We all know WD-40 works for making things move when they’re seized, but it also works better than anything for getting rid of all traces of adhesive left behind after peeling off stubborn stickers from things you buy.
It works on nearly all surfaces* – even coated paper! (just be sure not to leave it to soak into the paper.)
Instead of peeling slowly for ages with your fingernail or doing that peel-stick-peel-stick thing for half an hour, soak a paper towel in WD-40 and dab it on the offending sticker remains, wait a few minutes, then wipe off. (*if on coated paper, don’t let it soak, just gently rub it.) Clean the item afterwards to remove the oil left behind.
*it’s best to test a small area first if the object is painted or porous, and be careful with items meant to be food safe, because WD-40 is obviously not food safe.
This is something I wish more people knew, because soooo many manufacturers and retailers put stickers in the worst places and with near-permanent adhesive. I hope this helps you!
I would not recommend it though, especially on items made of plastic, finished wood, or rubber. Heat and a scraping tool are better, and barring that, a more mild or more polar solvent. WD-40 is not intended to be a solvent, and isn’t formulated for cleaning household items. It will damage or discolor a lot of materials, and it is really not worth it.
You should also remember that it’s absolutely not a substitute for proper oil or grease lubrication. The WD stands for “Water Displacement.”
It’s actually a solvent, not a lubricant. It can unseize things, but you need to apply proper lubricant if you don’t want them to seize again.
WD-40 and 3-in1 Oil, the olive oil and vinegar of the handyman world.
Came to say this. It works well for displacing things, not lubrication.
WD-40 is a jack of all trades but master of none. There’s probably a better product, no matter what you’re trying to do, but everyone has a can of WD-40 lying around.
This is largely because people misuse WD-40. It’s a solvent. It was made to displace water, which is why it’s slick; It slips into wet joints, and sticks to everything it can so the water is repelled. But the chemical properties of this make it amazing at dissolving things that water won’t. It dissolves rust, which allows it to bust up seized joints. It dissolves oils, which makes it good for cleaning machine parts. It dissolves adhesives, which is why it’s so good at helping scrape them up.
It’s not a good lubricant, because that’s not what it’s made to do. After you dissolve all of the rust, you need to apply a fresh coat of oil, or else the part will just seize up again after the WD-40 evaporates. Because the WD-40 didn’t just dissolve the rust; It also dissolved the oil that was lubricating it and protecting it from further oxidation.
Oddly enough, some people swear by it as an arthritis treatment. Have some stubborn arthritis pain that painkillers or meds won’t touch? Try rubbing some WD-40 on the joint like lotion. Apparently it works when nothing else will.
I feel like you’re the only person here who actually understands what WD-40 is and what it’s for.
Thank you.
You should know that wd is for water displacement. If you are trying to do anything else there is a better chemical you should use instead.
It’s much more than that, chemically. It’s a solvent, mostly, and contains (amongst other things) purified mineral spirits, temporary lubricants, etc. It’s got a whole lot of uses, and if you’re not going to spend time learning and stocking special-use chemicals (who actually does this but nerds, I sure don’t 😳), WD-40 is pretty versatile.
Versital perhaps but overrated since there are plenty of other chemical mixtures out there and a different one is usually better.
If you don’t have any, or want a food safe alternative, soak the remaining sticker in cooking oil.
Isopropyl alcohol also works.
Oh, I didn’t know about cooking oil, that’s awesome.
Alcohol works, but it will destroy many finishes (painted or stained furniture, coated paper, some coated metals, some plastics and rubbers, etc), whereas WD-40 is safe for most finishes.
Sounds like cooking oil may be as well – gonna have to try that, thanks!
