How to remove plumber’s putty

Plumber’s putty is commonly used by plumbers to seal drain assemblies that connect to a sink. It is also used as a reliable, watertight seal at the base of a faucet, although it is not primarily used for this purpose, as faucets rarely leak from their base.

Often, when replacing the garbage disposal or disassembling the sink drain, you come across hardened putty. Fortunately, dried plumber’s putty is fairly easy to remove.

How to use plumber’s putty

Basically, plumber’s putty is soft and extremely pliable when it’s fresh out of its container. It takes several days for it to dry and harden after application.

When installing the garbage disposal or sink drain, use plumber’s putty on plastic, porcelain and cast iron sinks. Putty is also ideal for stainless steel sinks.

Cured putty comes off easily. If it doesn’t, you can scrape it off with a sturdy putty knife. This makes it easy to peel off. If any putty remains, try wiping it off with mineral spirits.

What is plumber’s putty made of?

While there are various putty mixes on the market today, traditional putty mixes consist of a mixture of linseed oil and clay, with minimal amounts of fish oil. Most putty products also contain limestone.

While some brands contain a greater percentage of limestone without listing linseed oil as one of the ingredients, traces of the oil are still present in the putty.

Linseed oil discolors surfaces that are porous. Therefore, plumber’s putty should never be used on marble and granite sinks to avoid staining them. Use a silicone sealant (water-based) on marble and granite sinks.

Removing plumber’s putty

Putty creates a strong, waterproof seal. However, it is not sticky. Therefore, it is easy to remove from a fixture after it dries. You simply apply some pressure to the plumbing joint to break up the hardened putty.

Using your fingers, you can easily remove much of the putty that may remain. You can scrape off the remaining putty with a sturdy putty knife.

With most sink materials, you can remove the linseed oil residue by scraping. If you can’t scrape it off, try washing it off with soap and water.

If residue still remains, remove it with paint thinner or white spirit. To do this, wet a piece of rag with paint thinner or benzine and vigorously wipe off the residue.

You can remove cured putty from a faucet or drain flange the same way you did a plumbing joint.

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