How to remove a sticker from a car window without damaging or scratching it? Manufacturers of most industrial products use bright self-adhesive labels that indicate the brand and model, price, expiration date, etc., but this often bothers the user, and is especially annoying when such pictures are placed in a visible place - for example, on the windshield of a car. To prevent the label from peeling off on its own during transportation, it is glued to a sticky adhesive mass that completely prevents spontaneous peeling off. But later this creates a problem for the buyer of the product: how to peel off the sticker from the glass and remove the remaining glue?
Remove the sticker from the windshield and the car body. Chemical test
Very often there are various stickers on cars (for example, parking passes, stickers from car manufacturers and stickers from tuning companies, as well as various advertising stickers, etc. stickers), which are glued either to the car body itself or to the windows (like usually on the rear or windshield). But, sooner or later, the car owner may need to peel them off without causing damage to his car. We invite our readers to learn from this article how you can peel off (remove) a sticker from a car body or windshield without any hassle or hassle. Also in our review you can see the results of a test of 12 cleaning products that help remove the sticker from the car.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to easily peel off (remove) the sticker from your car. The fact is that such a sticker hardens well over time under the influence of sunlight and sudden temperature changes, and the properties of the glue change. The glue actually turns into plastic. Many drivers usually start trying to remove the sticker with a sharp knife. True, this method most often does not help to completely remove the sticker from the car; in any case, particles of the sticker will remain on the body. There is also a certain risk that you will scratch the car body.
Further, we do not recommend that you, dear friends, listen to the advice of car enthusiasts that are widespread on the Internet, where they suggest using a hair dryer or, even worse, a heat gun to remove the sticker from the car. Always remember that such heating can damage the paint layer of the car body and at the same time can discolor the protective film of the windshield or rear window, which is located in one of the many layers of car glass. This heat may eventually turn your glass a milky white color. In addition, very strong heating of the glass can simply damage it, and can also deform the center console of the car.
Some motorists advise online to use nail polish remover to remove the sticker. If the sticker is on the car body or on the interior finishing materials, then we do not advise you to use such a liquid for this purpose, as it can damage the surface of the car and the interior finishing materials on which the sticker is located (pasted).
Water or vinegar
The sticker can be easily wiped off with hot water.
How to remove stickers or tape marks:
- Pour boiling liquid into a container.
- Add some dish detergent.
- Shake the liquid until the soap dissolves well.
- Bring hot water to the plastic and pour onto the label.
This method is good for washing any stickers from the plastic part of the car. It is better not to use boiling water if you need to remove glue or a sticker from glass. It may crack.
You can replace water with vinegar. Its action is similar. The acid contained in it dissolves the adhesive base, and the label can be easily wiped off.
How to clean? Advice from an experienced housewife: mix vinegar with water in a 3:1 ratio. I applied the resulting product to the sticker. I waited 25 minutes and wiped it off without much effort using a spatula. Wash everything off with plain water.
As a result, not a trace of the previously glued sticker will remain on the surface to be cleaned.
You can remove the sticker from your car using special household chemicals.
Many household chemical stores or car dealerships, as well as many online stores, sell a large variety of chemical products designed to remove stickers from any surface. Therefore, we advise you to use only special products to remove stickers from your car, as they are designed specifically for this purpose. Remember, friends, that using dubious means in this case using “old-fashioned methods” can cause significant harm to your car.
The German auto magazine Autozeitung selected 12 of the most famous means for removing stickers from a car for a test. Please note that all these products are presented in different price categories. But this cannot mean that the more expensive the product, the more effective it is.
To test THESE products, Avtozhurnal employees, using auto chemicals available on the market, personally removed stickers from the windshield. To make the test fairly fair, stickers were purchased from completely different materials (paper, plastic, film, stickers with a special glue composition). Next, each new sticker was artificially aged to simulate the natural aging of the stickers themselves, and then the windshields with the stickers were placed in a climate chamber for some time. Well, then every chemical agent was tested. Ultimately, experts were able to find out that none of the chemicals presented for testing showed high removal efficiency.
Ice
You can erase a label on a plastic coating using frozen water.
How to clean dishes, glass or plastic:
- Apply ice cubes to the glue stain or the label itself.
- Wait 10–15 minutes.
- Try removing the sticker with your hands or use auxiliary tools.
Then use detergent to remove any remaining sticker marks.
All stickers on the car leave traces of glue
The chemicals used actually help remove stickers and that's a fact. But, there is one small “but”. All these means do not help to completely peel off all the layers on the sticker from the car. For example, during testing, after removing stickers from the car body, large traces of glue and partial sticker residues remained on it. The result is the following: in order to completely remove the sticker from the car, it was necessary, after the first stage of removal and after the surface had completely dried, to start all over again, applying the chemical agent to the surface of the car again.
