I'm sure we've all had to deal with this -- trying to remove the adhesive from a rather stubborn piece of tape/sticker, and from surfaces that would not be too happy about being doused in an organic solvent like acetone (or worse, paper items that cannot even tolerate water)
I'm sure we've all tried the peanut butter trick, the mineral oil trick, the "Goo Gone" trick, the heat (blow dryer) trick, the shear brute force trick, the plain ole soap 'n water trick.
But what do you do when none of those have worked? I'd like to hear some of of the off-beat creative solutions that you've come up with that have worked.
I have many items that, when the stickyness did not come off with the first few attempts, I just put in a corner to deal with later - but I need some new ideas of what to try.
OK, I have a few more tricks to try now
1) lighter fluid (I've used this in the past, but somehow forgot about it)
2) an eraser (hmmm, maybe...)
3) WD-40
I've noticed that a certain type of plastic is particularly vulnerable to resistant stickyness, and I've wondered if something in the glue is reacting with something in the plastic and "melting" the plastic somehow - because this residue just will not leave, no matter what. I'm off to try the above tricks...
try the gentle things first.
edibles like cooking oil, mayo,etc.
(thick oily substances are used because they stay put for a good soak)
Lighter fluid is about the best i have found.
Plastics will be destroyed by some of the stronger solvents
like you experienced.
In a short term rental we thought we had ruined the unsealed copper
counter. The owner suggested a good soak with ketchup. Much cheaper than
a special cleaner and less toxic...
Aside from the solvent end of the equation
I think what I'm experiencing has to do with the removal of the solved goo - in this one case, there's quite a bit, so when I try wiping off the dissolved goo, I think I'm just ending up smearing it around, even though I'm changing paper towels really often.
I tried adding some powder to see if that would help absorb the goo - it might have, not sure (tried both corn starch and baby powder) but still lots of labor, too much for what should be a really simple problem.
lemon oil
I just now had to get some sticker goo off a new acrylic shower stall. Rubbing alcohol didn't do it so I grabbed some lemon oil furniture polish stuff that i get at the supermarket. The goo came off instantly. It took longer to soak through the remaining paper but that came off, too.
What makes lighter fluid better than WD40
is that WD40 is an oil and it leaves its own residue on the surface as well as your hands.
Lighter Fluid, doesn't seem to mess up my hands; it's easily washed off with soap.
Lighter Fluid will not, for example, remove old masking tape gunk. It's great for sticker removal and old glue residue. Doesn't seem to wreck wood, but I'd condition the area after you removed the gunk with a wood-friendly product (Howard Feed N Wax is my favorite).
I do keep vinegar-based cleaner around, but you have to be careful, as vinegar can pit the surfaces. Use it quickly and rinse it quickly!
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