Friday, January 7, 2011

Rambling And Removing Sticky Residue From Glass Or Metal!

It has been one heck of a week and I don't mean that it has been terribly fun! Talk about running ragged! The creepy crud has taken over and I have been battling an awful cold but it has been another week of running ragged. Everyone in the house is sick which = no fun. Can't wait for this nasty illness to be past tense! Hope no one else gets it!

Sometimes I think mommy hood is one of the dirtiest jobs there is and I know there are way many jobs that are mind-boggling disgusting. It ranks up there though! Yesterday morning I was actually excited, err... no, ELATED to have put my Lands' End winter coat, which I LOVE and would not have if it wasn't for a hefty gift card I got a few years ago, through two wash cycles and be successful at removing an entire melted Hershey's chocolate miniature from the inside of my right front zippered pocket. I put it in my pocket to hold it for our four year old and forgot about it. Intelligent I tell you! Well last night brought yet another fun and nasty challenge... My poor little nine month old(bless his heart - he didn't know what was happening to his little body when it was taken over by some mean virus) puked in the car about 12 times all over himself and his infant carrier on the way home from daycare. Hope it doesn't make me start throwing my guts up when I go to clean it out. BLEH!

On that note, it seems like it's a constant cycle of having to clean something or find a way to get grossness off of something. I have been reading other crafty/ home posts and have seen several people mention projects where they have used glass or metal items where there was residue from price tags or sticky labels. In these posts the residue was covered up or worked around but I can help get it off easily. 

Here are pictures of baby food jars and a salsa jar that I washed and pulled the labels off of for an upcoming project. I wanted to get the sticky residue off! I just thought I'd share a simple tip I learned in college, working with oil paints, that will help remove sticky residue off a metal or glass surface, quick and easy. I HATE seeing that stuff on things so I try and get it off when I can. It's one of those little things that gets on my nerves for some reason!


Mineral Spirits OR Denatured Alcohol (just one) from the hardware store will take it right off! Just be sure to use it in a well ventilated area, outside would be best. Rubber gloves are a good idea too so you don't get it on your skin. Just pour some into a cloth and wipe the gunk off the surface. You may have to put some pressure but you shouldn't have to scrub and it will take just a couple of minutes. Just use with caution and wear a mask!


Hope this helps next time you need to get a sticker off of something. It sure beats spending a long time scrubbing with warm water and dish detergent!