How to remove sticker glue from clothes

by Abbas Jahangir · July 10, 2024

In place of high-quality glued price tags or brand labels, after their removal, a sticky residue often remains.

There are different ways to remove sticker glue from clothing, namely:

By exposure to chemicals.
With available means.
With gentle home cleaners.
By means of thermal action.

Any of the methods listed below requires preliminary testing on an inconspicuous area of the fabric. Let’s look at each of them in more detail.

Industrial and improvised means

Household chemicals will help you quickly deal with fresh and old glue stains from a removed sticker. The most effective cleaners include:

Anti-scotch, for example: Scotch Remover, Profoam 2000. The substance is sprayed onto the sticky surface, and then cleaned according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The item is placed between two pieces of thick fabric so that the sticky area is at the bottom. The contaminated area is filled with solvent and rubbed with pressure. As a result, glue particles should penetrate into the lower flap.
Kerosene, purified gasoline or white spirit. The sticky area is wiped with a cloth soaked in the substance, after a few minutes the final cleaning is carried out.

You can remove a sticky stain from a thing mechanically. But this method will only help in the case of fresh contamination. What materials are suitable for cleaning?

The sticky area is wiped with a cotton pad soaked in warm water. When the surface dries, the glue residue is erased with a school eraser. After this, the fabric is treated again with a moistened swab.
Wet wipes. Rub the stain until it disappears completely, periodically replacing the contaminated material with fresh.

Home cleaners

Folk remedies are more effective in combating adhesive formation. To clean clothes or plastic, it is recommended to use the following substances, products and compositions:

9% vinegar. The liquid is slightly heated and applied generously to the surface requiring cleaning. After 10 minutes, the glue is removed with a drain, and the treated area is washed with water at room temperature.
Mix sunflower oilwith soda in a 1:2 ratio. The consistency of the mixture should resemble a thick paste. Apply the mixture to the sticky formation and wash off with soapy water after a quarter of an hour.
Alcohol and liquids containing it,including cologne. A swab is soaked in the product and the glue particles are washed off the sticker. If the mark is old, only pure alcohol can completely remove it.
Lemon. Rub the soiled area of the fabric thoroughly with a circle cut from a fresh fruit. After a few minutes, remove the remaining glue with a plastic stack. If there is no fresh fruit, a concentrated solution of citric acid will replace it.
Dishwashing gel. A small amount of the cleaner is carefully rubbed into the material with your fingertips and then with a soft brush.
Laundry soap. The sticker mark on the clothes is moistened and rubbed generously with a bar. After half an hour, the surface is cleaned with a brush soaked in warm water.

After using all of the above substances, clothes should be washed in the usual way.

Before using, these products should be tested on an inconspicuous area of the item, as they all have a bleaching effect and can lighten the fabric.

The editors tested the effect of an eraser and alcohol. Both methods work, but the latter is faster and more effective

Heat treatment

It is possible to remove sticker glue from clothing using high temperatures. This is how it is done:

The adhesive layer is heated with a hair dryer for 5-10 minutes. Then the surface is cleaned with a plastic knife and, if necessary, additionally lubricated with vegetable oil or acetone. The treatment should be completed with a soap solution.
Place several paper napkins on the stain and iron with a very hot iron. Any remaining glue that does not stick to the paper is removed mechanically.
The sticky area is held over steam coming from a boiling pot or kettle. After a few minutes, clean it with a sharp object.
The adhesive layer is treated with dry steam from a steam cleaner. Then proceed as in the previous case.

These methods are only suitable for fabrics that can withstand high temperatures. Clothes made of delicate materials cannot be cleaned in this way.