30 Helpful Items To Remove Sticky Adhesive Goo
Things like price stickers and labels, different types of tape (packing, masking, scotch tape) can leave behind a sticky, gooey residue that’s a tricky mess to remove. Here’s a list of items that can help make the cleanup job a lot easier.
A Variety Of Oils Around The Home Can Help Remove Sticky Goo -- Try Olive Oil, Vegetable Oil, Baby Oil, Etc.--Lots More Ideas Listed Below
Updated: This list was first published in 2007 but there were a few good additions in the comments section below that I’m adding so they won’t get missed…
Careful: Please test in an unnoticeable area first to make sure there will be no damage to the surface (especially on wood).
How To Remove Sticker Adhesive
- Nail Polish Remover
- Petroleum Jelly
- Toothpaste
- Hand Lotion
- Hair Spray
- Baby Oil (mineral oil)
- Vinegar (soak cloth, apply to goo then leave for awhile–even overnight)
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Windex
- Baking Soda & Water Paste (just rub gently into the goo, then wipe off with a warm wet cloth)
- Lighter Fluid
- Kerosene
- WD-40 (set for 5 minutes)
- Paint Thinner
- Rubber Cement Thinner
- Artgum Erasers / Pencil Erasers
- Peanut Butter
- Vegetable Oil / Olive Oil (set for about 2 hours)
- Margarine
- Cooking Spray
- Mayonnaise (leave set for a few hours or overnight)
- Goo Gone
- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
- Furniture Polish
- Eucalyptus Oil
- Tea Tree Oil
- Perfume / Aftershave
- PVC Pipe Cleaner
- For surfaces that you’re afraid to damage, try heating the sticky goo with a hair dryer then wiping off (firmly) with a wet warm & soapy cloth.
- Duct Tape (stick on goo firmly, life tape up quickly, repeat as needed)
More Tips
- Tips To Remove Duct Tape Adhesive: try lighter fluid or WD-40.
- Once adhesive goo has been removed, wash surface as you normally would.
- If one method doesn’t work for your particular sticky spot, wash off the remainder of the remedy you tried and choose another.
- Ann Parker shares a good tip below: If all else fails, and you are ‘stuck’ with the glue, you can stop its stickiness by dusting it with talcum powder.
- If you’re trying to remove bumper stickers, here’s help: How To Remove Bumper Stickers.
Have I left out your tried and true method for removing sticker adhesive? Please share below 
.
Don't Miss These Tips:
First Published: November 14, 2007
Filed: Cleaning, Popular Tips
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I just tried Peanut Butter, and it worked. No joke, Peanutbutter removes sticker glue.
A combination of peanut butter, Magic eraser and Dawn dish soap along with lots of rubbing, pretty much did the trick for me!!
We work at a video store, and we use Eucalyptus oil to remove old stickers and sticker marks from our DVD cases. It really helps clear your sinuses at the same time :p
I’m not sure of the availability outside of Australia though, or what similar products there would be? I assume any kind of rubbing oil might work just as well but I have not tried it.
It also worked to get old, brown stickytape/cellotape stickiness off the laminate drawers
Holy crap! Eucalyptus Oil just saved me so much time.
I’ve been trying innumerable harsh solvents and pungent cleaning solutions in vain..
But this by far works the best (on plastics), you barely even have to scrub and it smells great.
Who would’ve known?
Thanks.
Wow! I had some eucalyptus oil lying around and it works like magic on even the gummiest of old stickers. Comes right off without any pressure at all. I was looking all over the internet for a solution! Thanks!
Wow, eucalyptus worked amazing! Thanks for this tip!!
I used a combination of these things.
First i tried to scratch some off with my nails. Then I used rubbing alchohol and a wet cloth and rubbed hard. Then i put some air freshener spray on it and rubbed that in (that removed the stickiness but left the residue). Then what finally worked was i warmed it hot with a hair dryer. Then i used a MAGIC RUB WHICH FINALLY COMPLETED IT. Rub really hard in the affected area (but not in anywhere else as it could rub the coloring off). And then take a wet cloth and rub and voilá.
i just used petroleum jelly on my laptop after removing the stickers. i put some on my finger and rubbed it around the area and it was alll gone. i had to wipe it down afterward with soap though to get the jelly off my laptop. but seriously it worked like frosted flakes. more than good. its great
Baby oil works really well. Just drip some on the spot, rub it in with your fingers for a few seconds and then wipe off. The oil takes the adhesive right with it.
Yes petroleum jelly does work for the sticker residue. I just got my labtop yesturday and had took off the sticker on the laptop. This huge residue was left from the sticker. Lucky petroleum jelly does work!!!! Just spread a small amount of jelly in the area and use a paper towel and scrap it off with fingers, sometimes nails works too for the stubborn residue.
