Bumper stickers are one of the oldest ways of decorating bumpers. People find it a good way to display their unique viewpoints, company logos, jokes, or communicate a message. While these stickers can be fun to have, it comes a time when you no longer need them for one reason or another.
It could be because you no longer hold that viewpoint or you want to sell your vehicle. The stickers also fade and wear out, thus the need to remove. At this point, you need to know how to remove bumper stickers without damaging the car paint. With the variety of ways available to remove bumper stickers, one may get confused.
While people give different advice on removing bumper stickers, you need to be careful since not all of them are safe. Some of these methods may scathe your vehicle paint, thus costing you more to repaint. Here is how to remove stickers from the car body safely and easily.
How to Remove Bumper Stickers Best Methods
Bumper stickers are adhesive pieces made of vinyl or plastic. Most people place these stickers on their vehicles pumpers to convey a certain message, share ideas hobby or teams. As time passes, ideas and views may change, and the sticker no longer speaks your opinion.
The bumper stickers also wear out and no longer look good on the vehicle body. When getting rid of these stickers comes, you need to understand how to remove bumper stickers from paint. Using the wrong method to remove bumper stickers may destroy your vehicle’s finish. Here are the safest ways of removing stickers from your car:
1. Using Goo Gone
One of the most recommendable techniques of removing bumper stickers is using Goo Gone automotive. The goo-gone bumper sticker remover is designed to break down these stickers without damaging the vehicle’s paint. This method saves you a lot of time and effort. Here are steps on how to remove bumper stickers with goo gone:
- Spray Goo Gone on the bumper sticker and wait for a few minutes for it to start working.
- Using a soft plastic scraper, peel the sticker’s edges. These edges should have loosened due to the Go Gone Automotive.
- Repeat this process until all the sticker gets off the bumper. Ensure there is no residue left behind.
- Wash this area with warm and soapy water.
2. Using WD-40 Lube
WD-40 is a great lubricant for removing unwanted bumper stickers. This lubricant will remove the stickers easily whether they have been there for a long or short duration. WD-40 penetrates through the sticker and breaks it down within minutes without leaving any residues.
Do bumper stickers come off windows? Try WD-40. This lubricant not only removes stickers from bumpers but also wood, metal, and some plastic surfaces. This product does not leave any evidence that the sticker was there. This is how to remove bumper stickers with wd40:
- Wear safety glasses and gloves
- Spray a WD-40 on the sticker until it soaks
- Leave the solution for around 5 minutes. This allows it to penetrate through the sticker.
- Using a rubber spatula, a credit card, or your fingers, lift the corners of the sticker.
- Peel the bumper sticker gradually. Keep it as flat as you can to minimize residue.
- In case some areas are left, repeat the process.
- Dampen a soft piece of cloth with rubbing alcohol and wipe the area
- Apply a coat of car wax to protect the paint
3. Blow Dryer Method
The Blow dryer method is among the best ways of removing stubborn bumper stickers. If you try removing a sticker with the above techniques and fail, try using a blow dryer. The heat coming from the hairdryer will loosen the adhesive on the sticker making it easy to remove. Follow these steps on how to remove bumper stickers without damaging paint:
- Set your blow dryer on low heat
- Aim the blow dryer’s nozzle six inches from the bumper sticker and warm it
- Blast the bumper sticker with hot air for around one minute. If the blow-dry it on low heat, hold it closer to the sticker, but hold it a little further if it is on high heat. The heat helps to loosen the sticker.
- Lift the corner of the bumper sticker with a rubber spatula or a credit card.
- Glide the rubber spatula gradually below the paper and remove the sticker
- Continue to apply heat if there is any residue left
- Dampen a soft cloth with rubbing alcohol, Goo Gone, or an adhesive remover made for vehicles. Rub the area carefully to get rid of leftover adhesive until the surface is clean.
- Apply car wax to protect the paint.
4. Using Vinegar
Vinegar is known for its many cleaning benefits. White vinegar features potent adhesive-removal properties making it great for removing bumper stickers without destroying the finish. Here is a guide on using vinegar to get rid of bumper stickers:
- Put vinegar in a small bowl. Put a clean paper towel in the bowl with vinegar to dampen it.
- Place the paper towel saturated with vinegar on the bumper sticker. Leave the towel there for around 5 minutes.
- The vinegar soaks in the sticker making it loosen.
