Problem: Kids put sticker everywhere and they can be difficult to remove.
Solution: Get out the hair-dryer … apply heat to the sticker … after heating up the sticker — it will then easily pull off (without leaving much residue). The remaining residue can be removed by using a touch of lighter fluid on a rag.
Warning: Once the culprit realizes his/her sticker is gone, they will seize the opportunity to put a new sticker in its place. If this happens — repeat the ’solution’ (you may find yourself hopelessly in an endless loop). Consider yourself plugged Greg.
via Gregory M Brettell of Reno, NV
Greg kindly asked us to shamelessly plug a Memorial Day tribute he created featuring original music.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
This is definitely a “sticky” post. Thanks.
a bit of wd 40 on the sticky bit will clean it right off too. or rubbing alcohol
Suzanne from WA added via email:
But don’t try this on window panes. The heat can crack the glass.
You can get the left over glue off with Avon Skin So Soft.
Who has lighter fluid?
Try rubbing alcohol, which also works on adhesive left on the skin from a BandAid.
Baby Oil will remove the residue left from stickers after removing the sticker with the hair dryer and won’t harm the surface.
There is even a better solution to stickers on wood or most any surface. Goo Gone will take of the sticker and sticky mess. Squirt or apply with a cotton ball a little bit on let soak for a minute and peel of. On some surfaces can leave an oily residue but comes off with glass cleaner.
Be careful doing this on a window that has window tint. The heat can make the tint bubble and some of the fluids everyone is suggesting can cause problems with some tint. Also to much focused heat on a window can cause a crack as well. It is always best to try any chemical on a part of a window that isn’t seen easily to see how it will react.
Nice. I am going to have to try that next time
Baby oil, rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover and WD all work, so does Goo Gone. But I am a big fan of a product called De-Solv-It, made in AZ. It works very well on GUM, stickers, price tags,tar, grease on clothes and so many other things. For gum or grease spots on clothing, just spray a little and throw in wash as normal. It is non-toxic (citrus based) and so can be used on skin.
Olive oil works in a pinch too. I’ve had to use it to get sticker residue off of 20+ year old tags left on vintage handbags, shoes & belts I’ve sold.
you allow scientology ads on this site? how do you expect to be taken seriously?
Dr. Bronner’s is a great non-toxic substitute for sticker residue! (All the other products listed, except olive oil, give me a headache.)
Thanks for the great blog!
Great one! WD-40 (like Paul above said) gets the residue off. Wash that off with a little soft soap to get the smell out of the house. “Sol-U-Mel” by Melaleuca works even better.
The lighter fluid works, as does WD40, goo gone, etc. The only problem is that they all leave behind their own little problem (the smell!)
I’ve found a nice soft kind of scrubbing pad, some warm water, soap and elbow grease do the trick after the hair dryer.
Something to watch out for with that hair dryer is that if you are too close or leave it aimed at the spot for too long it starts to make things worse by melting the sticker and the sticky “glue” on. So you have to be a ninja with a hair dryer!
Even easier… Just use peanut butter – creamy or smooth. Just smear it on and wait 5 minutes before scrubbing it off with a dry washcloth.
Just be sure you don’t use lighter fluid on clothing and then put it in the washer and dryer. The heat and friction from the dryer paired with the lighter fluid could start a lot more problems than a stuck on sticker!
I like using Method Brand cleaners…they’re organic and can be found at Target (I believe other places now too!) and the all purpose cleaner can seriously get rid of anything and everything! Including stickers and sharpee off of a computer screen…..
it is really nice way
thanks
I can attest to the peanut butter solution. I’m thinking anything with some kind of oil or fat in it will do as well.
How about teaching your kids not to put stickers on things?
Now, you’re just making sense. Knock it off tulip or we’ll give you a noogie.
Do like I did. When my kid was putting stickers all over the mirror in the bathroom, I started a binder. Then he could have a collection of all the stickers he wanted in one place.
That’s what we do. Each kid has a “sticker book”, which is just a blank journal we found at a Goodwill or 99¢ store. They create different designs on each page and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when the “finish” the book and need a new one.
I just checked my bottom dresser drawer…
Yes, it is still there! …a plastic, ‘made in Japan’, chalilit (recorder – flute-like -whistle-thing with finger holes) that screeches and yelps when blown by a kid, drowning out any and all parental threats of imminent death IF HE DOESN’T STOP BLOWING THAT STUPID THING!
My 2 kids are 38 and 30, respectively and respectably (because they managed to survive!). LOL
I forget which relative gave that thing to my older son, but I know in my heart I still curse them for it, and probably repaid them by buying THEIR kid a toy drum set. HAH!
My point in this story is that if I outweigh my kid, I AM THE WINNER OF ANY ARGUMENT!!
That being said, the issue of placing stickers on windows, walls, floors or ceilings was a direct challenge to MY authority, more than an effort to dress up his bedroom, although he probably thought it looked pretty while he was doing it!
Dan, the elder, didn’t get away with it too much, as we were younger and cared more about the plaster and paint that we ‘lovingly’ did ourselves in our first house.
Mike, the younger, did much more sticker-decorating in his pine-paneled room, including super-gluing that nickel to the antique night stand. He got away with it easier because we were older and didn’t care as much about it by then.
However… when it came time to sell our home of 25 years in MA to move to FL 6½ years ago, the task of ancient sticker removal became a necessity. The glow-stickers on the ceiling were the trickiest, as the ceiling tiles didn’t hold up to scraping or soaking with any solutions. Tiles had to be replaced. The walls were easier because the 1/2″-thick pine paneling was coated with polyurethane, so light scraping after soaking with ‘Orange Glow’ polish worked well. The nickel got scraped off the nightstand (which still shows the scars of the removal but will be refinished the day after HELL freezes over), and the linoleum floor tiles gave up the stickers and crayon drawings with more Orange Glow and WD-40.
Bottom line, …and this is a ‘Grampa’ talkin’ now; it’s just stickers! BIG DEAL! Kind’a like back in the ’60’s when we started growing hair (like the Beatles) and yer ol’ man bitched at you about being a shaggy slob, GET IT CUT, N-O-W ! WHO DID IT HURT?? …fogedaboudit!
Michael, I have absolutely no experience raising girls (thank G – D!), so your reply to ‘Mary’ (if that’s her real name) about the sticker books is probably a good one. And your reply to ‘Jody’ hits closer to home.
Isopropyl alcohol (99% works best) is a safer way to remove glue residue from most surfaces. It is also a very good cleaning agent for most anything.
{ 1 trackback }