THANKS TO THIS ARTICLE MY LAPTOP IS FREE OF RESIDUE THANKS!!!!!!!!!!
After scraping the label off by use of a new razor blade, use pvc pipe cleaner to remove the adhesive. Simply wipe on and leave for several seconds, and then wipe off with paper towel(can purchase at any hardware store, e.g. Lowes for a few dollers).
Removing glue from white macbook: Use petroleum jelly.
For a while I had a plastic sheet on the track-pad and palm surface. Looked fine then started to peal off.
Removed it and was left with all the glue on the surface of my laptop.
Panic…!!! Couldn’t track or rest my hands anymore.
Anyways, I used petroleum jelly (vaseline) and it worked perfectly.
Step 1: Rubbed in the gelly; not too much.let it set in for a few secec
Step 2: Rub off in one dircetion with an old cotton towel.
Step 3: Leaves some goo but this can be rubbed of with your fingers.
Repeat the above steps.
Good luck.
Adhesive under stick on floor tiles: Just read your tips. The floor tiles came up easily. Then I sprayed the residual goo with WD40. Let it sit for 2 minutes and wiped the excess WD40 and all of the goo away. I COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW EASILY ALL THAT TACKY MESS DISAPPEARED. And my rag washed clean!!!!!
Thank god i found this. I have been trying to remove glue on my shower stall for a month. Never guessed WD40 would do the trick. I just sprayed it on, left for 2 minutes and it came right off no scrubbing. Wish I would of known that, I had already put in a lot of scrubbing on that.
If all else fails, and you are ‘stuck’ with the glue, you can stop its stickiness by dusting it with talcum powder.
I have a baby blue Fender Telecaster that was covered with stickers. I decided to take it them off. The glue remained! So what i did was take some petroleum jelly and rubbed it on with my fingers, then i came back with a dry cotton towel and rubbed it off. The pickguard on my guitar still has the goo on it…its harder to get off then the clear coat finish on the guitar body. Any ideas?
didn’t have any mineral oil and didn’t want to wait two hours for vegetable oil so i used margarine. i rubbed it in and let it sit for about a minute. then i got impatient and tried to see if the goo was starting to come off. then i rinsed it off in the sink with the scrubby with soap and it worked perfect.
fender guitar pickguard: just replace the pick guard they are cheap and it will look like a new guitar.
Thanks – great advice – the nail polish remover did the trick in 15 seconds.
I WAS GOING TO INSTALL LAMINATE FLOORING BUT MY VINYL TILE WAS IN POOR CONDITION I REMOVED THE TILE HAD GLUE ON THE FLOOR SPRINKLED CHEAP BABY POWDER ON THE FLOOR THEN VACUUMED THE FLOORING A WHIZ TO INSTALL.
I had glue coming up through the floor boards of our laminate wood floor, it had been there for a while and every time I tried something different that never worked I gave up.
I tried mineral spirits, I used a hard bristle tooth brush to gently brush at the black goo, left it to sit while I went to the next area over and then used the scrubby side of a dish washing spong to gently scrub the area where the mineral spirits had been sitting, it came right up. Total time to do a 2 foot square section took about 5 minutes. I worked from one end of the room to the other. Took a lot less time than I thought but still took a couple of hours. I also wiped the area clean with a seperate soapy sponge after scrubbing it so that the mineral spirits didn’t sit on the laminate and damage it.
NOW I am looking for help in finding a sealer so that the floor will shine again. The shine was gone before I cleaned the black goo off.
Any help would be appreciated!
[removed email address]
Thanks for sharing this. I removed the very old leftover sticky glue from scotch tape with nailpolish remover in a matter of a couple minutes!!
I am a schoolteacher and used contact paper to attach the kids’ name tags to their desks… which I have pretty much vowed never to do again (though I am thinking about it after this article- the removal was much easier than I thought!) Anyway, after goo-goning forever, I tried the baking soda and water paste and it worked like a charm. I put it on, left if for a few minutes, then went back and just rubbed the sticky spots with my fingers. Cleanup from the paste was a little messy, but that’s what vacuums are for!
I tried the hairdryer and wet cloth for the glue left from a sticker on my notebook but it did not work that well.
I then tried nail polish cleaner and that was not successful.
Then I tried PERFUME and vola, the glue came off perfectly.
I notice PERFUME is not on your list, maybe this should be added.
tooth paste works ok but perfume is the best
I have a jet ski and i pulled the decals of the side and there was a think layer of adhesive residue left. Ive tried everything including commercial products and nothing will work. Does anyone have additional ideas that they know will work for this situation? Any help is appreciated!
