How to get melted plastic off of glass?

December 28, 2014 4:03 AM

Our son, in a fit of toddler madness, threw his polyester ball at our wood burning stove. Fortunately the stove is one with a glass door, but sadly we now have the melted imprint of a plushy basketball on the glass. What can we do, should we do, shouldn't we use to get the melted plastic off? The stove is mr brambory's pride and joy, so any help is much appreciated.
posted by brambory to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

Slice it off with a single-edge razor blade.
posted by jon1270 at 4:11 AM on December 28, 2014 [5 favorites]

Seconding the razor blade - maybe in the form of a paint scraper or ceramic / glass cooking stove scraper thing? Use a new blade as it will be less likely to scratch.

Then I'd scour lightly with a cleaner also intended for a ceramic cooktop.
posted by pipstar at 4:57 AM on December 28, 2014

Best answer: Thirding the razor blade or better yet a razor scraper tool. Steel is softer than glass so it's very unlikely to scratch the glass, and effective at prying even tightly bonded stuff off the flat glass surface.

NOT recommending the cooktop cleaner as it may contain abrasives har enough to scratch the glass.
posted by localroger at 6:00 AM on December 28, 2014 [2 favorites]

Best answer: It might help if the glass is a bit warm when you start scraping. And baking soda is a nice gentle abrasive to try if there's any residue remaining; moisten a sponge, sprinkle on the baking soda, and apply with vigor! Good luck!
posted by LaBellaStella at 6:57 AM on December 28, 2014

Best answer: If there is any residue that the razor can't get off, try one of the solvents listed here as NR (non-resistant). Isopropyl alcohol might be the easiest to obtain (try a drugstore).
posted by beagle at 7:01 AM on December 28, 2014

Please note that the "glass" on most wood stove doors is not actually glass. It may be a ceramic, which might react differently to a razor blade or to solvents or abrasives. I suggest leaving it as-is until checking with a stove expert.
posted by Hobgoblin at 7:30 AM on December 28, 2014 [3 favorites]

I second staying away from any abrasion. Even a razor could scratch the surface if any point of the edge becomes chipped and digs into the surface of the glass. This seems like the job for a solvent. Acetone should work. If somehow that doesn't do the job, move on to trying Methyl Isobutyl Ketone (nastier and harder to find) or even turpenoid might do it (cheap and easily found at art supply stores). For some peace of mind, take an old kitchen glass or something and expose it to the solvent before trying it on the stove door. Glasses are highly chemically stable and nearly insoluble with most materials which is why chemistry equipment is almost always made of glass or ceramic, so there is nothing to really worry about. Good luck.
posted by incolorinred at 8:30 AM on December 28, 2014 [1 favorite]

I'd go with acetone (nail polish remover) which you may also have handy. I have a bottle, and I don't wear nail polish. It's fine on glass (listed NR on the above list), and I once accidentally murdered a Transformer (forgive me, Jetfire) while trying to fix a bad paint job I'd done-- I dissolved the plastic parts.

Otherwise, I'd say warm it up and scrape it, as above.
posted by Sunburnt at 8:32 AM on December 28, 2014

Here is what Regency has to say about cleaning glass:

Only clean your glass window when it is cool. Your local retailer can supply you with a recommended glass cleaner if plain water and a soft cloth does not remove all deposits. Do not use oven cleaner on the glass as it will etch the glass.
Do not use any type of abrasive cleaner to clean glass.

Be careful with solvents around potential open flames, a lot of them are pretty flammable.
posted by Mitheral at 8:46 AM on December 28, 2014 [1 favorite]

I would contact the manufacturer. They will tell you what is safe to use on the surface.
posted by radioamy at 10:40 AM on December 28, 2014

This is probably not worth the risk of disrupting the seal, but is the window glass reversible?

If it is you could pop it out, reinstall it with the mark inside, and let the fire burn it away for you.
posted by jamjam at 10:59 AM on December 28, 2014

A heat gun might be the best method. It will soften it up so you can gently scrape it off with a razor scraper or plastic putty knife.

I bought a heat gun recently because I'll be removing some linoleum that's stuck down with adhesive, but I have used it for SO MANY things that would have otherwise taken way more work. I got mine at Harbor Freight on sale for under $10.
posted by The Deej at 3:25 PM on December 28, 2014

Response by poster: Thank you for your help. I'm pleased to report that the glass is now pretty much perfectly clean. We used a blade and a bit of cold water which made it brittle instead of sticky and got off the remainders with a bit of baking soda.

The more chemical approaches would have been our next step and yes, calling the manufacturer would have been smart.
posted by brambory at 9:50 AM on December 29, 2014

Wait till it's cold and brittle, and scrape gently with a razor. Then again when the stove is warm, if needed.
posted by theora55 at 1:25 PM on December 29, 2014