How in the heck do you get these darn stickers off of the window?? Why couldn’t they make this easy for me? I don’t have hours to sit there picking the bits off. Which is why they are still on most of our windows after 2 months of being in our new house.
Anyone have a super easy way of getting these off? A magic potion or spell?
thank you!
-Dana
Freestanding with boxed stairs, this small deck is full of ideas for a long-lasting entry that will look great for years to come.
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Replies
Straight edge razor should take them off easily enough.
Mebbe warm water applied with a sponge for those really tough spots?
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
WD40. Soak the sticker good, and let it soak in a while. It breaks the bond of the adhesive somehow.
Works great for all kinds of stickers.
Don't let a solvent like WD40 touch the finish or any of the caulking/glazing compound.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Has your house been signed off for energy code yet?
Here in Western Washington we are required to leave those stickers long enough for the building inspector to verify that we have installed glazing (and doors) with the appropriate U ratings.
Romania wasn't built in a day.
don't have hours to sit there picking the bits off.
Well, if the inspector has signed off, then use Goo-Gone on the bits with a single-edge scraper and a bit of patience. The goo-gone can be nicer to work with than wd-40, but not always.
I use wd-40 to remove goo gone. Then I use fantastic to remove the the wd-40.
Sound like the lady who swallowed the fly!
Stay away from the razor blades, you'll put fine scratches in the window. Plain old water dissolves the glue. Stick a wet sheet of newspaper over the label and wait ten or fifteen minutes, and it will peel right off.
MAPP gas in yer torch then cold water : )
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Cheap vodka...they don't call it Popov for nothing<G>
Depends upon the sticker. If it's an expensive window, I'd probably leave it on for a year or so for my neighbors to see. If it's a cheap, big box window, I'd use the razor the day after the installers left.
I dated a gal that removed more window stickers as a new construction cleaner than I'll ever see.
The magic solution is determining if it's a water or solvent based adhesive. For water based stickers spray them with windex and let it sit. I like the damp newspaper idea.
For solvent based stickers Goof Off will soften 'em up quickly.
Razer blades can be used, but only if you are careful and know what you're doing. It's funny how many people don't understand that scratches are caused primarily by dragging the blade backwards. On the cut stroke it's vertually impossible for scratch-causing grit to get under the point of the blade, but dragging the blade backwards is like using a trowel to scratch coat thinset.
Also, never run a razer blade dry. Spray windex or something on the glass so it's not dry steel against the dry glass.
If it's tempered glass I'd forgo the blades completely since it scraches so easily.
Best of luck
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Thank you all for your help. They are Marvin windows, so fairly expensive, but I don't feel like leaving the stickers on for a year :-)I will go with the goof off and stay away from the razor. I have 2 year old twins, hence the no time thing. I will work on the windows at nap time. Many many thanks!! -Dana
Call or email Marvin and ask.Note that in many cases the stickers can simply be peeled off, once you have a corner up. Much better than scraping when it works, though you may need to go by afterwards with a cloth dampened with GooGone to remove a few spots of residue.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
My lord Dan. Never occured to me to check their web site. Duh! Here is what they say for the benefit of others who might be as brain dead as myself:Removing Labels from GlassNew Marvin windows and doors will bear a Marvin label. Labels and adhesive residue should be removed from glass as soon as possible after installation. If a label does not release from the glass easily, use the methods described below to remove it.
1. Soak the label thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Rub the alcohol into the label with a gentle motion until the adhesive and label are removed.
OR
2. Soak the label thoroughly with acetone (nail polish remover) and peel the label off after a few minutes.Remember: * Do not remove labels when exposed to direct sunlight.
* Cleaning agents must not to come in contact with weatherstrip or finishes, as damage may result.
Yeah, just try peeling first, though. Even if you can only tear off the surface paper, that makes it easier to soak the label to get the rest off. And sometimes the label will peel off cleanly.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Believe me I have tried peeling, none come off cleanly. I will peel first to get that first layer and then follow Marvin's directions.We have a few Pella Windows (a late addition to our shed dormers) and those labels came off very easily. I told my husband it made me wish all the windows were Pella just b/c of that!!
We have a few Pella Windows (a late addition to our shed dormers) and those labels came off very easily. I told my husband it made me wish all the windows were Pella just b/c of that!!
You can send that comment to Pella and maybe they could add it to their marketing campaign :)
jt8
"One of the fondest expressions around is that we can't be the world's policeman. But guess who gets called when suddenly someone needs a cop." -- Colin Powell
I also can't stand stickers that are hard to remove, so they are peeled right off the bat even though we're supposed to keep the info intact until after the energy inspection--easier to beg forgiveness than peel old stickers. :-)
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
I have Polaris windows, and when I shower the window fogs up except in the box where the sticker was, and it's been a few years already!