This might help you Brad: How To Remove Bumper Stickers…
“Once you’ve removed the sticker, you’ll find a glue residue left on the vehicle. Keep heating that glue with a hair dryer and rub it off with mineral spirits or a vinegar soaked cloth.”
Had a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, the goo slid off like butter, thanks
Mr. Clean Eraser was absolutely worthless for me.
I have glue left on two surfaces black metal & black plastic.
That Valco kind that sticks to surfaces can’t remove the goo stuck on these surfaces!
Can anyone help!
I had decades-old sticker glue on some glass apothecary jars. Tried the rubbing alcohol, peanut butter, toothpaste, baking soda; none worked. Finally tried the nail polish remover and the goo came off in two seconds flat. No kidding!
Wow! I used everclear in the place of rubbing alcohol and it worked miracles! The glue immediately started coming off and I think dissolved.
Johnsons paste floor wax works quickly and easily. Apply it lightly and wipe off with a paper towel. I stick baggage tags to my passport and this removes any adhesive left under the tag without harming the passport cover.
Does anyone know the science behind this tip? WHY does Petroleum jelly and other products with petroleum in them get rid of the goo? Just curious.
I took the AMD Processor sticker off from my laptop and it left this sticky residue. I tried many things like Cilit Bang, which didn’t work. So I searched google and this webpage came up, the one which I found the solution and the one that I am writing this comment from. I used Vaseline(Petroleum Jelly) it worked brilliantly, I just applied left for a few minutes then rubbed off hard with a cotton towel and repeated. Also now my laptop is feeling smooth and new again!
DONT USE WATER AND A PAPER TOWEL.. it will smear the sticky
I used a tablespoon and a half mixed with just enough water to make the mixture stick together (teaspoon and a quarter). I rubbed the mixture with my finger on my hardcover textbook, and voila, 45 seconds later i was completely residue free!
I have been given a greenhouse with green paint. There’s loads of mastic in the ridges….I need to remove the mastic so that I can use reuseable rubber seals. The ridges are small and difficult to clear.
Has anyone any ideas how to remove the mastic without ruining the paint?
I’m removing the stickers from my laptop as I am preparing to paint and decal it. I first tried nail polish remover which wound up spreading the adhesive and residue. But worked for me was baby oil gel (we get the kind with aloe vera and vitamin e because its great for sunburns) a couple of times. Then to make sure the baby oil gel was completely off, I used Mary Kay Eye Makeup Remover (also great for removing stickers and reside from scotch tape).
This is the short version, the long version is more fun but I wasn’t sure if a “story” was wanted sooo… I found a small corn snake, stuck from neck to tail in several (horrible) glue traps. Fortuntely the end of his nose was free so he didn’t smother. I called a snake expert, animal welfare etc… all said no way to free alive so kindest to kill. Huh? Anyway, I carefully worked my fingers under snake putting bits of paper towel on freed areas to prevent resticking & little by little got him out. He was still very sticky so I put him in an empty aquarium with a little wheat flour. The flour coated & worked into the glue as “Sticky” moved making long streamers that came off easily. Then I rinsed him but was still a little sticky so we (notice the pronoun change) kept him a few weeks, until he shed. He was doing fine so I released him back into the wild. He was very tame & the kids wanted to keep him but I was not comfortable feeding him live mice & my roommate had phobia.
Hello Alice, Glad to see you are saving snakes. Letting them go back into the wild. I ‘m hoping you are who I think you are. We were very lucky we found no snakes on our trip down the side of the gorge in Akron Ohio as young girls.
the baby oil really works! thanks!
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT IS SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT IN THE SINK (OR A BATHTUB WITH A HAND HELD SHOWER)AND IT WONT HE HARMED BY WATER, THIS IS THE BEST! TURN YOUR HOT WATER TANK UP TO THE HIGHEST SETTING FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. LET THE HOT WATER RUN ON IT FOR A MINUTE OR TWO AND WASH WITH DAWN DISH DETERGENT. WASHES RIGHT OFF!! JUST REMEMBER TO TURN YOUR HOT WATER TANK BACK DOWN, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE SMALL CHILDREN.
I removed vista sticker from my laptop (HP pavilion dv6 black) and got sticky residue. Baby oil worked really great.
