20 Methods To Remove Sticky Adhesive Goo & Gunk From Various Surfaces

Removing sticky residue from various surfaces can be a challenge. Things like packing tape, stickers from price tags, advertisement labels, packing glue, masking tape, and more can leave a nasty sticky substance behind. It can be a gooey residue blob of mess that is not easy to remove. Here’s a list of 20 items that can help make the cleanup of sticky adhesives easier. These methods or adhesive removal products can remove things like crayons, tar, grease and gum. You may need to experiment with some of these to find the correct one to remove the adhesive.

how to remove sticky residue


Removing adhesive from acrylic, plastic, and glass without damage

The below 20 items will help you to remove sticky residue such as tape residue or sticker residue:

  1. WD-40 (set for 5 minutes)
  2. Pencil Erasers
  3. Peanut Butter
  4. Vegetable Oil / Olive Oil (set for about 3 hours)
  5. Margarine
  6. Cooking Spray
  7. Nail Polish Remover
  8. Petroleum Jelly
  9. Hand Lotion
  10. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
  11. Furniture Polish
  12. Eucalyptus Oil
  13. Tea Tree Oil
  14. Hair Spray
  15. Baby Oil (mineral oil)
  16. Vinegar (soak cloth, apply then leave for 30 minutes)
  17. Rubbing Alcohol
  18. Windex / Window Cleaner
  19. Baking Soda & Water Paste (just rub in then wipe off with a wet cloth)
  20. Goo Gone

Once the gooey mess has been removed, wash the surface with soap and water to remove any leftover gunk.

If one removal method does not work for you, then wash off the remainder of the method you tried and try another. Try to use the least harmful product first and work your way to chemical solvents when all else fails.

We had a sticky mess from a ROSS label on a beautiful picture frame. We did not want to use harsh chemicals as it might have damaged it. We tried soap and hand lotion and it did not fully remove it. But guess what? Peanut butter completely got all the residue off without any damage! We left it sit for about 15 minutes then wiped it off. It worked awesome!

We also had a new wood table we bought at IKEA that had streaks from a tacky substance from the way it was packed. We tried peanut butter and it worked well and the oil in the peanut butter polished at the same time. Peanut butter is amazing!

NOTE: Do not use nail polish remover on plastic as it will eat through it.

If you know of some better ways to remove sticky residue from any surface, please let us know by leaving a comment below.

6 thoughts on “20 Methods To Remove Sticky Adhesive Goo & Gunk From Various Surfaces”

  1. My grandchildren age 5 and 7 peels the tint off the car window. How do I get the sticky glue off my windows. It looks terrible!

  2. I use coconut oil to remove labels from jars. I just rub it on with a paper towel and leave it to sit (paper towel and all) until I think about it again. It usually slides right off. Sometimes have to add pressure with paper towel to get all of residue.

  3. Gloria J Gilley

    Im helping a friend that just bought a car and it was completly wrap with a soft drink company brand; the dealer reemoved the sticky wrap,but the problem is that around the windows,doors,lights, there is the visible amount of sticky residue. Im wondering what would be safe to use to take it off?

  4. Hi. I found a You Tube video suggesting mayonnaise! I tried it on the residue from some child-proof locks that I removed from my melamine kitchen cabinet doors after 16 years. I left it to soak for about an hour, then used a small scraper & it all came off beautifully.

  5. I have found some tape used when painting my condo, stuck to my blinds
    they are those screen type blinds, that you can see thru
    I’m not sure how the heck to get the residue off my blinds which are brown.
    what would you suggest out of the list….

  6. Una S Nelson-White

    Peanut butter worked great for getting chewing gum off my bicycle tire. I had heard that nail polish remover and Goo Gone would crack the tire, so I didn’t want to use that.

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