How to remove traces of tape on plastic or glass

Very often, plastic and glass surfaces for any purpose may have unsightly marks left by adhesive tape or adhesive tape. This problem is faced by buyers of plastic windows and doors, computers and laptops, household appliances, plastic furniture etc. Price tags, labels, advertising stickers and ordinary tape leave sloppy sticky marks on smooth surfaces, which become especially noticeable after dust gets on them. It looks very ugly and untidy, which means we need to talk about how to wipe away traces of tape so as not to damage the plastic.

Why do these marks appear?

Unsightly stains remain on plastic surfaces because the adhesion force between the adhesive component of the tape and its paper or polymer base is less than the adhesion force that occurs between the adhesive layer and the plastic surface. As a result, the polymer or paper base of the tape peels off, and the glue remains on the plastic. That is, this is a completely natural phenomenon that cannot be prevented.So every consumer needs to know how to wipe tape off plastic without damaging or scratching it.

The most effective ways to deal with adhesive stains from tape

In most cases, it is quite difficult to clean a plastic surface from the glue remaining on it. Therefore, many consumers use a variety of sharp and cutting objects (knives, spatulas, metal rulers, etc.) for this purpose. Do not do this under any circumstances, as you may severely scratch the surface, ruining the appearance of the plastic product. It is better to give preference to one of the following substances:

• - alcohol;
• - gasoline;
• - White Spirit;
• - kerosene;
• - acetone.

However, these substances must be handled very carefully, since they can corrode plastic. So, before you start using this or that drug, be sure to try it on a small piece of the surface (where the damage, if anything happens, will not be noticeable). And when you start processing plastic that needs to be cleaned, make sure that the solvent does not remain on its surface for a long time - a few seconds are enough, after which you need to carefully wipe the surface to be treated with a dry cloth.

If the plastic, despite all your efforts, does not come off, try using the following method: wipe the surface with acetone, wait until the plastic dries, and carefully walk over it with fine sandpaper. After this, you will need to quickly treat the plastic surface with acetone again and wipe with a dry soft cloth.

More gentle methods of influence

There are safer ways to clean plastic surfaces from traces of adhesive tape, which, however, are more labor-intensive.For example, plastic doors, windows and furniture can be cleaned using ordinary sunflower oil (however, after this all surfaces should be washed with dishwashing detergent to remove any remaining grease).

Well, if you can’t wet the surface that needs to be cleaned of glue with water, then try using an ordinary eraser. Under the action of the eraser, the glue will gradually roll into lumps, which are very easy to remove. However, this method is only suitable for small amounts of dirt, since otherwise you will have to spend a lot of time cleaning the surface.

Thus, in each specific case it is necessary to choose your own method of cleaning the plastic surface. However, whichever one you choose, be extremely careful not to damage a good thing!