<p>I would try a single edge razor blade at a low angle used as a scraper.  If you can't feel the blade catching in the residue,  it probably isn't an issue.</p>
<p>If you must get rid of it you don't have good choices of solvents.  Maybe you can burn it off by placing the class in an oven through a clean cycle.  With luck the hearing and cooling won't break the glass.</p>
<p>If you can't scrape it off with a sharp razor blade,  I would just let it be.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T11:26:34.180Z
Take care that you don't heat the glass so hot that you lose it's planar surface shape.  Also take care not to change temperature too fast.
Perry Webb
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T12:45:44.410Z
Heating the glass in a oven clean cycle is a very risky move considering the 500°C temperature, but the good point of the answer is the other one: if a razor blade cannot scrape it, it's probably not a problem for printing.
FarO
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T03:00:20.143Z
2020-10-21T03:00:20.143Z
cmm
<p>I had exactly the same issue.  I read where ethyl acetate would work so I bought a can of Klean Strip M.E.K Substitute (<a href="https://www1.mscdirect.com/MSDS/MSDS00052/70250402-20200318.PDF" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MSDS</a> says it is ethyl acetate) at Home Depot and it works like a champ.  No heating of the bed is required. All of the PLA build-up came off with a cloth rag and a little bit of elbow grease.  Make sure to follow instructions. Good luck.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-18T19:19:09.393Z
2022-12-18T20:20:06.160Z
2022-12-18T20:20:06.160Z
Rich Eissler
<p>Heat the bed to around 90 °C and then scrape everything off with a metallic scraper, like the ones used to fill gaps in walls. No need of a super sharp one, since the plastic will be very soft a that temperature.</p>
<p>If you have a razor blade and a <strong>proper handle to avoid cutting yourself</strong>, you won't need to heat the bed to more than 40 °C, since you dont want the plastic to be too soft.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-04T19:05:48.473Z
Heating the bed to 100 °C so that the PETG was soft and scraping off with a putty knife worked for me to remove a 1st layer.
Perry Webb
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T08:36:28.573Z
2020-10-21T08:36:28.573Z
FarO
<p>It's probably not practical, but what would be ideal is to put the glass from the bed in an oxygen plasma asher used in the semiconductor industry.  It would probably be difficult to get a used one large enough, since your bed size probably matches state of the art wafer sizes.</p>
<p>What would be even more practical is for someone to develop an oxygen plasma cleaning torch that wouldn't overheat the glass (<a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/FINAL-REPORT-U-.-S-.-Department-of-Energy-Plasma-of-Hicks/fc32a874806de71f1d10f2d979d3a74e2bb7c0d0?p2df" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/FINAL-REPORT-U-.-S-.-Department-of-Energy-Plasma-of-Hicks/fc32a874806de71f1d10f2d979d3a74e2bb7c0d0?p2df</a>).  Plasma cutting torches already exist.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T12:43:46.060Z
I agree, it's not practical.
FarO
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T13:00:16.757Z
More of thoughts for developers than for people printing right now (build a printer with the oxygen plasma cleaning torch next to the hot end).  Right now it probably cost less to buy a new glass bed than to use plasma cleaning.
Perry Webb
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T11:53:13.150Z
2020-10-21T11:53:13.150Z
Perry Webb
<p>Maybe you could put your bed at the max temperature and print a large square of 1 mm onto it using a higher than normal temperature for that filament, maybe this bonds the residue to the new print. Let it cool down and pry the print off or remove while hot.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T11:24:17.940Z
I wouldn't do this with PETG.  Some have reported pulling chunks of glass from the bed because of PETG adherence.  You want to get good adherence to the residue, but not the glass.
Perry Webb
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T12:10:18.170Z
@PerryWebb I have used glass for a long time, the chipping is probably on low quality glass (I heard people are using cheap mirror glass or dollar store window panes of picture frames), never had an issue with chipping on proper borosilicate glass. If you pull it warm, chipping won't be an issue as the filament will be soft. The idea is to get the filament to bond better to the residue that the residue to the glass. Near glass transition temperature would ensure that.
0scar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T12:53:32.660Z
@Oscar True, that might explain reports.  Glass not meant to take heating could develop cracks during the bed heating.  Anyway, PLA is probably safer to use.  PETG might only result in more residue. Note: PETG doesn't seem to release as well after the bed cools down like PLA and ABS.
Perry Webb
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T04:39:54.293Z
2020-10-21T04:39:54.293Z
0scar
<p>There is filament residue on my glass bed that is so thin that it wont come off. I have had residue buildup for over a year now and none of it has come off. This residue appears with both the PETG and the PLA filament I have. Is there anyway to remove this residue?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/DmG4e.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/DmG4e.png" alt="Filament residue on bed" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-21T18:04:32.923Z
Have you tried using cleaner/polish for a glass cooktop? It's really good at getting rid of all sorts of residues on glass without scratching it. I've never tried it on this though.
Kat
<filament><glass-bed><bed>
Filament residue sticks to bed and wont come off
X Builder
# Filament residue sticks to bed and wont come off

