Car stickers usually have a purpose, and then there comes a time when they don’t. What was once a good idea is now an unsightly blemish on the shiny surface of your vehicle. Learn how to remove a sticker from car paint in a few simple steps.
There are many reasons to have stickers on a car, whether they are a bumper sticker or a sticker left behind by playful kids, especially if it’s a used car. Sometimes, dealerships apply decals to the car’s surface to promote their business and boost a sale.
No matter how they got there, they are all an annoyance if you prefer a beautiful car with a clean, sparking, and sticker-free surface. Unfortunately, it takes more effort than merely peeling them away with your fingers, as this often leaves torn bits of paper and clumps of sticky residue that are just as unsightly as the sticker itself.
- Ways to Remove Stickers from Your Car
- Get Sticker off Car Paint with Soapy Water
- Getting Sticker Glue off Car Paint Using a Hair Dryer
- How to Remove a Sticker from Car Paint with Boiling Water
- Removing Car Bumper Stickers with Goo Gone
- Using White Vinegar to Get a Sticker off Your Car
- Getting Stickers off Your Car with WD-40
- Ways to Make Car Sticker Removal Easier
Ways to Remove Stickers from Your Car
Removing car stickers or when you need to remove sticker residue from plastic doesn’t have to be a chore, as long as you use the right techniques and tools. Here are some ways to get a sticker off your car, from basic soapy water to applying heat.
Get Sticker off Car Paint with Soapy Water
New stickers are the easiest to remove from your car. We all love a straightforward solution when it comes to doing work, and sometimes soapy water is all that is required to get sticker off car paint.
Pour hot water into a small bucket and add a few squirts of dish soap. Agitate the liquid to create suds and then dunk a sponge into the soapy water. Rub the sticker’s surface with the sponge for several minutes to dissolve the glue and loosen the sticker.
Use the fine edge of a plastic spatula to pry up the corner of the sticker, and grab the edge with your fingers. Continue pressing the spatula between the sticker and the car while gently pulling the decal away.
This solution is also the easiest to remove bugs from car without damaging paint. Try it first before resorting to harsher measures.
Getting Sticker Glue off Car Paint Using a Hair Dryer
High temperatures loosen glue residue, making it easier to remove the entire sticker. While a heat gun is ideal, a hairdryer is a great substitute for getting sticker glue off car paint.
Plug the hairdryer into an outlet close to your car and turn it onto the high heat setting. Hold the hot air a few inches above the surface, but not directly on the sticker or your car.
Heat the decal for a few seconds and then set the hair dryer aside. Slide the sharp edge of a plastic card, such as a credit card, beneath the corner of the sticker and gently pull it away from the car.
If adhesive remains after removing the sticker, heat the surface with the hairdryer once more, spray the area with a glass cleaner, and wipe away the sticky residue.
How to Remove a Sticker from Car Paint with Boiling Water
If soapy water doesn’t do the trick and you do not have a hairdryer, the best way to remove stickers is with boiling water. The combination of water and heat soften the adhesive for quick removal.
Pour water into a cookpot and bring it to a boil. Slip on some rubber gloves to protect your hands from the hot water and get the cloth wet.
Hold the hot wet rag over the sticker for a few minutes to dissolve the adhesive, and then use a razor blade’s flat edge to remove it.
To prevent scratching the paint, hold the blade almost flat to the car and slide the edge carefully beneath the sticker. Continue pushing the razor under the decal as you use your fingers to pull it away.
Removing Car Bumper Stickers with Goo Gone
Goo Gone is an adhesive remover and a great product for getting sap off cars and removing stickers. It’s available at many hardware stores and works on a variety of surfaces.
Spray the Goo Gone directly onto the bumper sticker and let it sit for a few minutes. Slide the edge of a plastic scraper beneath one side of the sticker and push it gently while using your fingers to pull the decal away from the car.
After the sticker is gone, mix hot water and a small amount of dish soap in a bucket. Dip a sponge into the soapy water and use it to clean away the adhesive residue from the surface.
Using White Vinegar to Get a Sticker off Your Car
Vinegar is a mildly acidic liquid that is useful for removing adhesive from car paint. It softens the glue enough for you to work at the edges of the sticker for quick and efficient removal.
Soak a soft clean cloth with white vinegar and press it onto the sticker’s surface for a few minutes to dissolve the adhesive. Carefully slide the edge of a box cutter blade beneath the corner of the sticker, making sure to hold it in a way that does not scratch your car’s paint.
Use your fingers to pull the decal away while you continue to slip the blade beneath the sticker. Clean the area thoroughly with hot water after the sticker is gone or take it to the car wash to remove residue and grime.
Getting Stickers off Your Car with WD-40
If you’re hesitant to use heat or other solutions to remove a decal from your car’s paint, consider using WD-40, a must-have in every home. It stops doors from squeaking, loosens bolts, and even removes tar, tree sap, and stickers.
Spray the top of the sticker with WD-40 and let it sit for about a minute to release the seal. Slip the edge of a plastic scraper or card beneath the outer edge of the sticker and press it gently inward.
Use your fingers to grasp the loosened sticker as you continue to slide the scraper along the surface. After removing the decal, clean the area with warm water to wash away residue.
Ways to Make Car Sticker Removal Easier
Bumper stickers and car decals are a fun way of expressing your personality. However, they are not the easiest things to remove. Luckily, there are ways to adhere them to your car without ruining the paint job.
Car Stickers Made Easy
To make the job of removing stickers quicker, try applying car wax first to prevent the adhesive from sticking stubbornly to the paint. It’s also helpful to place stickers on the car’s glass instead of the paint since glass cleaning is a lot easier than paint cleaning.
If you prefer not to have any adhesive stick to your car’s paint, apply the decal to a bumper magnet, and stick it to your car. Do not use harsh chemicals to remove stickers from your vehicle that tend to damage the paint, such as fingernail polish remover or gasoline.
After you get the stickers off, it’s a good idea to wash the whole car so you don’t have shiny splotches on an otherwise dirty and dull surface. Try a DIY car wash soap recipe for great results.
Car stickers have their purpose, but removing them is not nearly as easy as putting them on when their time is done.
The removal process is often tedious if you try to remove them by hand, but luckily there are ways to simplify the task.
Now that you know how to remove a sticker from car paint to keep your vehicle looking its best, why not share our car sticker removal tips with your circle of family and friends on Pinterest and Facebook?