The bottle is clear and the glue is clear. I held my iron on the glue until the glue line dried. I have not tried the regular Elmer's washable white school glue so I don't know if it takes longer to stick. I was surprised that it even held the double thick mitres in place. My sample was small so I will try it again on a bigger quilt the next time I do a binding. Does the regular white glue dry clear or stay white?