How to Remove Custom Stickers And Labels

Custom stickers and labels can easily be removed by slowly lifting them up and peeling them away. Most of our products (apart from static cling and heavy duty) come with a medium-strength adhesive that will not damage the surface they are applied to. For more stubborn stickers, you might want to use a small blade or knife to carefully (!) remove them.

Sometimes printed stickers and labels can leave sticky residue. Those are small parts of the adhesive that remain stuck to your surface. If you are facing these after removing stickers and labels, this article is for you!

How can I remove sticker residue?

Removing stickers and labels is not rocket science. In fact, in many cases, you can get rid of the residue left behind by your printed labels with basic household products and a cloth. Below, you can find our top three options for tackling sticker residue!

1. Warm water

You probably know this one from removing custom labels from an empty jam jar or trying to scrape off the price tag of a gift. Warm water perfectly dissolves the adhesive.

Submerge your products in warm water with a little bit of dish soap, or soak a wet cloth in water and apply it to your surface. After a couple of minutes, you can peel off the residue.

2. Cooking oil and baking soda

This combination can be more effective than water and dish soap and is perfect for glass food jars or refill services as baking soda is a non-toxic substance that is safe to use around food.

Create a paste of equal parts cooking oil, like olive oil, and baking soda. Apply the mixture to the sticky residue and let it sit for a minute.

The baking soda will now break down the adhesive, which allows you to easily wipe off the remains. We recommend still cleaning your bottles and labels with hot water and soap to remove the oily film, especially if you want to apply new clear labels to them.

3. Rubbing alcohol

Now, if your stickers or labels are applied to electronics, it might not be the best idea to soak them in water. Instead, you can use any sort of rubbing alcohol. This can even be some spirit. Simply dampen a cloth or paper towel and rub it over the sticker residue.

If you do not have any rubbing alcohol, a few drops of nail polish remover on a cotton ball will do the trick just fine as well.

4. Brake cleaner

If the residue from your stickers or labels is particularly stubborn, you might need to use a stronger solvent like brake cleaner.

Simply spray the brake cleaner directly onto the sticky residue and let it sit for a few minutes. The solvent will dissolve the adhesive and the residue will come off with it. Be very careful when using this type of cleaner, as it can be harmful to your skin and eyes. Make sure to work in a well-ventilated area and wear gloves!

We hope you found these tips helpful and are ready for another order. If so, you can reorder previous designs super quickly with our new re-ordering function.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service team.

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.