Alex asked: How do you clean stickers off kitchen plates and bowls? I just purchased a set of bowls and plates, and they have annoying SKU stickers on them. If I try to peel them off, it leaves the glue and pieces of paper. How do I get stickers cleanly off my plates?
Removing pricing stickers can be a real pain to say the least. The sticky residue that is left behind can collect dirt and quickly become a dark, sticky area that takes away from the attractiveness of the new piece. Fortunately, the sticky residue can be removed with a little bit of oil (or oil-based product), scrubbing and time. Here’s what you need to know.
You Will Need:
- Goo Gone
- WD-40
- Plain, white toothpaste
- Acetone nail polish remover
- Rubbing alcohol
- Windex
- Peanut butter
- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
- Hair dryer
- Mild detergent
- Soft cloths or sponge
- Cotton balls
Steps to Remove the Sticker Residue:
- Begin by selecting one of the products above to remove the residue. All of these items have oils in them that will help to release the residue.
- Moisten a soft cloth or cotton ball with the liquids or spread the solids (ex: peanut butter) over the residue.
- Gently scrub the area with a cloth or sponge until the residue is lifted.
- Clean the area with a mild soap and water to remove any residue from the cleaner.
- Dry with a soft cloth.
- For sticker residue on surfaces that may be damaged by the above products, try heating the residue with a hair dryer and then wiping it away. It will be necessary to apply some pressure as you use a cloth moistened with soapy water to remove the sticky goo.
Additional Tips and Ideas
- Some cleaning products may affect the surface of the area you are cleaning. Always test a small, hidden area first to ensure there is no damage to the color or texture of the surface.
- In some cases, the sticky goo can be erased away. Simply rub over the area with a pencil eraser, or larger eraser for larger spots, until the goo is removed. Brush off the eraser shavings and it’s all set.
- For thicker residue, a thinner such as rubber cement thinner may be helpful to loosen it before removal.
- If thinner is unavailable, try scraping away as much goo as possible first with a spoon, and then following the procedures above.
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There is a awesome product named “Goo Gone” that will do the trick. It is citrus based and comes in a spray gel that you should be able to find at your local Wal-Mart or other retailer. Just spray a small amount on the sticker or residue, let it set a few seconds to dissolve the glue, and wipe clean with a paper towel. It tends to leave a somewhat oily film behind, so the item may require a second washing, but it is definitely worth the results!
A good safe way to remove sticky residue left from labels is to use a dab of petroleum jelly. After you have peeled off what label you can, just rub it on and let set a few minutes. Then take a paper towel and lightly scrub off the residue. (As some glues are tougher than others, it may take a repeat effort.) Wash in hot soapy water to remove leftover.
Many of today’s glues will come off cleanly by simply soaking the object with label intact in hot soapy water for 10-20 minutes. The label will slip right off, leaving no residue.
Thanks, this really works. You can use non-acetone nail polish too, it works the same.
I just tried eye makeup remover today on new sunglasses and it worked wonderfully with a paper towel and using slight pressure to rub the residue off and didn’t harm the sunglasses at all.
I had sticky residue on some plastic plates I removed the sticker from. I tried soaking in hot soapy water and even tried alcohol, neither worked. Then I tried the peanut butter and with a little effort it actually came off.
The peanut butter does really work, but the peanut butter has to be scrubbed or rubbed in a circular motion, or in some type of back and forth motion. You can actually feel when the sticky residue is coming off, because the glass surface will be smooth and will not be rough any longer. I had sticky glue on a glass countertop, and it came off really quickly. To be honest, I thought the people making the comments about the removal with peanut butter were crazy, but after trying it, IT REALLY DOES WORK!!! After completion, the peanut butter has to be wiped off with a cloth, and the glass has to be cleaned with a glass cleaner, because of the peanut butter.
PB is not only my favorite food… It is my new favorite adhesive remover!
Eucalyptus Oil is my weapon of choice. Just apply it neatly to a cloth and the sticky stuff wipes right off.
It’s also fabulous for cleaning; a few drops is sufficient, into your mop bucket with your regular cleaning product. Great for when you have a stuffy head; a few drops on your handkerchief or a few drops with water in your oil burner.
Toothpaste! Who knew?
I had bought a PS1 Game and the original sale stickers were still on it. I tried to remove them but got left with sticky glue. I came across this site and tried the only thing I had in my cupboard, toothpaste, and it worked! Thank you so much, the game looks nearly new now. ^^
Task: Remove the residue left on a textbook cover after completely removing a paper “Used Book” sticker.
