How to remove stickers from clothes

by Abbas Jahangir · July 10, 2024

Modern clothing uses a variety of stickers for various purposes. Sometimes it becomes necessary to say goodbye even to a once pleasant image. What can we say about price tags and labels stuck in the wrong place. How can you remove a sticker from clothing and surfaces made of different materials without leaving a stain?

What kind of stickers are found in everyday life?

Most stickers are removed in two stages: removing the top layer and the sticky residue left behind.

Before you start to remove the sticker, you need to determine what kind of sticker you will have to deal with. The following types of prints are used in everyday life:

Rubber or vinyl. They are opaque inscriptions or applications of simple form, usually one-color or two-color.
Oilcloth or woven heat-sealable stickers are distinguished by their complex shape and variety of color palettes.
Thermal printing. Translucent and completely repeating the surface structure.

In some cases, information about the material from which the sticker is made can be found on the product label. If it is missing, you will have to rely on a visual inspection.

How to remove a thermal printing pattern from a garment

The most difficult thing to clean from clothes is a print applied by the thermal printing method. Paint is removed from fabric using the following substances:

Acetone or liquids containing it (solvent, nail polish remover). Soak a cotton pad in the substance and slowly, with short movements, without rubbing the paint into the surface of the item, remove the print.
Ethyl or boric alcohol. The area of the material with the sticker is dipped into the composition. As soon as the paint begins to come off, the wet area is wrung out and the product is sent to the wash.

If the clothes are shedding a lot, the pattern cannot be removed in one go, otherwise a stain or streaks will remain on them. After cleaning each layer, the fabric must be washed.

How to remove iron-on and vinyl stickers from fabric

It is possible to remove iron-on stickers and vinyl-based images from clothing using one of the following methods:

Heating. This is done with a hot air stream from a hair dryer or dry steam from a steam generator. The sticker is processed for 5-10 minutes, holding the device at a distance of approximately 5 cm from it. After that, the edge of the picture is lifted and a small knife, nail file or plastic card is slipped under it. Gradually moving towards the middle, the top layer is removed. In addition, stickers are removed with a hot iron, smoothing the surface through a paper towel.
Drying. The item is moistened with water and placed in the drum of the machine. The drying program is turned on at the maximum temperature. After an hour, the wardrobe item is taken out and the picture is cleaned.
Freezing. The product is folded so that the unwanted print is on top and placed in the freezer for several hours. The sticker will crack from the cold and will be easy to remove.
Washing. The item with the sticker is cycled in the washing machine at maximum temperature.

It should be borne in mind that these methods, except for freezing, are only suitable for durable fabrics whose fibers are resistant to high temperatures.

In addition, at home, rubber and oilcloth stickers come off the fabric under the influence of detergents, alcohol and tape.

Alcohol is poured onto the drawing. Then the wetted area is placed under cold water running from the tap. After that, the sticker is lubricated with dishwashing gel or liquid detergent, and after 3 hours the item is washed.
Cut a strip of the required size from the tape and stick it on the picture. Taking the end of the piece with your fingers, tear off the tape in one motion. If the sticker does not come off completely, repeat the procedure.

Removing stickers from hard surfaces

Methods for removing labels and stickers from dishes, household appliances and other items made of different materials mostly coincide with methods suitable for clothing. We will focus only on those methods and substances that have not been described earlier.

If possible, it is worth using chemical industry products. Suitable for any surfaces: specialized products for removing stickers and tape. For example: Liqui Moly, Anti-Scotch “ASTROhim”, Goo Gone; Kangaroo “Fine Glass” glass cleaner.
You can easily remove a sticker from glass or metal using chemical degreaser WD-40, as well as wallpaper remover purified with gasoline or acetone.
A melamine sponge cleans pictures pasted onto wood products well.
Ice will help remove a sticker from plastic, ceramics and glass. Place it in a bag and apply it to the surface that needs cleaning for a few minutes. After that, coat the sticker with dishwashing liquid and peel it off with a sharp object.
Plastic and glass products are also cleaned using a mixture prepared from vinegar and water in a ratio of 1:3. The sticker is moistened with the solution, and after 20-30 minutes, the cleaning is performed.

Thus, there are many ways to remove stickers from different surfaces. All that remains is to choose the most suitable one and get to work.