How to remove double-sided tape. The most effective techniques
How can you remove double-sided tape? This tape with a double adhesive surface comes in different formats, and can be used in different contexts.
For example, to hang a picture in the house, knowing very well that the landlord does not want any holes to be made on the walls: in this case, double-sided adhesive tape will be the perfect choice.
Or, let’s consider the fitting of a rug in a store, the classic long and narrow one directing customers from the entrance towards the goods sold: double-sided adhesive tape will be ideal to keep it perfectly stationary.
And these are just some of the possible uses of double-sided adhesive tape, which by its nature is among the best methods to make two surfaces adhere effectively, permanently, and invisibly, without requiring nails, screws, bolts, or other more invasive methods, both more expensive and cumbersome.
But while this tool is easy to apply, it is also less easy to remove: so, let’s see how to remove double-sided adhesive tape effectively and without risk to the surfaces involved.
What is double-sided tape made of?
Before considering how to remove double-sided tape it is worth dwelling on the structure and nature of this tool. As they say, it is always best to “know your enemy”. There are many formats of double-sided tape, and many different types as well.
In principle, however, it is possible to state that classic double-sided adhesive tape is made of three different elements, namely liners, the support, and the actual adhesive system. When there’s a roll of industrial double-sided tape in our hands, what we see is a smooth and non-sticky surface.
That’s the wrapper of the tape, also called the release liner. It is a fundamental material layer, often coated with silicone material, which aims to keep the various “sheets” of tape separate: in addition to keeping the adhesive intact, in fact, this layer prevents the tape from sticking permanently to itself.
Just below the liner there’s the upper adhesive system, which can be more or less powerful, depending on the level of grip power of the industrial double-sided adhesive tape itself: there are, in fact, double-sided adhesive tapes with a mild grip power, used for office work instead of a simple glue stick, and very powerful double-sided adhesive tapes, which can easily replace nails (if used in the right way on perfectly clean surfaces).
Below the first layer of adhesive tape is the support, which is the tape holding the two layers of adhesive together; immediately below, is the second layer of adhesive tape.
Outlining the “anatomy” of double-sided tape helps us understand one thing: there are layers of different material. It is therefore not surprising that, sometimes, detaching double-sided adhesive tape, may leave behind glue residue on one or both two previously glued surfaces.
This happens because the adhesive layers, instead of detaching from the surfaces on which they have been applied, sometimes detach from the tape’s support itself.
Double-sided adhesive tape: how to remove it
So, can you remove strong double-sided tape? Think of a picture hanging in the bedroom, with two or more strips of adhesive tape placed between the back of the frame and the wall.
To detach the picture, you will not have to do anything but apply a bit of force at the centre, without risking to accidentally “twist” the picture. Once you have detached the picture, the double-sided tape will either have remained attached to the picture or the wall.
How can you remove the double-sided tape? Both on the wall and back of the picture, the best method – as well as the least invasive one – is to slightly soften the tape, so that it can be detached more easily, without leaving traces and without taking part of the plaster with it, in the case of a wall.
To do this you can use hot air, so a hair dryer: it will be enough to heat the double-sided tape from a distance of about 10 centimetres, and then – using a scraper, an old credit card or a razor blade – lift a corner of the tape. Once you can get a little “grip” on a flap of double-sided tape, continuing to heat the entire length of the tape, it will be easy to detach it slowly, gradually, without tearing sharply.
How to remove glue from double-sided tape
That is how to remove the tape. But it is not enough to understand how to remove it: as we’ve outlined, it is possible to have a second problem, consisting of glue residues from the industrial double-sided adhesive tape. How to remove them? Again, the trick is to soften them, and then proceed mechanically.
To soften glue residue, depending on the surfaces affected and tools available, it is possible to use a hair dryer to heat the glue, or vinegar, lemon juice or vegetable oil to make it more yielding. To remove the glue, once softened, you can use a plastic scraper, a plastic card, a razor blade kept at an angle, or tweezers.
