Last updated on October 6th, 2022
Purchasing simple household items such as coffee mugs, water bottles, plant vases, toys, and more instills a sense of joy in all of us. However, these products come with a little caveat in the form of pesky price stickers, which you don’t want to look at every time you use them. This mild nuisance becomes even more annoying when you try and peel them off, as they leave a residue of yucky resins or gunk.
Here are five home remedies you can use to remove those stubborn sticker residues once and for all.
1. Using A Hair Dryer
This technique works best if you have yet to remove the price sticker from your beloved coffee mug. First, use the hair dryer to heat the sticker for a brief period, ideally no longer than 30 seconds. Once it is sufficiently heated, try and pry the sticker off with your fingernails or with a scraping tool, preferably plastic. If the sticker comes off easily, then congratulations! If you still find it challenging to remove all of it, then repeat the heating and peeling process until you are satisfied.
2. Using Hot, Soapy Water
If you don’t possess a hair dryer, simple soap and hot water can do the trick. Take a sufficiently sized bowl and fill it with hot water. Next, add some dish soap to the water and create a nice, foamy mixture. Take your plastic object with the price tag and submerge it in hot water – make sure your plastic product can handle heat before you try this method. After about 15 minutes, you will find that the sticker comes right off, and the residue also begins to dissolve in the mixture. However, to remove any lingering gunk from the plastic, use a soft brush or scraper to finish the job.
3. Using Olive Oil
Olive oil is also an excellent agent for removing sticky residue. If you don’t use olive oil, you can replace it with canola oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil. First, try and remove the sticker with your fingers. Once the residue is exposed, take a paper towel or dishcloth and dab it in some olive oil or any oil of your choosing. Next, scrub the residue and see if it is coming off easily. If it proves to be rather stubborn, let the oil sit on the surface of the residue for some time. You can also alternate olive oil with a hot-water-and-soap bath for faster results.
4. Using White Vinegar
White vinegar is a common household item known for its cleaning properties. Hence, it is ideal to use in this situation. The application process is quite similar to olive oil.
Firstly, dab some paper towels in the vinegar solution and keep it ready. Next, peel off the sticker as much as possible with your fingers. Now, apply the vinegar-soaked paper towel onto the residue and let it sit for a few minutes. Once the soaking is done, scrape away the residue using your fingers, a plastic scraping tool, or a brush. Lastly, wipe the vinegar and residue away with a damp cloth, and voilà, your gunk-free product is ready for use.
5. Using Rubbing Alcohol
As a cleaning agent, rubbing alcohol is as potent as white vinegar. Thus, the procedure to remove the residue is practically the same for both products. First, remove the sticker from the plastic material, exposing the resin. Next, take some rubbing alcohol and soak some paper towels in it. Regular vodka will do the trick if you don’t have any rubbing alcohol. Once the paper towel has been applied to the resin’s surface, wait a few minutes before peeling everything off and cleaning the surface with a damp cloth.
Any of these five methods is guaranteed to give you residue-free plastic. For similar handy home cleaning tips and tricks, explore our wide range of articles at Homebliss – your destination for all things related to home improvement.
