How to remove glue from a tea tin?
I have some tea tins to which I’ve attached the labels from the packages which the tea came in. One of those tins is now empty, so I removed the label, but there still is a lot of white glue stuck to the tin. Does anyone have any idea how to remove it?
well you could use lighter fluid that what i do with any sticky residue you put a little on a rag and rubs the glue
Instead of lighter fluid, you can also use cooking oil … rubbing it in will help remove the glue and the residue.
ya that would work the advantage of lighter fluid is the fact that it’s evaporate so nothing to clean
There’s this stuff you can get in a lot of stores called Goo Gone; it’s pretty much magic. We used to keep a huge jug of the stuff in our art classes in case of glue-related emergencies (which happened all-too often).
Goo Gone is awesome. I used to work retail, and when there were stickers that would not come off of a product we’d put some Goo Gone on it, leave it for 10 to 15 minutes, come back and wipe everything off. Worked like a dream every time.
I used the oil earlier, it worked but very slowly(actually I had used oil to remove glue before, but was hoping someone might know a faster, yet non-stinky method). Goo Gone seems to be an american thing and not available here, but the google results also told me that apparently the active part is citrus-terpene/limonene, which makes up 65% of lemon juice. So I added a few drops of lemon juice to the oil on the tin and that worked much better :)
Only problem was my father noticed me and told me “That’s not how you remove glue, you need to use spiritus or benzin(gasoline) or ballistol(gunoil)!” – Thanks Dad, but I don’t want my tin to smell like machinery, weapons or a camping stove …
So I left it halfdone, since I didn’t want to argue with him. But at least I know how I can get it off, so thanks for the suggestion :)
Edit: I just remembered, I supposed I might have used the wrong oil, if it’s supposed to work fast even without lemon juice. Does it make a difference wether you use canola/rapeseed oil or sunflower seed oil? Or is “cooking oil” something else entirely?
my “cooking oil” is basically just whatever is the best price at the grocery store at the time … usually canola oil, but sometimes vegetable oil. I have also, in a pinch, used olive oil. But I haven’t really noticed one being more effective than another. It does take time, but, it does work.
Goo Gone works wonders – also you can get from any medical supply store this stuff they use to take off bandages and such that are very sticky! They usually come in little pads like alcohol wipes.
Its called Adhesive Remover.
If you live near an art supply store, there is a product called “Bestine” that’s used to remove rubber cement. It also works wonders on adhesive residue. It’s sort of a gentle form of acetone. Smells a bit, but evaporates quickly. You could also try nail polish remover (the kind with acetone). I’ve also removed adhesive residue on metal and glass by burnishing masking tape over the stuff and pulling it off again quickly. Whatever you use, try it on a small area first to make sure it doesn’t mar the design on the tin.
I use a WD-40 pen. It’s only stinky while I’m using it; I wash the thing afterwards and it’s fine.
Went and bought Isopropanol yesterday(one of the two kinds of rubbing alcohol, also sold as “CPU cleaner” or “Mastix Remover”, so with three IT people in the house we should have had some anyway, but somehow didn’t), and that got rid of the remaining glue. It briefly made the tin smell like a freshly washed hospital floor, but that washed off with water. So, thanks again for all the suggestions, the tin is clean now :)
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