How to remove adhesive tape from walls without leaving any traces

It happens in the rooms of most teenagers, covered in every corner with posters of their idols, whether they are musicians or athletes. But it also happens in many other locations which display posters, signs, event calendars, and so on.

And again, in classrooms, whose walls are often covered in maps, periodic tables, drawings, and so on. So, there are so many people who every day wonder how to remove tape from walls without leaving any trace.

Often this is not as simple as you might think, as there are two major risks. On the one hand, removing double-sided adhesive tape from the wall leaving behind a visible trace, resulting from the detaching of the glue layer from the tape itself.

This can be a problem which will only worsen in time, as that same layer of glue on the wall will tend to attract dirt, dust above all, becoming darker and more visible over time.

But that’s not all: removing adhesive tape from a wall also means risking the removal of a small section of plaster, which could remain glued to the tape, leaving a visible mark on the wall.

How, then, can you remove adhesive tape from a wall without doing any damage? Here are our tips.

How to remove adhesive tape from a wall: heat

Let’s start with the first method to remove the adhesive tape from the wall without leaving any trace. This is undoubtedly the safest technique, as it makes it possible to make the tape more pliant without touching the wall itself. The magic tool is in this case a hair dryer, the one you use daily after showering.

The heat softens the adhesive tape’s glue, which consequently loses a little grip on the underlying surface: it is not a coincidence that even coachbuilders use heat guns to remove adhesive and double-sided tape from the bodywork of vehicles.

So, how should you proceed? Simple: our advice is to place the hair dryer about 10 cm (3,9 in) from the stubborn adhesive tape on the wall, and turn it on at maximum temperature for a few moments.

At this point, armed perhaps with tweezers, you could raise a corner of the strong double-sided tape slightly and, once you have created this “hook”, you could start directing the heat below it. This will make it easier to lift a small adhesive tape flap, perfect for firmly pulling the tape off.

To increase the chances of being able to remove all the “whole” adhesive tape strip, without leaving any glue residue on the wall, it is advisable to heat the whole tape section after section. Sometimes, however, even using this technique, some industrial adhesive residue remains on the wall: what to do in this case?

How to remove adhesive tape residue from a wall

At this point it is best to try to figure out how to remove glue residue without damaging a wall. The basic concept is this: it is not about a smooth surface like aluminium or plastic piece of furniture, nor painted wood. It is an uneven, not perfectly smooth, and rather porous surface.

Because of this, it is not possible to wet the wall to facilitate the removal of the glue; you can, however, moisten a sponge or cloth, with water or even better with water mixed with a few drops of alcohol, and then rub the affected surface, so as to soften and remove the glue residue.

You can use tweezers to remove any glue residue – especially if the area to be cleaned is not too large. Instead, avoid using plastic scrapers or even razor blades, which may be useful to remove glue residue from other smoother and less delicate surfaces.

Combining heat, a slightly dampened sponge, and a skilful use of tweezers, removing adhesive tape from the wall is not too difficult; in some cases, however, you may have to deal with particularly old industrial double-sided tape, which left clear yellowish traces on the wall.

In this case, it is often impossible to completely remove the glue residue, which is now an integral part of the plaster. The advice, in similar situations, is to thoroughly clean the wall with a sponge slightly dampened with a mixture of water and alcohol, let it dry, and then give it a new layer of paint!