Learn the best hack for removing stickers and residue from plastic containers without scraping or scrubbing.
I recently bought some new storage containers from HomeGoods to organize under my kitchen sink. I love to buy containers from HomeGoods because they’re great quality and super cheap, but there is a downside and it’s a big one. The amount of stickers on the containers is obnoxious, and they never come off without leaving big splotches of residue. So I did what any other busy mama would do. I asked for hacks on Instagram.
And Girl, let me tell ya, my Insta-friends delivered! I got 162 individual suggestion responses. There were a lot of recurring answers, so I decided to take the top four most-mentioned hacks and try them all out. I love to experiment so I took it back to junior high science fair days and put them to the test. Here’s how it all went down, and the clear winner for easily removing stickers won by a long shot.
The Methods I Tested
The four methods I tested were
- Hair Dryer
- Olive Oil
- Dawn Dish Soap + Warm Water Soak
- Lemon Essential Oil
I also got a lot of other suggestions like nail polish remover, peanut butter, alcohol, and even lighter fluid, but the four above were the ones that just kept showing up over and over again.
How Each Method Did In The Tests
The hair dryer worked pretty well. I’d give it second place. It did heat the sticker enough to remove it with minimal residue. The downside though was it made the container finish melt a little and it kind of looks like dripping spray paint in some places.
The olive oil did well, too. It did loosen the sticker to peel off with very little residue, but it was really slippery to pull and left the container super oily and greasy, and it took me three washes to get the oily finish to go away.
The warm water/Dawn soak was a flop. It made the sticker soggy and crumble during removal, leaving the container with a gunky residue that was nearly impossible to remove. Honestly, it’s still a little sticky now and I tried everything to get that film off.
But the clear winner was the lemon essential oil. It made the sticker peel right off like a window cling. I can’t even stress to you clearly how amazed I was. It was like watching a magic show on AGT but happening in my kitchen and I was the magician.
How To Remove Stickers From Containers With Lemon Essential Oil
Supplies You Need:
First, make sure you have 100% lemon essential oil. No blends, it’s got to be the good stuff. And you also need some gloves on. I forgot to wear gloves and my fingers smelled like a bottle of Pledge for days.
Drop a few drops onto the sticker’s surface, then dab it around with a paper towel to soak coat the entire sticker’s surface.
Let that sit for about ten seconds, then peel the sticker off. Again, it’s like pulling off a holiday window cling. So freaking amazing!
Watch The Experiment On My Instagram Stories
Thank you to the sixty-four women who suggested Lemon Essential Oil to remove stickers. You ladies know what’s up, and I am once again impressed with the knowledge of my peeps. Plus, it was fun to play scientist for the evening. You can watch the full experiment process on my Instagram page @lelaburris. I saved it as a highlight for anyone who missed it.
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