Recommended ways to remove your car parking sticker...

Collated: September 2003; updated October 2003

My original message to the small ads mailing list:

A seasonal request: I seem to remember this being asked on the small ads mailing list before, but does anyone have any suggestions for the most effective way to remove last year's parking permit from my car windscreen? I tried at the weekend and half of it came away before it broke, the rest is stuck to the screen, and even where it has come away it left the adhesive layer behind...

And (this is a rhetorical question and not intended to start a discussion): why do we have to have parking stickers that cause this problem every year?

The responses were interesting, with many people having wasted time at the weekend battling with old parking stickers. My rhetorical question remains. The official reason appears to be that people complained about previous stickers not having enough stick, but I still don't see why these things have to weld themselves to our windscreens when all the other stickers I have in my car manage to stick without over-sticking!

The responses and suggestions

If there was a prize for most interesting response, it would have to go to the peanut butter! (Arson works, but seems a bit drastic.)

To remove it, I'll probably use white spirit (not being a user of nail polish or peanut butter...). For next year I'm going to use that clear, sticky book-covering stuff: one layer to cover up the stickiness on the permit, and another, larger layer on the back to stick it to the screen. Seems a lot of trouble to go to...

Summary:

Removal:

• white spirit/meths and a blade: 3
• white spirit/meths/thinner/lighter fluid alone: 4
• nail polish remover: 2
• nail polish remover and a blade: 1
• baby wipe: 1
• arson: 1
• peanut butter (crunchy, of course): 1
• tar remover / 'sticky stuff remover': 3

Prevention:

• acetate sheet/clear plastic/lamination: 6
• non-permanent sticky pouch: 1

Detailed responses:

• I used white spirit and a stanley knife blade (and cursed the idiots who made the stupid stickers)
• I had a similar problem and was wondering if there is a shop that sells the type of non-permanent sticky pouch that tax certificates are usually displayed in, to fit the car parking ticket (then the parking ticket could be stuck on acetate and slipped into the pouch). If anyone suggests this I would appreciate the info - or any other idea
• I found that the adhesive left on the screen once the sticker has been removed comes off very easily with tar remover (available from any car accessory shop).
  I must say I preferred the old paper stickers as well.
• I stick my parking sticker to a acetate sheet (blank OHP sheet) and then slide it into a holder, however this assumes you have got the old one off first... ;-)
• I got the adhesive off with white spirit
• Last year I used a "Tesco Own" baby wipe - the ones in the GREEN tub - wipe on -leave a couple of minutes and wipe off -
• Crunchy peanut butter works which is what I was doing Sunday morning - just rub it gently preferably with the nutty bits and then wipe away with damp warm cloth.
• If you insert a knife or similar object into the space the number is written on, (it does not have adhesive on) and pull away gently, the sticker usually comes away in two or three pieces. The reason they stick so well is because people complained when they fell off or were blown out of the car window. To remove the adhesive, simply use white spirit or nail polish remover.
• I know what you mean - I had 2 to do this w/e and got them off with thinners and some other 'sticky stuff remover' from bettaware - after half an hour! Good luck!
• at the risk of sounding sad - every time i get my new sticker I stick it to some clear plastic, cut round it and then put it on the dashboard propped up against the windscreen so that i dont have the "half a sticker stuck to windscreen" scenario every year! it works for me!
• I used a little white spirit - did the job.
• Apparently (so I'm told by the people in the security office) nail polish remover and white spirit also work well.
• I have a product from Lakeland (catalogue) called Sticky Stuff which removes horrible sticky lables from anything including the university car park sticker!
• I found methylated spirit and a Stanley knife blade removed all traces of the adhesive.
• For this years sticker - have it laminated. Also try nail polish remover.
• I had no trouble removing mine after someone set fire to my car.
• I used a knife to get the plastic off and nail polish remover for the sticky gunge that was left off.
• Just in case this is of any interest, I have mine laminated and put it in the windscreen each morning when I park my car. That way you don't have to stick anything on the windscreen (although it does cost to laminate it) - if people didn't want to laminate them I guess just sticking them on to OHP acetate would do the trick too. Just a thought!
  PS I don't know why the university don't provide us with a holder, you know like a tax disc holder which you can just slot a new permit in each time.
• They're foul aren't they. You need long nails! Cellulose Thinner gets the gunk off. Before you put the new one on, cover the central area with a rectangle of clear plastic so you only have an outer edge of sticky stuff.
• I suggest you laminate it and dont stick them on in the first place, howver that is not much help.
  Could try meths or lighter fluid. (meths tastes nicer!!!!!)

October addition

• You will need washing up gloves or similar for this one and a dish cloth. Immerse a dishcloth (or similar) in hot water, wring the cloth out and immediately press over the entire back of the parking sticker. Hold in place for 30-45 seconds. If you peel the corner of the parking sticker this should start to come away. Repeat previous stage if this does not happen on the first attempt. The sticker should come off in one piece!!

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Last updated on 09 October 2007

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