Been there... done that! :blush:

D.


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## realelectrician (Jul 13, 2011)

Cut the bulk of it off with a knife first then get and SOS pad scrub the rest off along with layers of skin:laughing:


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Youngin' said:


> I had to crawl into an 11" tall space to spray foam some penetrations and I got the job done but at the expense of bathing my arms in the stuff. I've used this stuff a lot but I've never had this much stuck to me. If it wasn't for a date over the weekend I wouldn't be so worried about it. So, what have you guys used to get cured spray foam insulation off your skin short of using a flamethrower?


Wear a long sleeve shirt for about 7 months and you can just leave it there.


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## ryanshull (Nov 1, 2012)

Gasoline.


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## rjconstructs (Apr 26, 2009)

Dried foam off skin? It's not gonna happen without surgery. That stuff has to wear off.


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## Rich D. (Oct 14, 2011)

Time.


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

Leave it there and tell your date you've had it growing out of your skin for years.


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## SclafaniBuilder (Feb 18, 2011)

How about spray foam gun cleaner??? That usually takes it right off my skin...


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## Rich D. (Oct 14, 2011)

Great stuff makes wipes for cleaning foam off skin. But of course thats for un cured foam.

Laquer thinner works. But i dont advise that due to how laquer thinner and the human body dont mix well...


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## Kent Whitten (Mar 24, 2006)

Just say you are the pioneer in a new fad of body painting.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

try goo gone that sometimes works on it


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## Joasis (Mar 28, 2006)

A basic understanding that your skin is in fact, porous, and the foam is "imbedded" in your skin. As your skin cells die off naturally, they are washed away, or scrubbed away...so the only safe way to get it off is basically live with it for a few days while it kills the skin cells it is in contact with, and then basically, you can rub it off with a wash cloth...you are not removing it, you are removing the skin it is attached to. 

Gun cleaner, and any petro solvent can break down the foam, but at the same time, your skin can absorb the solvents, or the reduced properties of the urethane, and like concrete, it can be toxic to some. If it is a little bit on my hands, off it comes...if I get it on my arms, I wait until it is ready to come off, and trust me, I have had a lot of foam on me from ICF installs.


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## donerightwyo (Oct 10, 2011)

At this point, I am sure he is confused what is real advice and what ain't.  I know I am.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Gun cleaner is the best opinion in my opinion. Also everyone should experience a acetone french bath once in their lives..


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## AmeliaP (Apr 22, 2007)

Time and Lubriderm - that works for Sani-Tred also.


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## Gus Dering (Oct 14, 2008)

Astro-Glide and lots of it. You keep rubbing till the magic happens.

Hand the bottle to your date and ask her to get the hard to reach spots.


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## hustler7 (Jan 7, 2010)

Gasoline is the best I've ever seen. Got my arm into a bunch of it, some gas on a rag wiped it right off. Not sure how well it will perform on dried stuff tho.


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## TimelessQuality (Sep 23, 2007)

Tell her it's a fungus, and that it's really not as bad as it usually is:whistling


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## ryanshull (Nov 1, 2012)

Let us know what works if you still have an arm left!


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## cabinetsnj (Jun 10, 2012)

Youngin' said:


> I had to crawl into an 11" tall space to spray foam some penetrations and I got the job done but at the expense of bathing my arms in the stuff. I've used this stuff a lot but I've never had this much stuck to me. If it wasn't for a date over the weekend I wouldn't be so worried about it. So, what have you guys used to get cured spray foam insulation off your skin short of using a flamethrower?


Maybe your date will like the fact that you are a little dirty.


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## Sabagley (Dec 31, 2012)

Paint it flesh tone , tell her it's something you caught while feeding starving kids in some third world country. 
Play the sympathy card!


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions both serious and otherwise haha. The stuff on my hands wasn't too bad but I'll tackle the arms when I get home tonight. 

She knows I'm a carpenter and I'm sure she doesn't mind rough hands but yellow peeling chunks hanging off my arms probably won't set the mood. Who knows though.


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## Rich D. (Oct 14, 2011)

Im suprised no one mentioned this...Why dont you just wear long sleeves? :blink:


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 26, 2011)

Gus Dering said:


> Astro-Glide and lots of it. You keep rubbing till the magic happens.
> 
> Hand the bottle to your date and ask her to get the hard to reach spots.


He said it was on his "arm ":laughing:


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## deckman22 (Oct 20, 2007)

A gas soaked rag does the trick on that stuff.