- Pull the corners of the bumper sticker with your fingers or a rubber spatula and peel it off gradually.
- Repeat the process to remove any sticker residues.
- Wipe the area with rubbing alcohol and apply a coat of wax.
Some bumper sticker removal methods, such as using a nail polish remover, are only ideal if the sticker is placed on the vehicle’s glass areas. You should not use acetone-based removers since they will ruin the paint on your vehicle. You can also use Vodka, but you need to be very careful because it is flammable. Only use Vodka when the car has been off for some hours.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How Do I Get a Bumper Sticker Off My Car?
Removing bumper stickers from your vehicle is easy, but you need to be very careful. Some of the methods given by people may end up ruining your car’s finish. The best methods of removing bumper stickers are using WD-40, Go Gone, Vinegar, or a blow dryer. When using adhesive removers like Go Gone and WD-40:
- Spray the adhesive remover on the bumper sticker
- Let the sticker soak in the solvent for around 5 minutes
- Lift the edges of the sticker with your fingers or a rubber spatula
- Peel off the sticker gradually
- Wipe the area with rubbing alcohol and apply car wax.
Q: How Do You Remove a Bumper Sticker Without Damaging Paint?
Some of the techniques to remove a bumper sticker without damaging the car’s paint are using a blow dryer, WD-40, Vinegar, and Goo Gone. To remove stubborn stickers using a blow dryer:
- Set the blow dryer to low heat.
- Hold the nozzle 6 inches from the bumper sticker. Keeping it too close may cause the paint on the car to erode.
- Apply heat on all areas of the sticker for around a minute
- When the sticker loosens, peel it off starting from the corner.
- Repeat the process to remove any residues
- Wipe the surface with rubbing alcohol and wax the area
Q: Do Bumper Stickers Come Off Easily?
Removing the sticker from the car’s body is a little difficult than removing one from the window. However, this process becomes easier if you use the right method. One of the easiest ways to remove these stickers is using Go Gone or WD-40.
These two methods are not only easy but safe. Just spray them on the sticker and leave them to penetrate for a few minutes. The adhesives remover breaks down the bumper sticker and adhesives, making them easy to remove.
Q: Does WD-40 Remove Decals?
WD-40 is ideal for removing decals from your vehicle. Just spray the decal and leave it to soak for around 5 minutes. WD-40 penetrates in the decal and breaks it, and makes it easy to remove. You can repeat the process to get rid of the residues. Once you have removed all decal, wash the surface with warm, soapy water and apply some car wax.
Q: Is Goo Gone Safe on Car Paint?
Goo Gone is one of the safest products for removing bumper stickers from car paint. This product does not ruin your car’s finish. If you want to rub anything from your car’s paint, look for the Goo Gone automotive. It will perform the task perfectly without damaging the paint.
Q: Does Vinegar Remove Adhesive?
White vinegar is suitable for removing adhesive. Dip a paper towel in vinegar. Place the saturated paper towel on the adhesive you want to remove and leave it for some time. The vinegar breaks down the adhesive making it easy to remove. After removing the adhesive, wipe the area with warm soapy water or rubbing alcohol.
Q: Do Bumper Stickers Ruin Your Car?
Bumper stickers will only ruin your car if you do not apply or remove them correctly. Some people scrape the sticker off with a scalpel this scratching your car paint. The best way is to use friendly adhesives that will not react with the paint to remove the stickers. Avoid using strong adhesives and octane-based removers.
Q: Is Rubbing Alcohol Safe On Car Paint?
Rubbing alcohol does not damage your car paint. After removing bumper stickers, it is advisable to wipe the area using rubbing alcohol. Dilute isopropyl alcohol between 10% and 15% before you apply it to your vehicle’s paint. However, you should not use isopropyl alcohol on a freshly painted vehicle.
Final Words:
Some people enjoy having bumper stickers on their vehicles, but they do not know how to remove them. When the stickers stay for a long time, they wear out and fade, thus needing removal. One may be tempted to scrap the stickers with a scalpel since it is faster. Using this method, you will end scratching your vehicle’s paint.
If your car has a bumper sticker, you should learn how to remove bumper stickers. The easiest and safest methods of removing these stickers are WD-40, vinegar, Goo Gone, or blow-dry. After removing the bumper stickers, clean the surface with warm soapy water and apply some car wax to protect the paint.
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