How to Wash Fiberglass Out of Clothing

If you have ever broken glass on a thick pile or shag carpet, or have cleaned it from car upholstery or floorboards, you can probably guess why it's so hard to get fiberglass out of fabric. Glass shards are thin and hard to see, and they often have jagged edges on multiple sides so they grab on when going into the fabric and grab on when you try to pull them out.

When fiberglass fibers get into clothing, they jut out in different directions and poke into the skin. Even after clothes are removed, the skin can be itchy, red and sensitive for hours or even days. Protective coveralls or cheap thrift clothing you buy with the intention of throwing away at the end of a project are options, but just as it's possible to gently get the fibers out of your skin, it is generally OK to keep your clothing and wear it again.

One tip for picking clothes to work in, though, is to choose loose shirts and pants so the fiberglass isn't pushing directly through the fabric into skin. A looser fit also will keep the glass splinters from getting pressed into the fabric as deeply because there will be less tautness between the clothes and skin.

After finishing a project or work day where exposed to fiberglass, remove your clothes in an area where the particles won't shake off onto other fabrics. It's probably not the best time to give your spouse or partner a tight bear hug either. Remove clothing and keep it separate from other laundry or furnishing. For example, don't drape it on a chair or across the bed or the fibers may spread. It may work best to just toss the clothing into an empty washing machine and plan on washing it by itself rather than mixing the pieces with others.

Many companies that work with fiberglass products publish statements in their required material safety data sheets (MSDS) suggesting that clothing be washed separately and in warm water until fibers are removed. However, no specific guidelines for soaps or detergents and methods are given. Forums suggest using boar's hair or other rough-bristled brushes to slough off some of the fibers before washing. Others mention applying strips of tape or other adhesives to pull the particles out before putting the clothes in the machine. Most sources do add a step after washing that includes thoroughly washing and rinsing the washing machine itself after finishing a load of clothing.

How clean and fiberglass-free you can get your clothes also depends on how much you were immersed in disrupted fiberglass. Many projects involve working with the composite form, which is tight and has little fiber shedding, so a normal wash cycle, or two or more, may be enough to ready your clothes for the next project.