Removing Stickers

[ajmeier55]

I have a question about removing pony stickers off of the nursery, without wrecking the stickers on the building, I already tried to just gently pull the sticker but I can see its not going to work. Any suggestions? They are the flat pony stickers, not the puffy ones, I guess I can just leave them but one is upside done and is kinda bugging me 

[Haruna]

Hmm, not really sure. I have some like that on my Dream Castle, and I've just left them on. Hopefully someone can come along and help you out!

[summerday]

There's a product called Un-Do that is used in the crafting community for removing stickers. I've just not been fortunate enough to remove sticker within ruining them.

[ajmeier55]

Thank you, i'll check It out.

[goddessofpeep]

I've managed to do it a few times using my mad sticker removing skills that I got from collecting stickers in the 80s:p  It *can* be done in some cases, but it takes patience, time, and a very steady hand.  Not all stickers can be removed intact.  Sometimes the glue gets brittle or has been exposed to bad conditions(excessive heat/cold, sunlight, etc).  Usually if the sticker has turned brown, you're going to be in for a bad time. If they're actually ON the nursery stickers, that does make it A LOT harder.  It might still be possible if you take it *really* slow.  Even the best removals will have some small damage(usually a lifted corner or a bit of waviness).  You can minimize this by storing the stickers in something that will keep them flat.  I use clear plastic sheets that are designed to hold coins.

If you are going to just try to pull them off without any sticker removal products, here's a few tips(with a focus on trying to save the stickers you remove):

1) Use your fingernail to try to get a little corner up that you can work with.  Getting more than one corner is a really good thing if possible, since a lot of the damage to removed stickers comes from not being able to pull the sticker off cleanly due to the shape.  If the sticker is directly stuck onto the Nursery sticker, I'd spend most of my time on this.  I wouldn't do much pulling.

2) Work slowly.  Use your fingernail to help loosen the sticker as you pull.  This is better than just pulling the sticker since the plastic will stretch if you're not careful.  Be careful not to put holes/creases/tears/stretches into the sticker with your fingernail though.

3) Plan your attack.  Let the shape of the sticker determine where you try to create your lifted corners.  Anything that's got odd shaped bits and corners(legs, tails, etc) are places where you're likely to have a problem that will cause a tear or a stretch.   Try to come at the skinny/weird shaped bits from the body of the sticker if you can.   Also, work around the sticker, not just from one side to the other.  If you can get enough of the sticker up, the last bit usually comes off really easily.  The more you get up, the easier the whole thing gets.

4) Have your new backing for the sticker ready to go before you start!  I like to go to the post office and grab a handful of their stick on mailing labels for Priority/Express Mail and use the backings for the labels.  They're large(good for multiple stickers), clean(no visible marks or scores visible from the front), and work great with the stickers.  You can cut them to size easily, and they look like original backing from the front. 

5) Store your newly released stickers as flat as you can, and take great care in pressing them flat.  For the worst offenders, I'll weight them down with books to keep them flat for a while.  Just make sure none of the lifted corners get folded over when you press the stickers, or they'll be like that forever.

[hathorcat]

Lighter fluid

Its what people in lots of collection communities use to remove adhesive stickers from items and it works perfectly on playset stickers. It literally dissolves the glue and the sticker will slide right off.

[Breyer600]

I second the lighter fluid method.  Just soak the stickers with it and gently peel off.  It drys quickly afterwards without leaving stains.

[Prideth]

Lighter fluid sounds terrifying.. Never tried it, but I'm not sure I fully support it.   

I use goof off, it's specifically made to remove adhesives.  You can buy it at any home improvement store around the paint section.  I'd suggest the non-spray kind.  Put some on a cotton ball, put it over the sticker and just let it soak for a couple seconds, then you can probably just pull it off with your fingernail.  It won't damage plastic, it just weakens the adhesive glue.  Works beautifully for me every time.

[ponyqueen]

Lighter fluid, like in cigarette lighters they sell at convenience stores? And it won't damage paper stickers?

[Breyer600]

Yes, like the kind they sell for cigarette lighters.  Stamp collectors use it to remove stamps from envelopes, etc.; so, it's pretty safe to say it won't harm stickers either.  I've used it a few times myself.

[Foxtale]

Lighter fluid sounds terrifying.. Never tried it, but I'm not sure I fully support it.   

I use goof off, it's specifically made to remove adhesives.  You can buy it at any home improvement store around the paint section.  I'd suggest the non-spray kind.  Put some on a cotton ball, put it over the sticker and just let it soak for a couple seconds, then you can probably just pull it off with your fingernail.  It won't damage plastic, it just weakens the adhesive glue.  Works beautifully for me every time.

Is Goo Off the same/similar to Goo Gone?

Last time I had to remove stickers they were puffy and I had a really flat butter knife to help me ><

Good luck!

[Prideth]

Lighter fluid sounds terrifying.. Never tried it, but I'm not sure I fully support it.   

I use goof off, it's specifically made to remove adhesives.  You can buy it at any home improvement store around the paint section.  I'd suggest the non-spray kind.  Put some on a cotton ball, put it over the sticker and just let it soak for a couple seconds, then you can probably just pull it off with your fingernail.  It won't damage plastic, it just weakens the adhesive glue.  Works beautifully for me every time.

Is Goo Off the same/similar to Goo Gone?

Last time I had to remove stickers they were puffy and I had a really flat butter knife to help me ><

Good luck!

Goof off is similar to Goo Gone, I actually prefer goof off though.  Seems to work better for me.  And it's easy to find, so there's that. 

[hathorcat]

As mentioned its something a lot of collectors - who are removing things more of a nuisance than playset stickers use it - a lot of vinyl record collectors or book collectors use lighter fluid on stickers which are placed on packaging Its standard practice in these other communities. And its actually less aggressive than things like goof off and goo gone!