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-10-21)

There is filament residue on my glass bed that is so thin that it wont come off. I have had residue buildup for over a year now and none of it has come off. This residue appears with both the PETG and the PLA filament I have. Is there anyway to remove this residue?

[![Filament residue on bed](https://i.sstatic.net/DmG4e.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/DmG4e.png)

**Tags:** filament, glass-bed, bed

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Have you tried using cleaner/polish for a glass cooktop? It's really good at getting rid of all sorts of residues on glass without scratching it. I've never tried it on this though.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-10-21. Score: 2

I would try a single edge razor blade at a low angle used as a scraper. If you can't feel the blade catching in the residue, it probably isn't an issue.

If you must get rid of it you don't have good choices of solvents. Maybe you can burn it off by placing the class in an oven through a clean cycle. With luck the hearing and cooling won't break the glass.

If you can't scrape it off with a sharp razor blade, I would just let it be.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Take care that you don't heat the glass so hot that you lose it's planar surface shape.  Also take care not to change temperature too fast.  
> **username_4**: Heating the glass in a oven clean cycle is a very risky move considering the 500°C temperature, but the good point of the answer is the other one: if a razor blade cannot scrape it, it's probably not a problem for printing.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2022-12-18. Score: 2

I had exactly the same issue. I read where ethyl acetate would work so I bought a can of Klean Strip M.E.K Substitute ([MSDS](https://www1.mscdirect.com/MSDS/MSDS00052/70250402-20200318.PDF) says it is ethyl acetate) at Home Depot and it works like a champ. No heating of the bed is required. All of the PLA build-up came off with a cloth rag and a little bit of elbow grease. Make sure to follow instructions. Good luck.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-10-21. Score: 1

Heat the bed to around 90 °C and then scrape everything off with a metallic scraper, like the ones used to fill gaps in walls. No need of a super sharp one, since the plastic will be very soft a that temperature.

If you have a razor blade and a **proper handle to avoid cutting yourself**, you won't need to heat the bed to more than 40 °C, since you dont want the plastic to be too soft.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Heating the bed to 100 °C so that the PETG was soft and scraping off with a putty knife worked for me to remove a 1st layer.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-10-21. Score: 0

It's probably not practical, but what would be ideal is to put the glass from the bed in an oxygen plasma asher used in the semiconductor industry. It would probably be difficult to get a used one large enough, since your bed size probably matches state of the art wafer sizes.

What would be even more practical is for someone to develop an oxygen plasma cleaning torch that wouldn't overheat the glass (<https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/FINAL-REPORT-U-.-S-.-Department-of-Energy-Plasma-of-Hicks/fc32a874806de71f1d10f2d979d3a74e2bb7c0d0?p2df>). Plasma cutting torches already exist.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: I agree, it's not practical.  
> **username_3**: More of thoughts for developers than for people printing right now (build a printer with the oxygen plasma cleaning torch next to the hot end).  Right now it probably cost less to buy a new glass bed than to use plasma cleaning.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2020-10-21. Score: 0

Maybe you could put your bed at the max temperature and print a large square of 1 mm onto it using a higher than normal temperature for that filament, maybe this bonds the residue to the new print. Let it cool down and pry the print off or remove while hot.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: I wouldn't do this with PETG.  Some have reported pulling chunks of glass from the bed because of PETG adherence.  You want to get good adherence to the residue, but not the glass.  
> **username_6**: @username_3 I have used glass for a long time, the chipping is probably on low quality glass (I heard people are using cheap mirror glass or dollar store window panes of picture frames), never had an issue with chipping on proper borosilicate glass. If you pull it warm, chipping won't be an issue as the filament will be soft. The idea is to get the filament to bond better to the residue that the residue to the glass. Near glass transition temperature would ensure that.  
> **username_3**: @Oscar True, that might explain reports.  Glass not meant to take heating could develop cracks during the bed heating.  Anyway, PLA is probably safer to use.  PETG might only result in more residue. Note: PETG doesn't seem to release as well after the bed cools down like PLA and ABS.  

---