Results (in order of application):
Peanut Butter – FAIL
Bathroom Cleaner w/ bleach – FAIL
90% isopropyl alcohol – FAIL
oven cleaner – FAIL
Comet powder with water – FAIL
Tea Tree oil – INSTANT SUCCESS!!!
I used an eraser to remove old sticker residue from a used laptop, and was surprised at how easy it was to clean off. I then used rubbing alcohol to clean the rest. Thank you very much!
The pencil eraser worked magnificently. I can’t believe it!
When I removed a label from a protective sheet for my tablet, it left glue behind. I tried the toothpaste first and it barely worked. I had applied it twice. Then, I tried the alcohol and the glue was partially removed. I finally took a soft cloth and rubbed the glue deposit. Hallelujah; it worked. Thanks for all the helpful tips.
Mine is on a laptop. What should I use?
Vegetable oil works brilliantly! I put some stickers on the keys of our piano to help my niece learn the letters and when I peeled them off, the sticky residue was left behind. I tried scraping it off with a knife and tried rubbing alcohol, which didn’t work, but (inspired by this site) I dabbed some safflower oil onto a paper towel and rubbed it on the keys. Voila! Perfectly smooth and slick again. It took all of five seconds to do! I’m assuming any vegetable oil would work equally well.
Yep, worked perfectly for me. I had to remove some stickers from the bottom of a laptop, so many methods described here would not work except tea tree oil. It truly is one of nature’s all-purpose wonders!
I just bought camping plates and bowls, and unfortunately they placed the sticker right in the middle of the inside of each plate/bowl! So I tried to remove them as best I could, but couldn’t remove the residue. I used petroleum jelly and peanut butter, and the peanut butter works best. It doesn’t require any elbow grease. Used a scouring pad under hot water after I let them sit for two hours. Thanks for posting everyone!
So, I’m doing the party packs for my son’s birthday party and they have these huge glue spots. I used good old cooking oil and a cotton ball, and literally within minutes they were gone!!
Peanut butter worked like a charm to get sticker residue off the bottom of mugs! Thanks for the tip!
Smart me used a textbook plastic cover on my cell phone screen. After taking it off, all the residue was left on the screen. Big disaster! That was one thick layer of residue. Manually, very slowly, I tried: Hair dryer, only very slowly. Ketchup, well, I was kidding myself. Peanut butter? Yummy residue, but no luck. Finally, nail polish remover took some effort, but I had my shiny screen back at last.
Bloody amazing! I was trying to remove the sticky stuff for ages, then I found this and within a couple of minutes (and with some help from my WD-40) it was off in seconds.
Vegetable oil works. I guess any oil (WD-40, peanut butter, etc.) would work.
I’m so going to try this out, thanks!
I just got a new leather-bound notebook, but it had a huge price tag sticker on it. Turns out toothpaste was the only thing that worked for me.
Used WD-40 on those annoying “please don’t sue me” stickers wrapped around the electrical cord of every major and minor appliance I have, and it worked perfectly!
I had stickers on my mobile phone, and I went to take them off – soon I was left with a sticky gross phone! I used peanut butter, which I spread on then wiped away with a wet washcloth (I took the back off the phone first, obviously) then I gave it a quick spray of some surface cleaner (like what you use for a kitchen bench or a shower), and I had a shiny, clean phone again!
I stuck some stickers on my laptop lid and tired methylated sprits but that didn’t work and then tried vegetable oil and it works!
Just took a sticker off of my skateboard with Olive Oil.
Took a little elbow grease but it did nothing to the paint.
Couldn’t be happier.
Yea for peanut butter! Other solutions did not work to get the sticky label off my new trifle bowl, but peanut butter did the trick. Peanut butter (1/2 t.) also stops hiccups!
The Magic Eraser was amazing at taking off the sticky residue on silverware. Simple; just a few rubs and it was sparkling clean.
A little bit of rubbing alcohol did the trick!! I took a label off of a book and it was really sticky, but I put some rubbing alcohol on a piece of tissue and it rubbed right off. Also, with using rubbing alcohol, it dries quickly with no mess! This changed my life.
You can remove sticky labels and glue marks using mayonnaise or regular vegetable oil. Coat the label liberally with the mayo or oil, then give it a few minutes to work through the glue. Carefully scrape off the label, sticky stuff and the mayo or oil using a clean rag and a little window cleaner or alcohol. Should cut the grease and leave the glass underneath sparkling clean.