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Whether it’s a new mirror that you brought home or a wine bottle that you’re using for a DIY project, lifting the price tag or label from glass always end up being tougher than you’d expect. Thanks to their adhesive properties, stickers are often a pain to peel off any kind of glass using just your fingers, but a few tried-and-true methods can get you out of a sticky situation in a hurry—and without a trace left behind. Enlist a number of household items, and try any of the three easy solutions outlined below for how to remove stickers from glass.
Give It a Soak
Soap and hot water are two effective tools for breaking down the bond of stickers’ adhesive material. Try soaking the full glass in hot (but not boiling), soapy water—either hand soap or dishwashing soap are good choices for the job—for 10 to 20 minutes before removing the stickers with the tip of your fingernail.
If you’re not able to submerge the glass, cover it as best possible with a sponge that has been soaked in hot, soapy water instead for 10 to 20 minutes. The stickers should roll right off after the adhesive has been weakened, but, if not, continue your quest with the next methods.
Bring the Heat
Since the melting point of adhesives may differ from sticker to sticker, you might need to apply more direct heat if hot water and soap doesn’t do the trick. To do so, take a hair dryer and turn it up to the highest setting. Then, hold it a few inches away from the stickers and blast the object with hot air for a minute or two.
Don’t worry about damaging the item itself—glass doesn’t start to melt until it reaches around 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit! You should be more concerned about holding the glass away from the heated portion so as not to burn your fingers. After one or two minutes of this, use a credit card to push back a corner of each sticker without scratching the glass and remove them quickly with your fingers. (Giving the glass a chance to cool back down with the stickers still in place won’t help your case.)
Call for Backup
If even the hottest water or blast of air doesn’t work to remove stubborn stickers, you can bring in a lubricant to help dissolve the adhesive enough for the paper to budge. Since WD-40 is a handyman favorite for easing things along, coat the stickers with it for a few seconds before rubbing it off with a gloved finger to protect your skin.
If you don’t have a can of WD-40 on hand, try doing the same with some room-temperature cooking oil (which helps to separate the adhesive from the glass) or some rubbing alcohol (which can dissolve the adhesive altogether). Surely, one of this trio will help your stickers slide off!
