Growing up, we all loved stickers; they are fun and colorful and bright. Hardwood floor stickers come in all shapes and sizes, characters, and symbols; they are glittery and bedazzled.
Easy ways on how to easily remove hardwood floor stickers include using rubbing alcohol, hair dryer, vinegar, peanut butter or using a hand sanitizer
You are going to need more elbow grease but do not fret; removing hardwood floor stickers requires different; techniques depending on the kind of stickers, and its not easy to tell which technique will work in advance.
Firstly head to your kitchen cabinet; these basic household products can be used to remove stickers from the floor.
Read: How to get slime out of carpet
How to Easily Remove Hardwood Floor Stickers
Table of Contents
Rubbing Alcohol
This is said to be the cheapest and most effective way of removing hardwood floor stickers, just dab a little amount of the rubbing alcohol on the sticker and let it sit for a couple of minutes, then using a blunt object scrap away the sticker. But be careful when using this method as it may be too harsh for some surfaces.
Using a Hair Dryer
Set the hairdryer to the lowest setting, heat the entire sticker for a couple of seconds then position the heat towards one corner, keeping heating as you progress unto the next step
Keep the hairdryer at least two inches away from the wood, heat for no more than 15seconds, as applying too much heat to your floor can damage the wood finish or even cause the sticker to leave a stain
A plastic scraper or even your credit card is the best to use on wood. But if the hardwood flooring isn’t that valuable or an antique, you can use objects like a putty knife, or a non-serrated butter knife to scrape the edges of the sticker to gently lift it up from the corner direction the hairdryer was pointed.
If your hardwood floor is an antique and very valuable, you can use your fingernails to lift up the tip of the sticker instead.
If your knives are too big to fit under the sticker and lift it up properly, you can cut out a small square piece of plastic off the middle of any plastic container.
Once you have successfully lifted a corner side of the sticker, use a pair of tweezers or needle-nose pliers to grasp on it, then gently bend it and pull the sticker. For fragile wood, make sure to pull the sticker across the wood grain to avoid picking up the fibers.
Position the hairdryer directly towards the sticker as you do this to soften the glue as you work, do not try to just rip off the sticker as you will end up with worse paper backing stuck to the floor.
Vinegar
This is also a great method that is very low-cost and natural to remove hardwood floor stickers. Soak a paper towel in white vinegar, then place it over the sticker and let it sit for five minutes, then gently pull off the sticker using a pair of tweezers or your fingernails.
When dealing with hardwood floors that have finishes and sealants, you have to be careful not to ruin the sealing or finishing, always test out the product on a hidden part of the floor before using it on a large section of the floor to make sure the product is suitable for it.
Peanut Butter
Oh yes! You read that right. Peanut butter may be awesome for sandwiches, but it’s also a great product that is extremely effective at removing floor stickers.
Your smear a generous amount of peanut butter over the sticker and let it sit for about an hour, then use a damp cloth to wipe off the peanut butter, and the sticker should come right off.
Razor Blade
Pay very close attention whenever you are dealing with something very sharp like a razor blade, hold the razor at an angle and push it gently under the edge of the sticker.
Pencil Erasers
This is a very time-consuming method, but when you scrap an eraser across the sticker, the friction from the rubber will pull off the adhesive from the surface, making the sticker easy to peel off
Using Oil
You can also use a plant or vegetable oil or a low strength mineral oil like baby oil or WD-40, quite shocking but using baby oil is an amazing floor cleaning tip.
Place a few drops of the oil of your choice over the sticker, let it sit for some hours then try to scrap it off. Mineral and plants oil could have different effects, so you may need to try each of them separately
Be sure to note that applying oil on your hardwood floor may darken the color, this is not harmful but rather helps to improve the lifespan of your floor, but you may need to apply the oil to the rest of the floor, so it matches
Mayonnaise
This is another food item that works great in removing stickers, spread the mayonnaise on the sticker and let it sit for about 30minutes after which you can wipe it off, then peel off the sticker, it should come off easily.
Steam
This is a good way to melt off the glue from the stickers, but its not a method to be used on a hardwood floor, steam could damage your floor surface more than a sticker can ever do.
Read: Best Steam Mop Review
Coconut oil and Baking Soda
Mix together the baking soda and coconut oil; this forms a paste that saturates the paper and helps to loosen it up. Spread the mixture over the sticker, let it sit for about an hour then gently scrub it off.
Hand Sanitizer
They work on stickers for the same reason they sanitize hands, right! Because of the rubbing alcohol in them. So just use the same method as with the rubbing alcohol.
Washing Soda
Sodium carbonate is a cleaning solution used for laundry, but can also come in handy in removing stickers. Simply apply a mixture of some washing soda and some water over the sticker, and the sticker will be easy to come off.
Commercial Glue Remover
You can also try products such as goof off, goo gone or cleaning products that contain some citrus oil. Just wet the sticker generously with the product, give it a couple of minutes to sit to enable the product to soak through.
Read: How to get glue out of carpet
You can try lifting the edge of the sticker and applying an additional drop underneath, once the sticker is wet and soft, attempt to peel it off. Before using any product on your hardwood floor, make sure to read the label instructions; this is to make sure the product is safe to use on wood.
Nail Polish Remover
Nail polish remover is very effective in removing adhesive off the wood. Gently apply it over the sticker using a cotton ball and be extra careful not to get it on the wood itself.
Use a dry towel to wipe off any excess if necessary and let the nail polish remover to sit on the sticker for at least 5minutes. Then use a plastic scraper to lift off the sticker.
Better be safe than sorry.
Apply powerful solvent carefully and only consider them as a last resort. As they can easily damage some wood finishes and paint
Make sure to use them in only well-ventilated areas, because the fumes can be quite toxic and even flammable.
Always test out the product in a small hidden area of your floor before using them. Rubbing alcohol is an absolute last resort because it can dissolve through most lacquers and damage the wood underneath.
How to Remove Sticker Residue
You have succeeded in removing the sticker, but it left behind some film of glue and sometimes some paper, what do you do?
Use an oil-based product
This will help to pick up any stubborn residual stickiness and won’t scratch your floor. It is best to use something normally recommended for wood, do as not to go through the stress of having to wash it off with detergent
Use a magic tape
The transparent scotch tape called “magic tape” can remove any sticky residue without leaving more behind. Place it over the residue and rip it off at once, if there’s no significant result, move on to the next procedure.
Reuse the solvent used in removing the sticker
If the solvent could dissolve the glue and remove the sticker, it can also remove the residues. Soak a cloth with the solvent then rub the spot for up to 5minutes in circular motions.
If your wood begins to look discolored or feel rough, please stop this process immediately.
Scrub with soapy water
Apply some mild dish-washing detergent to some water, dampen a brush and scrub the spot
Read: Best Homemade floor cleaner
Sand off the wood
If, after trying all the steps aforementioned and the sticker residue won’t come off, you may need to sand it through. Use a 80 grit sandpaper and rub it on the spot until the sticker and residue is gone. Restore the floor’s smooth surface with a 120 grit sandpaper then a 220 grit sandpaper.
After sanding the wood, you have to reapply the exact type of finish or paint that was used on your wood. If you do not know which finish was used, you may need to sand off the floor entire surface and apply a new finish from scratch.
Conclusion
Removing hardwood floor stickers may feel like a sticky and hard business, but do not fret; it can be taken care of.
It’s quite easy to remove the toughest residue from any surface, and you will be free from pesky stickers in no time. A mixture of coconut oil and baking soda works wonders when it comes to removing hardwood floor stickers
