How to Soften Gorilla Glue That Has Hardened in the Bottle

What happens when glue works a little too well?

Gorilla Glue is famous for its ability to quickly harden to almost any surface. But this can be a real problem when it has hardened in the bottle, and you need to use it. When this happens, you might think you must throw the bottle away and buy a new one. But don’t reach for your wallet just yet. Our handy guide will help you soften Gorilla Glue after it has hardened inside the bottle, allowing you to use it again.

Poke & Pray

It’s possible that not all of the glue has hardened inside the bottle. For example, it may only be the surface of the glue that has hardened. In that case, you may be able to fix the issue simply by poking a hole! To do this, you need to poke a hole in the cap on top of the bottle. You can do so by using tools such as screwdrivers or wooden dowels. The goal here is to break through the hardened layer so that you can access the usable glue inside the bottle.

The only issue with this approach is that the bottle is now ruined. To continue using the glue you’ve salvaged, you’ll need an alternate method of storage. Our “Prevention” section below offers some easy tips to help you get started!

Heating Things Up

What if more than just the top layer of the glue has hardened? In that case, poking a hole in the bottle will not help. The only solution left is to submerge the sealed bottle in hot water. First, you’ll need a pan of very hot water. There is no magic right temperature, but the water should be too hot for you to touch. In order to get water this hot, you may need to place colder water in a pot first and heat it on a burner until it is near the boiling point.

The next step is nice and simple; you simply submerge the Gorilla Glue bottle in the water for a few minutes. With a bit of luck, this will effectively loosen the glue and allow you to use it once again.

We say “with a bit of luck” because there are some bottles of hardened glue that are beyond saving.

Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

Options like poking a hole in the bottle and submerging the bottle may be enough to fix your problem. But depending on what caused the issue, you may be unable to save your glue. If the Gorilla Glue has hardened because it has lost its moisture, you are completely out of luck. No amount of poking or heating will bring that moisture back.

The bad news is that when this happens, you have no choice but to throw out your old bottle. The good news is that our prevention tips below can help you keep this from happening again.

An Ounce of Prevention

After you throw away your first bottle of hardened glue, you’ll want to know how to prevent this from happening again. And we have two tips that can prevent hardening, preserve punctured bottles, and generally extend the lifetime of your Gorilla Glue.

The first tip is to place the glue container inside a zippered bag. Something simple like a sandwich bag is fine. Doing so will protect the bottle from moisture, and it’s the only thing you can really do after puncturing the bottle.

To take things to the next level, store the zippered glue container in your freezer. The colder air inside has less moisture. And with less moisture around the sealed bag, your glue is safer than ever before.

Final Thoughts

Regarding hobbies and renovation projects, Gorilla Glue will hold practically any material together. It’s a lifesaver when you need glue that works really fast. And when your glue has hardened, it can create very annoying delays and generally ruin your workflow. The techniques we listed aren’t very complex, but they effectively soften the glue that has hardened inside the bottle. Following these tips will extend the functional lifetime of your Gorilla Glue and help you get back to work.

Keep in mind that it’s easier to prevent this problem than solve it. By keeping your glue in a zippered bag inside the refrigerator, you won’t have to worry about hardened glue the next time you reach for the bottle.

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