Remove nasty cello tape marks from window?

[Simon Ferrol]

As reported earlier, last winter I put cheap bubble wrap all over my windows as a poor man way of protecting myself from freezing, and it worked.

I used clear cello tape (large size, the one used for packing) and I tried very carefully to tear it off but a lot of marks on the glass have remained and pieces of tape have remained on the window frame (I can't tell if the frame is actually metal or hard plastic).

Questions:

1) How do I remove the tape marks from the glass?

2) How do I remove the bits and pieces of tape from the frame without ruining the frame (it's a council flat and at one point I'll have to return it back to the Council)

3) What kind of tape can I use next winter to prevent this from happening again?

SF

[Jeff Gaines]

Scraper that takes a Stanley blade + Isopropyl Alcohol.

Isopropyl Alcohol, test small area first.

Would masking tape be up to the job?

[Soup]

Goo-gone to remove the marks:-

Apparently WD-40 works as well but I have never tried it.:- I suppose what you use will depend on what you have lying about if you do not want to buy special:-

Tape pices should be able to be picked of the frame if metal or hard plastic (I would worry about the paint if wooden) .

Given the state some houses are returned to the coucil in, I would not worry too much about a few tape marks.

Low-tack masking tape, if that is not strong enough you will probably just have to resign yourself to having this faff on a yearly basis.

[Colin Bignell]

That can also leave adhesive behind if it is left in place for too long.

[RJH]

I gather gaffer tape is best for low residue . . .

[The Natural Philosopher]

If IPA doesn't work, have stronger solvents like MEK, acetone or ethyl acetate on tap.

any tape is likely to leave a residue

[Theo]

If they are dried, isopropyl alcohol.

If they are sticky (or dried and you don't have IPA) try neat cooking oil and scrub with a toothbrush or similar. Once the stain has come off the surface, scrub with neat washing up liquid and then water to wash off the oil.

If it's metal or plastic, the same will work. Try it on an inconspicuous area just in case it stains, but I doubt it will. I wouldn't use them on a painted, varnished or wooden frame.

For the remaining tape, peel off the bits and treat as above. It may be that scrubbing with IPA will cause them to come off if they're tightly stuck - it needs to get underneath the tape.

Not sure - while you can get low-residue tapes, they made be made worse (either sticky or fall off) by UV.

You could also put some self-adhesive velcro up which you leave there all year - put the opposite velcro on your bubble wrap, and then you can put it up and take it down as many times as you like.

(the velcro often has pretty tough adhesive that needs a lot of IPA to shift when finally needing to be removed - it took a lot to remove a whole patio door worth, but I did it eventually)

Theo

[The Natural Philosopher]

Another possibility is to glue some thin steel strips to the frames and use magnets...

[Andrew]

Not if you use the more-expensive blue variety

[Tim Streater]

Did you use that for taping the score to your cello? Didn't they supply you with a music stand?