Thanks
wow i used toothpaste for the soft glue residue and voila gone in 60 secs wohoooo thanks a bunch m8
“I took the AMD Processor sticker off from my laptop”
Wow.. I just did the exact same thing, with the exact same problem. AMD should change that, eh? ;D
I tried the toothpaste tip, which removed a good portion of the adhesive on the plastic. It left a bit of residue that’s noticeable if you look at it carefully, but it’s good enough for me. :>
For those wondering the science, it’s because the sticky residue is a polar compound, and that along with the intrinsic stickiness means water (a polar solvent) and force doesn’t remove it, but a non-polar solvent (such as petroleum jelly, mineral spirits, gasoline, WD-40, ect) will remove the non-polar residue. Gotta love chemistry, everything is chemistry that is govern by physics.
I removed the labels that were on my laptop as they were beginning to fade and the surface was slightly sticky…I read through these tips and used nail enamel remover.
I just put a little of the product on a dry washer and wiped around this said surface. It reduced the stickiness just like I thought!
Tea Tree Oil… hands down, seriously. I always keep a little bottle of this oil around. For removal of glue of ANY kind, please don’t bother with anything else. I tried everything from vinegar, rubbing alcohol, peanut butter, or soaking in hot water, etc etc. Nothing works like tea tree oil.
Just tried tea tree oil to remove the idot stickers on the bottom rail of our new set of cordless retractable pleated shades. (We purchased these shades so as not to have potentially dangerous cords hanging around – yet they put the danger sticker on anyway, but that’s yet a different issue.) The tea tree oil worked wonderfully removing the sticky residue off of the hard plastic rails – and we don’t have any lingering annoying chemical smell – just the fresh smell of tea tree oil.
i just removed a stickers on the inside of my new laptop.. all removed but one stubborn one! and i tried rubbing alcohol… DID NOT WORK..
thanks guys.
NAIL POLISH REMOVER did do the trick!!
How to remove a label from a metal can without destroying (damage) the label
so it can be used again?
Regards
Roe
BABY OIL does the trick, thanks….
I tried the nail polisher remover, it works really quickly. I had some sticker residue on my laptop, and it removed them all.
I haven’t tried anything else. (btw: the smell from the nail polish remover, stays.
ITS SO SAD. NOTHING WORKS FOR ME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IVE TRIED BABY OIL, ALCOHOL, PEANUT BUTTER, HAIRDRYER, NAILPOLISH REMOVERRRR… ARGGGHHHHHH
thanks for all the info. i just used lavender massage oil…it worked great. and my computer smells nice as well! i was afraid of the nail polish remover smell, so somewhat reluctant to use it!
After despairing that I had none of the 25 items listed (how can that be?) to remove the sticker-goo from my laptop, I went rummaging in the bathroom and found — to my heart’s ecstasy — my aftershave. It seems obvious, but having dismissed rubbing alcohol as being not within my known possession, it never occurred to me that aftershave is basically the same stuff in a different bottle.
It did the trick in seconds, though it should be noted that it didn’t work directly on the goo — I had to vigorously rub a Kleenex over the goo to get the linty stuff stuck to the adhesive, then the aftershave would remove the Kleenex — and with it, the glue. A couple repetitions and you would never know my laptop has been wearing not one but two nametags for a year now. Long story.
I tried almost all of the options above….toothpaste helped…lotion was useless as was the oil. I went into the kitchen to wash my hands and saw the big yellow bottle of Comet…so I figured what the heck..lets try it….Comet took the goo off in SECONDS!!! After wasting more than 3 weeks worth of toothpaste, some oil, trying the hair dryer, soap and water, windex, rubbing alcohol, nailpolish remover…..spent an hour an a half trying and Comet did the job like magic!!!
We used the petrolium jelly to get sticker residue off of a folding table and it worked wonders. Thanks for all of the great all ideas!
A combination of heat and rubbing then petroleum jelly with more rubbing, finally neat washing up liquid to get the last off. Also used cloth tea towels and half a roll of kitchen towel. Took about an hour. Major pain!!
Toothpaste worked an absolute charm for me, took less than a minute. And now my portfolio smells minty fresh! Thanks =]
Thank you thank you – the WD40 did the job – well done thanks for the info
Hey guys, I just found my baby corn snake hanging from a piece of duct tape that had been at the top of his tall tank temporarily holding the corner of the screen in. How he managed that one we’ll never know. Of course I quickly google’d what I could do and read lots of suggestions but I decided to try olive oil because I knew it wouldn’t be harmful to him. I used a Q tip and slowly applied liberally all around where he was stuck, I continued to stroke in the direction of his scales for a few minutes and made sure he stayed calm and didn’t tare himself. He wiggled a bit which actually kinda helped and he was free with patience. If anyone finds their reptile in a sticky situation like I did I definatly recommend OLIVE OIL!!
