4 Effective Ways to Remove Stickers (and Their Residue) on Your Car

Yes, car stickers--they're a nasty bunch. Not only do they stick out like ugly patches on your car's glass windows, but not all of them are easy to get rid of.

The good news is there are easy ways to remove them without sacrificing your fingers (or hands). Here are four proven ways to get rid of stickers (and their adhesive residue) once and for all:

1) "Soften the Glue" Technique

Stickers are hard to get rid of because of hardened adhesives. You can soften them by dipping a wash rag into a soapy water and wash it over the car sticker a number of times. You can now slowly peel the sticker off.

Another option--which we think is far more effective-- is to apply soft heat using your hair dryer. Make sure you don't apply it too close to your car's body, though. The last thing you want is to mess up your car's paint--all because that old homeowner sticker doesn't want to give itself up.

So how long should you expose it to heat before you peel off the sticker? Less than a minute would do--enough to see the adhesive soften and stretch out a bit like a slice of mozzarella cheese pizza.

Once the glue has softened, get a credit card (for your car's body) or a razor blade (for your car's glass windows). You will use them to start lifting up the edges of your sticker. Make sure to do it slowly--peeling it fast might leave not only adhesive residues, but also traces of sticker materials like paper or plastic. This will make it harder for you to remove the sticker.

Make sure to wipe the sticker off with a dry, clean cloth once you're finished.

2) Ice and Nail Polish Remover (Acetone) Technique

Ice and nail polish is another good combination to get rid of stickers. Here's how you do it:

Apply ice on the car sticker and let it stay there for a few minutes. Slowly peel the sticker off using your fingers, a credit card, or razor blade. Then wipe off the residue by applying a light coat of nail polish remover.

Note that some nail polish removers may not be good for a car's paint. This doesn't happen often, but it's best to play it safe and test the polish remover on a hidden part of the car's body. That way, you'll see if the paint will react negatively to the acetone.

Make sure to wipe the sticker off with a dry, clean cloth once you're done.

3) WD 40 and Pencil Eraser Technique

Another alternative we can suggest here is to get a traditional pencil (with an eraser) and buy a can of WD 40. Note that this method will take up a lot of your time. You should also expect your fingers and joints to get a good workout. Here's how you do it: Apply WD 40 around the edges of the car's sticker, and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then take out your pencil, and start rubbing the outer edges. You should see the adhesive residue slowly gum up as you work around the entire sticker. If you don't have WD40, then you can use any type of oil (or oily substance) like canola oil, coconut oil, lard, and even baby lotion as good substitutes. You can even use peanut butter here--without the sandwich, of course. Make sure to wipe everything off with a dry, clean cloth once you're finished.

4) Sticker Remover Technique

What if you don't have time to do all of these tips? Then save yourself the hassle and just buy a good sticker remover, instead. They're by far the easiest to use--and they will save you heaps of time as well.

The procedure is easy: Just apply it around the sticker's edges, wait a few minutes, and remove it using your credit card or fingernails.

Make sure to wipe the sticker off with a dry, clean cloth once you're done.