Glue on product labels almost impossible to remove

Ask the Experts
21

Acetone dissolves all residue easily.

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22

My wife was a nurse and they have to remove glue from skinā€¦, the BEST way I have found to remove glue off anything is to use a ā€œUniversal Adhesive Remover Wipeā€. They are available from the chemist and come in boxes of 50, I havenā€™t found any glue that isnā€™t removed by them sofar.
Really, really handy.

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23

I have had success with nail polish remover but agree we should not have to resort to purchasing anything to remove their gluey stickers. Wash well after removing the sticker.

24

I find methylated spirits usually works, sometimes need to soak. Phil

25

I find that WD40 also works well
on most glues

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26

I had six plastic mugs which and tried many things to remove the sticky label. In the end the labels came off but the mugs were scratched where I had rubbed so much.

27

If you scratched plastic with Oomph or Goo Gone you might reflect whether you should have been rubbing so hard. Some glues, especially those on the backs of plasticised labels need repetitive soaking and gentle raising at the edges to let it be able to soak in. eg patience. Plasticised labels are the absolute worst since they ā€œprotectā€ the glue from liquids, excepting around the edges.

28

I know its hateful to have to fight with the labels - I suppose you have tried spray eucalyptus or just eucalyptus out of the bottle. I find that pretty good, but it is a bā€¦y nuisance.

29

olive oil or pretty much any cooking oil works this is also good fro oil based paint on your hands,not as harsh as turps

30

I didnā€™ have time to read all replies so someone might have said this. I would take the item back to the store and ask for a refund as it is damaged/not what is advertised. If everyone took them back then the producer would think about changing it.

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31

Hi, eucalyptus oil works quite well on the gooey label residue

32

Theyā€™ll sometimes come off cleanly if you have the jar in hot water for a few minutes.

A paste of oil and bicarb also works, though it requires elbow grease.

33

Nearly all labels can be removed by using peanut paste or cooking oil. easy peasy

34

If you want a non-toxic solution this one works really well. I use it all the time.

  1. Soak jars in very hot water and pick off as much as the label as you can.
  2. Mix bi-carb soda with olive oil (or any oil you have) to make a pasteā€¦ not too runny or it will slide off.
  3. Rub the paste over the the glue etc. and leave it for a couple of minutes.
  4. With a paper towel or non-abrasive scourer rub the paste and the glue should come away.
  5. For some jars it takes a couple of applications.
    Good luck!
35

Goodness gracious! But why should you have to?

Either do what karenlcosson said and take the item back as ā€˜not fit for purposeā€™, or do as I said earlier and ask the salesperson to do the dirty work or label-removal for you.

Itā€™s perfectly possible to get sticky labels that peel off easily ā€“ some plastic food containers come to mind ā€“ and the manufacturers might be more inclined to use those if (a) theyā€™re getting returns of items with labels partly removed, or (b) theyā€™re getting complaints from stockists whose staff are having to spend more and more uneconomic time removing labels when they could be selling.

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36

I have found orange oil very good also eucalyptus and tea tree oil. I agree that it shouldnā€™t be necessary but the alternative maybe to buy unlabelled products, or leave the label on until it falls apart by itselfā€¦

37

I use MDF a lot in woodworking and get very frustrated by the manufacturers label which is almost impossible to remove but the residue I havenā€™t been able to successfully remove. Sanding it off ruins the smooth surface of the timber; havenā€™t tried using solvents as it may affect the finish. Any one know a workable solution?

38
  1. The manufacturer should ensure that lables are easily removable (without solvent)
  2. Best idea (as outlined elsewhere in this thread) is to get the shop to remove the label before you purchase the item
  3. If you find at home that you canā€™t remove the label, return the item
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39

Try acetone on a clean rag (but not a paper towel).

The trouble could be though that the label has protected the surrounding MDF from fading, so that even though the label and adhesive have been removed, thereā€™s a discoloured patch left where the label was.

I donā€™t like the darn things either. :angry:

40

Thanks, will give it a try. Should the onus be on the purchaser to go to these lengths to right a wrong or should we start a campaign to get manufacturers to to be more aware and sympathetic to what the buyer has to go to?

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