October 14, 2025
Whether you're sealing cartons, assembling products, or running a fully automated line, hot melt systems are not just set-it-and-forget-it pieces of equipment. If you want to get the most out of these systems, you need to perform regular maintenance, and cleaning is a big part of that.
Why It Is Important to Clean Your Hot Melt System
Cleaning your hot melt system is an imperative part of running a smooth and efficient operation. Over time, hot melt systems can experience a plethora of problems without proper cleaning. Adhesive char can build up, clogging can occur, bead patterns can become inconsistent, the temperature control can become flawed, and internal parts may become broken beyond repair.
Regular cleaning of your hot melt system can remove contaminants before these issues arise. A clean hot melt system needs fewer repairs, decreases costly downtime, reduces unnecessary waste, improves your overall efficiency, and has a longer service life to protect your investment and increase your ROI.
It isn't just about taking the time to clean your system; it is also about using the right hot melt system cleaner. From purge products to surface cleaners, different parts of the equipment and different systems require different cleaners. Using the wrong type of hot melt cleaner could do more harm than good and damage the machine. Low-quality hot melt adhesive cleaners could also fail to effectively remove contaminants and waste your time and money.
Best Hot Melt Cleaners by Category
Not all hot melt glue cleaners are created equally. While there are several products on the market, you want to make sure you use the right one for the job you need done. To help, our team is sharing a few of what we believe to be some of the best hot melt cleaners.
Best Hot Melt Surface Cleaner
Hot melt surface cleaners are used to clean the exterior of the machine, including guns, hoses, and the melter itself. They remove adhesive residue, grease, grime, and other contaminants that can lead to buildup on the equipment. Hot melt adhesive surface cleaners can also be used to clean the surrounding workspace, such as benchtops, carts, or the floor to keep the work area clean and safe.
What We Recommend: Infinity Bond EnviroClean
Not only does this hot melt surface cleaner come in a convenient spray bottle, but also it is an eco-friendly choice. It is non-toxic and biodegradable. Unlike some other harsh chemical hot melt equipment cleaners, there is also no strong odor, so cleaning is more enjoyable.
Best Hot Melt Purge Cleaner
Hot melt purge cleaners are used to clean the interior of systems, including tanks, hoses, and guns. They can come as either a liquid or a solid and are added directly to the melter. As the product is circulated through the machine, it helps loosen char, adhesive buildup, and other contaminants. After circulation, drain the system and scrape away any remaining debris. Hot melt adhesive purge cleaners should be used regularly with routine maintenance but also whenever you change adhesive types.
What We Recommend: Red Baron Hot Melt Cleaner
A high-performance and cost-effective purge and hot melt glue pot cleaner, this product is a great solution to have on hand in your warehouse. This hot melt cleaning fluid is added directly to the tank for easy use. The purge cleaner also has the added benefits of being non-toxic, non-hazardous, and biodegradable.
Best Hot Melt Cleaning Kit
Simplify your hot melt system purging and cleaning with an all-inclusive kit. These kits vary in their offerings but are generally designed to provide you with everything you need to flush your hot melt system outside of just supplying the hot melt tank cleaner or surface cleaner alone.
What We Recommend: Red Baron Cleaner Kit
This hot melt system cleaning kit includes the high-performance Red Baron cleaning solution for purging, a surface cleaner, and a collection of cleaning tools and safety gear. Essentially, you are able to get everything you need for a deep and effective hot melt system flush and cleaning.
Best PUR Hot Melt Cleaner
Unlike other hot melt chemistries like EVAs or metallocenes, polyurethane PUR hot melts cure with moisture. They require compatible hot melt systems and specialized PUR cleaners. Standard hot melt cleaners may not be able to break down the PUR effectively and could consequently cause permanent damage to the system.
What We Recommend: Technomelt PUR Cleaner 2
Designed specifically for cleaning uncured PUR hot melt, this product comes in blue granules for easy identification. It has superb wetting characteristics and is typically used with the same application temperature as the PUR that was used before it.
Best Glue Nozzle Cleaning Kit
Adhesive buildup can clog nozzles and lead to inconsistent dispensing or no adhesive being dispensed at all. A glue nozzle cleaner kit can be used to remove this buildup and ensure adhesive consistency and proper bead size.
What We Recommend: Keystone Hot Melt Nozzle Cleaning Kit
This hot melt nozzle cleaning kit comes with 3 vials of 10 probes each in .007, .012, and .014 inches to remove contaminants from various nozzle sizes. It also comes with a pin vise for ease of use. The best part is that these probes can be used on Nordson nozzles.
Need More Help?
Regular cleaning of your hot melt system with the right hot melt cleaner is imperative, but we understand that it may feel a bit overwhelming if you are not sure what you are doing. In other cases, you may just not have the time or personnel to do the cleaning yourself. To help, we offer a hot melt equipment maintenance program that includes regular preventative maintenance and cleaning as well as many other perks.