Liquid "UHU" for removing labels and traces of tape
Average price in Russia: 350 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 306.
Sticker remover "Wepos Aufkleber-Entferner"
Average price in Russia: 600 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 311.
Sticker remover "Würth Industry Clean"
Average price in Russia: 480 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 327.
Sticker remover "NIGRIN"
Average price in Russia: 790 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 334.
Mellerud adhesive remover
Average price in Russia: 830 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 336.
Sticker remover "Cleanextreme Aufkleber" / "Klebstoff-Entferner"
Average price in Russia: 1000 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 342.
Cleaner for removing glue "TESA"
Average price in Russia: 390 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 349.
Pesto glue remover
Average price in Russia: 580 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 349.
Solvent for removing stickers “Solvent 50 Kontakt chemie”
Average price in Russia: 960 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 351.
Sticker remover (anti-adhesive tape) “Caramba”
Average price in Russia: 850 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 352.
Meyer Chemie Sticker Remover
Average price in Russia: 680 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 360.
HG Sticker Remover
Average price in Russia: 350 rubles .
Number of points as a result of the test: 368.
Materials required for work
Most modern car stickers, presented in a decent assortment on the market, are made on the basis of high-strength, reliable, moisture-resistant, temperature-resistant vinyl. Emblems and images are primarily intended for one-time use, have an adhesive surface, and have a decent service life, sometimes more than three years. Such super-positive quality characteristics position car stickers from the best side, which, from a different position, causes difficulties when they need to be removed.
Before starting to remove the sticker, the car owner should prepare accordingly: purchase the necessary materials and tools for the work, prepare himself mentally for a responsible, jewelry-making process that requires scrupulousness and diligence. Materials may vary depending on the method of carrying out the procedure, however, there is a clear minimum, which looks like this:
- Warm water and several small clean rags to pre-clean the surface from dirt accumulations and treat the surface under the sticker after its removal. Car shampoo or any other non-aggressive detergent may also come in handy.
- A professional or powerful household hair dryer for heating the adhesive base in order to soften it before removing the picture.
- To directly undermine the edge of the emblem and remove it, you will need a plastic spatula; as an alternative, an old plastic card or other durable, non-metallic, flat object may be useful.
- As a liquid for eliminating residual components of the adhesive base, you can use either special solutions, having previously purchased them at a car store, or gasoline and kerosene available to each car owner. You should be very careful when choosing a liquid so that it is not aggressive to the components of the paintwork.
- If you intend to remove an adhesive object from the body, polishing paste will be needed to smooth out the discrepancy in the color of the body with the area that was under the sticker.
In addition to preparing the materials necessary for direct work, it is important for the performer to focus on his safety. When working with aggressive components, it is important to take precautions, wear thick work clothes, gloves and safety glasses.
Which product is the worst for removing stickers from car windows?
During testing, Würth Industry Clean showed unsatisfactory results on some (certain) types of labels. Even after sufficient treatment of the sticker surface itself, a large amount of glue residue remains on the glass.
Let's sum it up
Stickers and film vinyl coating on cars are actively used by car owners as an improvement in the appearance of the vehicle. The process of pasting, especially small-sized stickers, is one of the most affordable tuning options, which explains the popularity of this method of improving the design of a car.
Problems arise at the stage when the pasted pattern you like becomes boring or other reasons arise that imply the need to remove the emblem. Coping with this task is not always easy, since modern-made car stickers are distinguished by decent strength and durability. This article presents effective methods for dealing with stickers and glue fragments that remain when they are removed, using which any car owner can solve the problem at home.
Method number 3. Rubber disc
A rubber disc on a power tool will remove any vinyl, but again, stay in one place too long and you risk removing not only the decal, but also the top coat of varnish.
See also: How to remove a sticker from a car
All three methods are not easy and are more suitable for professionals. Outside of these options, you can do the following: place (lean) a towel, previously soaked in boiling water, against the surface. Hold it on the sticker for 20 seconds or so. The glue will begin to heat up, allowing you to peel off the decal without any problems by prying it off with a plastic scraper or your fingernail.
And also, before polishing the place where the sticker was, wipe off any remaining glue using a solvent such as White Spirit. This way you will avoid the appearance of unpleasant glue stains and stains.
If you have a lot of stickers to remove, it's not the fastest process, but it's something you'll want to do right once rather than redoing it a dozen times.
