When removing silicone caulk, it’s important to completely remove all residue from your surface. Any leftover residue will prevent your new caulk from forming a proper seal, as fresh caulk won’t bond to old silicone. This can encourage water intrusion, mold growth, and damage to the underlying substrate. These issues are avoidable with WipeOut Silicone Caulk Dissolver!

After removing the old silicone, whether by scraping or by dissolving it, you’ll want to ensure every last bit of silicone is gone. However, residue can sometimes be difficult to spot, especially in tight spaces or on rough surfaces. Here’s a quick test you can do to check whether your surface has any residue remaining.

Here’s an example image of a silicone bead that has been removed mechanically with a standard caulk removal tool. It’s obvious that there is still a lot of residue remaining.

But look what happens when we spray glass cleaner on the residue:

You can see that the glass cleaner preferentially wets the substrate surrounding the caulk. This means that the it “prefers” to bead up around the silicone residue. If you spray Windex or another glass cleaner on your surface and notice uneven coverage, there’s still silicone residue present, and your new caulk won’t adhere properly!

Here’s the same silicone bead following an application of WipeOut:

Visually the surface looks clean. But let’s confirm:

Now, the glass cleaner spreads evenly, with no beading—proof that all silicone residue has been successfully dissolved. This surface is now ready for resealing!

Want to see it for yourself? Try WipeOut and be confident you’ve removed every last bit of silicone!