PAINT THINNER worked! I have a metal casing for my phone and now it’s all clean! THANKS! ^^ o.O
My former tenants put up temporary screens in the doorways, using double-backed BLACK velcro tape to hang them. After being up there for a while, those things stuck to the WHITE door frame like crazy glue. I was able to scrape some of it off but I started taking chunks out of the wood so I stopped.
Since I did not have hardly any of the items on the list and I didn’t feel like going to the store OR using my olive oil, I decided to use Walmart’s brand of cooking spray and it worked great. I sprayed ot on fairly heavy and let it set for about 30 minutes then using some Dawn soapy water and a green scrubber, I managed to get it off. I figured if cooking oil works and WD40 works why not cooking spray??
You can also use an eraser and it works well.
I use a white eraser. Took a little elbo greese but it got off tape from a window chemical free.
Hello,
I need help on how to remove ALTICO glue from surfaces like plastic and chrome.
I glued my care window buttom key holder and damaged the surface
also the same happened on the car consol
If you can help it will be much appreciated
Regards
Do be careful, however, if you use nail polish remover or other acid/alcohol-based products. Depending on the item you are cleaning, it may eat away at the paint or surface.
I read the reviews for using eucalyptus oil and was pretty sure I had some. I didn’t. I found peppermint oil though and it worked like a charm! Thanks for the help!
I Used WD-40 and it worked perfect!!!!!! just spray on affected area and wipe with cloth!! easy!!!!!!!!!
I bought some office supplies (Tacs, Clips, etc) that came in a nifty little desk organizer for them. Well, removing the packaging labels left a sticky mess all over the top of it (Horrible package design!).
I did some searches and ended up here, when in the list I saw my “magic item.”
Good old light fluid. I sprayed a tiny bit on, let it sit for just a couple seconds and wiped it right off – clean as it the goo had never been there.
I jumped to lighter fluid straight away because I know it works just as well to remove dry wax from desktops and whatnot, so I figured it’d probably dissolve glue too.
Best of luck in your “Anti-Goo” adventures!
Turpentine has not been mentioned at all yet. It is my first goto. It will work on 90% of all labels on home goods and containers. It bleeds under the edge of a non-porous label allowing gradual peeling, but will instantly soak through the face of a porous one. As with all solvents, a trial in a hidden spot is advised.
I pried up some old tiles from my laundry room. Now I have sticky residue. I just tried powder on one 12″x12″ section. It does take away the stickiness but I’m wondering if, when I sand the floor to prep for new tile, will the stickiness come back.
What works best for old tile glue residue??? Can anybody help?
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Nail polish remover worked wonderfully!
i laughed when i read purfume, then i gave it a try since it was right next to the bathtub with the sticky goo i needed to get off. the purfume and my fingernail worked great and smelled nice too! thanks for the tip
Off Bug Spray with a kleenx just spay the kleenx and then rub lots it will make the tuffest glue spots rub right away!
I tried cloudy ammonia
Then I tried white petroleum jelly (I guess it’s the wrong one, Vaseline)
Then I tried some sort of lubricator
Then I tried the alcohol and rubbed it vigorously with my finger (even after it burns) and soon got it smudged all over the area. I continuously added alcohol till it was all gone. Great!
started with my favorite product as a sinus sufferer…..Vicks Vaporub! It eliminated the stickiness leaving only the evidence of a prior adhesive and then elbow grease woth murphy’s oil or pledge. I was afraid to use acetone on my antique wood find so I opted for vicks since everyone here was sharing oil bases and I figured vaseline and menthol oil has to be somewhat effective..that’s my submission! Happy cleaning!
I have black glossy furniture with sticky marks from the packaging. I am afraid to use some of these cleaning tips for fear of damaging them. Anyone know if any of these products would be safe?
Peanut butter, toothpaste, olive oil, vinegar, windex, mr. muscle, pledge, petroleum jelly….none have worked for me.. finally tried nail polish remover and it’s helping some, still in the process of getting the rest off. if I had to suggest one thing it’d be nail polish remover but even that has taken about 7 times to make much of a difference. haha. best of luck
polish works a treat i used it to get stickers of my bike wheels.
I’m looking to remove some old masking tape advhesive off the back of my Cinema Display. It’s metal, aluminium is my best guess. I’m tried scraping but the display’s heat has made the adhesive a tacky nightmare. What kind of solution is suggested for working on such an interesting surface?
VASELINE!
I’m trying to find something that is not caustic, can be used on rubber, not harmful, & will remove very sticky medical tape residue from simulators we use. But…..we will need to use the tape again in another senario so the product needs to be able to be gentle and remove the tape, but not leave any residue so we can not retape the same spot. Any suggestions? thank you.