Removing old sticky tape

Apr 21, 2025 Last reply: 1 year ago 9 Replies

I insulated the conservatory with bubble polythene over winter. On the doors it had to be held down onto the PVC with sticky tape, either the "invisible" 3M type or masking tape. Exposed to the sun for several months, both types of tape hardened and baked on. The invisible tape could mainly be pulled off, and the remaining sticky residue removed with isopropyl alcohol.



The masking tape was a different matter. It tore rather than be pulled off, and in the end I used an old plastic ice scraper to get off the tape part. It was hard work, and left a very sticky residue on the PVC. The isopropyl alcohol didn't touch it - no effect whatsoever. I had acetone, but couldn't use it as it damages PVC. The only other solvent I had was white spirit. I didn't expect it to damage PVC, and it didn't. It also slowly dissolved the sticky residue, and the PVC is now back to normal.


Ambersil label remover spray can also be good for that kind of stuff.

Looking at what's in it from the MSDS I'd guess that petrol would be pretty effective too!

A rather cleaner alternative to petrol is lighter fluid which is less full of additives and comes in a handy dispenser. The chemical composition is very similar. Just short chain hydrocarbons and the odd benzene ring, with not any oxygens or other atoms..

The main addition to the label removers is typically a citrus oil - orange in the case of the Ambersil one. The C9 - C11 hydrocarbons work well as a solvent to help penetration, but the oil is what helps shift the difficult adhesives. (you do need to apply and wait five to ten mins though, for it to penetrate through the paper.

Op 21/04/2025 om 15:47 schreef Jeff Layman:

WD40 kinda did the job for me. But it stinks.

(Can you still get lighter fluid?) I recently discovered, through necessity, that electronics contact cleaner (can't think of the technical name) removes a lot of types of sticky residue. (I'm not suggesting going out and buying a can, but some people may have one standing around in the garage.)

J.

In message <vu88ar$nkjk$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, Ottavio Caruso snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com writes

+1 (and I quite like the smell!).

Sure. Smoking is still legal.

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