All practical tips on how to remove adhesive tape glue residue

How can you remove adhesive tape glue residue? We all normally use adhesive tape for different reasons. To close boxes when moving, to hang posters or children’s drawings, to close present packages, to protect furniture, shelves, and windows when painting walls, and so on.

Very often, however, adhesive tape must also be removed. And, while it is true that it is not particularly difficult to remove the tape correctly, it is also true that often the difficult part is removing the glue residue from the surface.

The techniques to be used vary according to the type of surface (a shop window, a car bumper, the fridge door, a children’s closet, and so on), according to the tenacity of the glue in question and, of course, according to the tools available.

So, let’s have a look at how to remove adhesive tape residue from glass, plastic, wood, and steel!

How to remove glue residue from adhesive tape: our tips

Vinegar: let’s start with the safest method for removing double-sided tape glue residues. We say “safer” to emphasize that vinegar cannot ruin any kind of material, neither the most delicate plastic nor wood, while some solvents could do so.

It should also be noted that vinegar is a low-cost ingredient, which is also present in all our homes. How to use vinegar to remove glue residue of adhesive tape? Simple: just wet the surface to be treated with vinegar and leave be for about fifteen minutes. After this period, the glue left by the adhesive tape will be more yielding and removing it will be much easier.

In place of vinegar, it should be stated, lemon juice can also be used (although it should be stressed that vinegar is generally more effective).

Oil: it might seem strange, for the simple fact that oil is usually associated with something dirty, and certainly not with something which cleans. Yet it is just like that: oil can be used to remove adhesive tape residue from various surfaces, from glass to plastic, through steel.

This can be seed or olive oil, as well as a scented oil: it will be enough to dab the affected part with a cotton ball soaked in oil – without risking pouring the oil where it should not go – and then leave be for ten or fifteen minutes. After that, scraping and removing glue residue will be easier.

Hot air: Hot air can also be used to make industrial double-sided adhesive tape glue softer and less stubborn. The trick in this case is therefore to use a simple hair dryer, setting the jet to hot and pointing it towards the affected area for about a minute.

After this time, the glue should be softer, and you can then proceed with the elimination of all residues. It should be noted that the effect of heat lasts for just a little: when needed, then, it is good to use the hair dryer on small sections of the area to be cleaned up several times.

Hot water and soap: this is the combination of all techniques seen so far. It is, however, a technique which can only be used for small objects which can be easily immersed in water: we think of a tray, a bottle, a vial and so on, and not larger objects or electronic devices.

Warm water can be enriched with detergent, soap, or a little vinegar, so as to double its effectiveness. It will be enough to soak the object for about half an hour, and then proceed to remove the double-sided tape glue residue with a sponge or a scraper.

Alcohol: here is what is the most effective method to completely remove strong double-sided adhesive tape glue residue. Alcohol, or acetone, are in fact very useful in this sense, and can be used without risk on glass, steel, and some plastics.

It will be enough in this case to wear gloves, to pay attention to clothes and other surfaces, and pass a sponge soaked in alcohol on the section to be cleaned. This technique should be used only in well-ventilated spaces, and obviously far from any free flames.

Scraper: up to this point we have seen how to soften the residue of industrial double-sided adhesive tape glue, to facilitate its removal. But can you deal with this last step?

Instead of using your own fingernails, you can remove the glue using a scraper – like the ones employed in winter months to remove ice from the car windshields – or any old plastic card (such as an health insurance card, a gym membership, or a telephone card).

In some cases, on not too delicate surfaces, a more detailed work may be necessary, carefully using a razor blade and tweezers.