Suitable for securely bonding all sorts of material from wood to cloth, glue guns come in useful for all manner of household tasks. In fact, you probably wonder how you ever managed before you got yours! While they’re generally really safe to use, there are just a few precautions you should take when gluing.
Glue Gun safety
Hot glue can cause burns and, like any electrical tool, a glue gun could cause shocks or fires if faulty. Follow these tips to ensure you stay safe.
Safety First
- Make sure you buy your glue gun from a reputable dealer, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
- It’s important to register a new glue gun with the manufacturer so that you can be contacted if a safety notice or recall is required. It also makes it easier for you to return a faulty product or order a repair. To register any of your appliances, regardless of age, visit our Product Registration page.
- Use our free online checker to see if you have any recalled electrical items.
- Check that your appliance has a UK plug; if it doesn’t, don’t try to use a UK travel adaptor. Get in touch with the retailer and ask for their advice.
- Do regular checks of the plug and socket for burn marks, sounds of ‘arcing’ (buzzing or crackling) or if it feels too hot to touch. If you have fuses blowing or circuit-breakers tripping then contact a registered electrician to investigate.
- Any socket you plan to use to plug in a glue gun should have RCD (residual current device) Protection. An RCD is a life-saving device that protects against dangerous electric shock and reduces the risk of electrical fires. If you don’t have RCD protection in your fuse box for your sockets, consider using an RCD plug to protect you and your property from serious appliance faults.
- Before you start work, ensure that the cord is long enough to easily reach the area you’re working in – if it isn’t, plug the glue gun into a fully-unwound extension lead to extend your reach.
Using your glue gun safely
- Give your glue gun time to warm up before you get started – around five minutes is usually enough.
- The glue gun should only ever be placed on a non-flammable surfaces while switched on – try using a tile, or even some aluminium foil. Keep anything flammable like loose papers well out of the way.
- Make sure animals are kept away from hot glue guns, and only let children use them with adult supervision.
- Keep long hair tied back and avoid loose clothing.
- Hold the gun in an upright position during use.
- Don’t leave the glue gun unattended while plugged in, and turn the glue gun off as soon as you’ve finished using it.
- The tip of glue guns gets extremely hot so never attempt to touch is during or immediately after use. Give the gun time to cool down fully before storing it away.
- If you get hot glue on your skin during use, hold the burned area under ice water.
- It’s best to wear gloves when operating, touching or cleaning the glue gun.