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## Young_Buck (Jul 19, 2009)

I always just pick off what I can (you say it's dangling...) and scrub off the rest with the scrubbin' side of a kitchen sponge. Alternatively, a belt sander.


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

Rich D. said:


> Im suprised no one mentioned this...Why dont you just wear long sleeves? :blink:


I did but I had my arms way up inside a joist and of course the sleeves got caught on something and combined with my clumsiness makes for a good mess.


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## Young_Buck (Jul 19, 2009)

Youngin' said:


> I did but I had my arms way up inside a joist and of course the sleeves got caught on something and combined with my clumsiness makes for a good mess.


were you using cans or a gun? The guns are worth it.


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

I had a gun attached to a can. I had a hose on the end because I can't fit the gun into the joist space. Had this little prop to hold up the hose. Some of the foam slopped over and that's how I made a mess.


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## Rich D. (Oct 14, 2011)

Youngin' said:


> I did but I had my arms way up inside a joist and of course the sleeves got caught on something and combined with my clumsiness makes for a good mess.


No just wear long sleeves on the date! Problem solved.


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## Diamond D. (Nov 12, 2009)

Rich D. said:


> No just wear long sleeves on the date! Problem solved.


That's fine for dinner, but what about later? :whistling

D.


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## Dustincoc (Sep 14, 2011)

I once had a cat try to climb into an open wall cavity I had just plugged a large hole in the bottom of with sprayfoam. His front paws were covered. Had to let it wear off, nothing would take it off that I dared use on a cat.


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## Rich D. (Oct 14, 2011)

Dustincoc said:


> I once had a cat try to climb into an open wall cavity I had just plugged a large hole in the bottom of with sprayfoam. His front paws were covered. Had to let it wear off, nothing would take it off that I dared use on a cat.


I bet that cat learned his lesson.. :laughing:


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## Dustincoc (Sep 14, 2011)

Rich D. said:


> I bet that cat learned his lesson.. :laughing:


I don't think so, last I knew they were still climbing into that particular wall cavity.(Long term project as money is available)


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

Dustincoc said:


> I don't think so, last I knew they were still climbing into that particular wall cavity.(Long term project as money is available)


A few months ago a neighbor called me about his cat, which had climbed into his home's framing in the garage, 24 hours before. We could hear the cat meowing, but it took about 3 hours of drilling holes, tapping, and listening, before we found her. She had crawled through a ceiling, then over an archway over the front door, and fallen head-down into a stud bay. We had to cut out some stucco and sheathing to get to her. The owner warned me the cat was pretty wild and would probably take off. He reached in, grabbed her by the fur on her back, and pulled her out. That cat was too tired to meow, much less run. I was awfully glad she was still alive, and grateful that the owner had called me. Anyway, yeah, cats like those tight spaces.


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## Dustincoc (Sep 14, 2011)

CarpenterSFO said:


> A few months ago a neighbor called me about his cat, which had climbed into his home's framing in the garage, 24 hours before. We could hear the cat meowing, but it took about 3 hours of drilling holes, tapping, and listening, before we found her. She had crawled through a ceiling, then over an archway over the front door, and fallen head-down into a stud bay. We had to cut out some stucco and sheathing to get to her. The owner warned me the cat was pretty wild and would probably take off. He reached in, grabbed her by the fur on her back, and pulled her out. That cat was too tired to meow, much less run. I was awfully glad she was still alive, and grateful that the owner had called me. Anyway, yeah, cats like those tight spaces.


This is an exterior wall of an old barn partially converted into a camp/house. The wall in that spot has framing for the outside and framing for the inside with about a foot in between. I could actually reach under the exterior wall and outside. That's the gap i was filling. It seems that the exterior wall has shifted outwards by a bit. Snow and ice would actually come through the electrical outlets in that corner of the building. I havent done much tearing in that corner for fear of what I will find.


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

Rich D. said:


> So how'd the date go???


Pretty decent. Took her skating on a frozen lake in one of the cities parks.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Youngin' said:


> I had to crawl into an 11" tall space to spray foam some penetrations and I got the job done but at the expense of bathing my arms in the stuff. I've used this stuff a lot but I've never had this much stuck to me. If it wasn't for a date over the weekend I wouldn't be so worried about it. So, what have you guys used to get cured spray foam insulation off your skin short of using a flamethrower?


You do know that on the back of the can there is clean up instructions? I believe it is acetone (nail polish remover). Comes right off.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Youngin' said:


> Pretty decent. Took her skating on a frozen lake in one of the cities parks.


Umm. How'd the date go?


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