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Sticker residue can find its way onto dozens of surfaces, from glass jars and windows to plastic doors and laminate flooring.
The best way to remove this glue will depend on the type of surface and whether it has fully dried or is still gooey.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s far easier to remove moist glue and adhesive than a dried product.
On this page, you’ll find our guide to removing glue residue with natural products that you’ll find around the home.
We’ve also tested an affordable product you can buy on Amazon and the results were excellent:
How to Remove Sellotape Glue/Adhesive From Hard Surfaces
I don’t know about you but I hate missing important deliveries. Whenever I’m out and expecting something important to arrive, I use sellotape to stick a note to my door for the delivery driver.
Once removed this sellotape leaves a sticky residue.
There are several ways to remove this glue, the tips below also work on other hard surfaces such as glass windows, flooring and plastics.
As always – carry out a test on a small inconspicuous area first, just in case it damages the surface.
1 – Use an Alcohol Wipe
Alcohol wipes are great for removing sticker residue, particularly sellotape residue from hard surfaces.
You can use a medical-grade alcohol wipe or create your own with vodka or another drink that contains a decent amount of alcohol.
Nail varnish removers often contain alcohol and/or petroleum-derived products so will also work well.
Alcohol wipes are perfect for removing sellotape residue and glue from hard surfaces
2 – Use Oil
Oil is perfect for dissolving gluey residue from stickers, tape and other adhesive products.
Coconut or vegetable oil are popular choices, but in fact, any oil will work at removing sticker residue.
You may have heard that mayonnaise or peanut butter can be used to dissolve glue and adhesive?
It’s actually the oil in these products that remove the sticker residue.
Just soak the sticker residue in the oil for around 20 minutes and then wipe away. Repeat this process as many times as needed.
How to Remove Labels From Glass Jars and Wine Bottles
The easiest way is to soak the glass in warm soapy water for an hour or so and then wipe the surface with the back of a sponge.
This method works great for jars and wine bottles that you may want to keep.
Remove Sticky Residue From Clothes
The best way to remove sticker residue from clothes is to rub a detergent onto the glue and let it soak for an hour or so prior to washing on a warm prolonged cycle.
Always check the washing symbols on the label to determine the maximum washing temperature.
If this fails, you can dab a small amount of alcohol onto the item to dissolve the residue, but make sure you carry out a test patch first, especially on delicate items.
Other Natural Alternatives Worth Trying
Vinegar is one of our favourite cleaning products, it’s cheap, cleans off easily, doesn’t pollute the environment and can be used to clean dozens of items.
We’ve previously tested vinegar as a natural kettle cleaner, but we also know how well it works as a degreaser.
Lemon juice is a strong yet natural product that, like vinegar, is often added to commercial cleaning products.
If you need to remove a sticker, try warming it first with a hairdryer. This will make the task of peeling it off so much easier.
Try This Product
If you don’t want to use natural products, try this residue remover which has hundreds of positive product reviews on Amazon:
Amazing product with so many uses. I’d previously tried many things to remove double sided padded tape from my windows and almost ended up scratching the glass. I tried this as a last resort and am gutted I didn’t know of it first as it would have saved me a lot of time and money. I just soaked the residue in Goo Gone and I was able to rub it off the glass with a cloth. – Amazon customer 2016.
Absolutely brilliant saved my bacon got all tape residue out of my carpet would definitely recommend to anyone. – Amazon customer 2018.
