You accidentally washed your favorite shirt with sticky bits of glue left behind. Will you throw it away? Don’t panic. As long as you know what to do, you can remove even the most stubborn sticker residue. Here are household hacks to get sticker residue off clothes without ruining them.
1. Acetone
Believe it or not, you can use acetone to break down the hardened, residual adhesive. You can also use nail polish since it also contains acetone. But only use this method on non-acetate fabrics. Otherwise, the acetone will melt your clothing.
Check and see if the stain is dry, then use a towel to scrape the residual glue with clear acetone. The white patches should be gone in no time.
You should also test the acetone on an inner seam or hem to see if the fabric is colorfast. Dip a cotton swab in acetone and rub it along the seam. If any color transfers to the swab, don’t use acetone to remove the adhesive.
Place the sticky side of the garment face down on an old white towel if the clothing is colorfast. Pour the acetone on the back of the stain and rub the glue onto the old towel as it loosens. Have patience; it may take numerous attempts to scrape off all the residues.
After applying the acetone, thoroughly rinse the spot before washing the entire clothing as directed in the care label.
2. Dish Soap and Warm Water
First, rub dish soap over the sticker area and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Next, use a dull knife to scrape the sticker residue. Gently pull that sticky residue up. You can also use a microfiber cloth with dishwashing soap for best effectiveness.
Then, rinse the clothing and ensure that all the residues are gone. If not, add more dish soap to the area and scrape it again. Finally, wash as you always would and hang out your clothes to air dry.
3. Dish Soap with Peanut Butter
You can also try peanut butter to dissolve glue stickiness. It may sound unbelievable, but this well-known sandwich condiment contains oils that help break up the bond from stickers, masking tape, and other glue residues.
Get a spoonful of peanut butter and a butter knife. Don’t use the chunky one so that peanut particles will not stick to the garment. Smudge a thin coating enough to enclose the damaged area and the sticky spot’s edges as well as thick enough to prevent the cloth from showing through the smeared peanut butter.
Allow the peanut butter to settle for about five minutes. Next, clean the peanut-buttered area carefully with a toothbrush or a little cleaning brush. The scrubbing motion will scrap away the residue which has already loosened because of the peanut butter’s oils.
When the sticker bits and glue have vanished, gently wipe away the butter as much as possible. Scrub the area again with dish soap.
Blot any oil and lingering stickiness caused by the peanut butter with the dish soap. Wash the garment as usual after thoroughly rinsing the spot.
4. Warm White Vinegar
Start by microwaving undiluted distilled white vinegar for around 20 seconds. Use a clean towel to wipe the affected area with warm vinegar. Allow the vinegar to soak into the area for a few minutes.
Scrape off the residue with a dull butter knife or spatula. After scraping off all the residual, apply a little quantity of laundry detergent to the area and rub it in. Rinse and wash thoroughly.
5. Rubbing Alcohol
To blot sticker residue from a fabric, pour a little rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball. Allow the rubbing alcohol to sit on the clothing for a few minutes before scraping off the sticky residue with a blunt object like a spoon or butter knife.
Wash as usual. But, after removing your clothes from the washer, let them air-dry outdoors. Make sure all of the residues have vanished. If not, go through the process again.
6. Lemon Essential Oils
You can use essential oils for different household purposes, but lemon is specifically effective for loosening stubborn sticky residues.
Allow a few drops of lemon oil to sit on the residue for a few minutes. Using your fingernails or a dull knife, scrape the area. After you’ve removed all of the residual, you can now wash your garments as usual. After your garments have been washed, double-check the affected area for signs of stickiness before hanging them out to air-dry.
7. Ironing
Consider using heat to eliminate sticker residue without bringing your clothes to a dry-cleaning shop. When it comes to removing tough stickers and loosening stubborn adhesive, a clothing iron is an excellent tool.
Lay the garment on an ironing board. Adjust the iron to the maximum heat setting. Place the iron over the clothing without exposing the adhesive to the heat. Meaning, iron your shirt with the unwanted adhesive residue facing up the ironing board. Keep it there for about 5 to 15 seconds for the residue to melt.
Put the iron aside. Gently scrape the sticky residue using a blank plastic card, by hand, or with a knife. Repeat the procedures until the residues are gone.
8. Freezing
Freeze the item for 45 to 90 minutes to remove sticker residue in synthetic clothes. When stubborn sticker pieces remain on the fabric, freezing them helps. They will have solidified enough that you can pluck them off or scrape them away with a metal spatula after freezing.
Wet the sticky area and scrub the residue with dish soap. Cleanse it gently with a light brush before washing as usual.
9. Goo Gone
If you have Goo Gone on hand, this is an excellent way to remove sticky residue from your garments. It’s easy to use and available in spray and bottle forms.
Apply Goo Gone to the sticky tape residue to remove it from the fabric. Allow it to sit for a few minutes.
With the help of a clean cloth, blot the area and begin scraping the residue away. You can also scrape away the loose parts of the sticker with an old credit card or a putty knife.
To eliminate all of the sticky residues, wipe the area with paper toweling, then wash the cloth in the washing machine with laundry detergent.
10. Heat Gun
First, ensure your t-shirt is lying flat. It’s also a good idea to secure the shirt with your elbow or something heavy. Set your heat gun to the maximum setting and heat blast the problematic adhesive residue for about 5–15 seconds.
When the shirt is securely fastened, remove the glue residue with your hand or a sharp tool. Doing this should be very simple to accomplish.
11. Masking Tape
To begin, remove as much of the sticker or sticker residue as possible with masking tape. All you need to do is apply the masking tape to the desired spot and then peel it away. Repeat until all of the remaining residues are gone.
12. WD-40
You may assume that WD-40 is only effective in fixing a squeaky hinge. The truth is, you can also use WD-40 to remove residue from stickers in your clothing.
Spray the affected area with WD-40 and leave it to dry for around 10 minutes. With the help of a blunt butter knife or spatula, scrape off all the sticker residues.
Rinse the area with warm water and dish soap. Wash as usual in your washing machine. Pull it out as soon as it’s finished.
Then, double-check if all of the residues have come off. Lay your clothes out to air dry.
13. Stain-Removing Solvent
To start, scrape off as much of the sticker as you can with a dull, straight edge, such as a blunt knife. Next, test the garment’s colorfastness.
Try dabbing a small amount of the solvent on an inconspicuous part of the shirt. Do this on an inside seam or under the sleeve.
If the color doesn’t change, soak the area in a dish of the solvent for a few minutes. Then, using the knife once more, scrape away the remaining residue. If a resistant spot persists, blot it with a towel dipped in the solution and then rinse with warm water.
14. Dry-Cleaning Solvent
If the stickers have left glue on the fibers, you can spot treat the affected area with a dry-cleaning solvent as long as the clothing is labeled dry-clean-only. Apply the dry-cleaning solvent with a tiny sponge or cotton swab by blotting rather than rubbing. [6 Steps To Dry Clean Clothes At Home]
But, if the garment is pricey, it’s best not to risk it. Better take it to a dry cleaner. Make sure to show the stain to the professional.
Summary
Got sticker residue on your clothes? While removing the sticky pieces may seem like an impossible task, there are always quick and efficient ways that you can do to solve the problem. Follow the household hacks to get sticker residue off clothes as mentioned above, and you’re good to go.
Jessica Oliver is a fashion enthusiast with more than ten years of experience in the industry. She previously managed her own clothing store in New York before becoming a mother of three. With a passion for sustainability and a desire to share clothing care and recycling tips.