Wave goodbye to that bothersome sticker gunk with this nifty trick.
The sheer frustration of peeling off a fresh sticker from a new purchase and being left battling with the sticky remnants is known all too well. That undeniable irritation whether it’s wrangling with the price label on a newly-acquired book, taking product labels off glassware, or discarding vibrant sale stickers from your latest kitchen canister labels adhered directly to items never fails to vex.
However, cleaning buffs flooding social media have claimed you could bid farewell to moments of near-despair as you futilely scratch at the residue. They’ve let slip a hack to effortlessly coax off the adhesive nuisance with a commonplace pantry staple likely sitting right in your kitchen.
Though white vinegar typically stands as the go-to miracle worker for just about any other cleaning mission at home, it’s not quite the holy grail for this trick. Enthusiasts on the Cleaning Tips thread over at Reddit are touting vegetable oil as the ace up the sleeve for vanquishing sticker goop, easily found for a modest £2 at most grocery stores – assuming it’s not already in your cupboards.
In response to a query thrown into the forum about getting rid of the stickiness from two fresh glass jars, one sage individual divulged: “I put some vegetable oil on mine and let it sit for a few hours before scraping it off. After it sits, scrubbing with the rough side of the sponge will usually take it off!”
And one added: “This is the best option, use the cheapest vegetable oil in your kitchen, then use rags (old clothes) or paper towels just because it gets cruddy. Then rinse with soap and repeat until it’s cleaned off.”
Many advised a straightforward method of soaking jars in soapy water with the label attached, claiming this typically lets the sticker “peel right off” seamlessly and without any sticky aftermath. For those occasional stubborn residues, it was recommended to take steel wool to the glass for a quick scrub.
And another inventive tip came from someone claiming that masking tape can tackle the stickiness.
One person contributed: “Is it common to use masking tapes? Because I use them and they always work for me. Press the masking tape over the sticky area then quickly peel it off.
“This works because the sticky material will stick to the masking tape and be removed. Repeat until no more stickiness. Might be time-consuming but fun to do and not using chemicals/solvents/oil.”
Other contributors mentioned alternative solutions such as acetone, nail polish remover, eucalyptus essential oils, and Goo Gone – a speciality product made for dissolving residues.
Goo Gone is primarily available in the US but can be bought via Amazon for approximately £9. A similar product available in the UK, Sticky Stuff Remover, retails at Toolstation for £3.78.
