Removing adhesive remainders without traces
If one collects merchandise or board games, videos, cartridge games, toys or similar supermarket objects, one will now and then be confronted with ugly stickers. Especially at the boxes of outrunning series these signs are often inflationary annoying (Reduced! Special Offer!! Grab it now!!! Super Special Price deluxe… and so on). Usually remainders of these tags stay on the box after you removed them carefully.
Up to now I found no adequate procedure against the dry form, this dirt takes up no water and no one wants to use alcohol on collectibles (esp. on paper), since it destroys the colours. If someone discovers a good strategy, please send me a mail!
Principally there are two kinds of glue that attach to price tags: the classical easy solvable and the rubberized one. The latter is used in magazines to fit in booklets, DVDs or other gimmicks. This stuff can be removed quite easy as it does not glue itself but only adheres cohesively. If ever something stays behind you can rub it away with your fingernails.
The easy solvable glue is still used under almost all price stickers, only that the labelled area today often gets impregnated by thin plastic film (e.g. high glossy magazine covers) and thus making a quick removal possible. If however these labels stick to their prey for some years they’ll possibly create a solvent-free mush or even dry out, whereby they’ll become almost irremovable.Up to now I found no adequate procedure against the dry form, this dirt takes up no water and no one wants to use alcohol on collectibles (esp. on paper), since it destroys the colours. If someone discovers a good strategy, please send me a mail!
But as long as the stuff is still moving, it can be removed without leaving a trace (with some expenditure, that is):
- First water it slightly (to make it more willing to move), lift the tag with a knife at one corner and carefully pull it down. Mostly this is only half-successful, which however will not discourage us. In no case rapidly you must pull apart smaller pieces! Almost ever you’ll remove half the box’ cover with the piece of tag. Rather scratch away the glue and afterwards try anew to lift and pull.
- If the paper of the price tag is gone, you can rub away the adhesive remainders with a dampened leather cloth (like those used for cleaning windows). Always rub in one direction and with some perseverance you’ll soon see the dirt vanishing into the cloth or building small piles. You better try this out with an unimportant item first, as someone can rub off the box’s cover, too if the cloth wasn’t damp enough.
PS.: Never take a cotton cloth or similar material, since it does not work and the cotton remains with the glue at the box.
