Removing Stickers From Laundry Made Easy

     I always say I don't like cleaning, I just like a clean house. That's not entirely true. I love when I'm faced with a challenge and I ace it. Cleaning offers many such challenges. Oh, I know it's not the same type of challenges faced by a brain surgeon or a special education teacher, but this is my job and I like it and I'm good at it.

      Something that really ticks me off is pulling something out of the dryer expecting it to be clean, only to find that it's got a set in stain. The only thing worse than that is finding something was left in a pocket (like a crayon or pack of gum!) or a sticker was left on a shirt. If you've been there you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't had this happen to you, take notes, because I can't find anything online that really works, so I came up with a solution of my own. 

     Before trying this, know it may damage your clothes. I have had great success with cotton tee shirts but I can say with almost 100% certainty this shouldn't be tried on anything like silk or suede. 

     Step 1) If you find it when it comes out of the dryer, try to wet it and pick off as much of the paper as you can to expose the adhesive. If you're lucky enough to catch it as it comes out of the wash, pick off the paper and set it out to air dry.

Before: Sticker residue on red stripe above "ND"

Step 2) Place something non porous under the stain, like a plate or a plastic Tupperware lid. This way none of the stain or liquids used to treat the stain, will transfer to the back of the shirt or whatever you're working on.
  
Step 3) Once the adhesive is exposed and dry, carefully spray the spot only with WD-40. Let it sit about 5 minutes or so. Grab a paper towel and start to work it off. Start by scraping and see how much you can remove this way. Next, you can rub it in a circular motion and it'll usually ball up and wipe away.
*Depending on how stubborn or how thick the adhesive, you may have to repeat this step.

The Dynamic Duo!

     Step 4) Here's the second half of the one-two punch. Grandma's Secret Spot Remover. You can find this in the laundry section of most department stores and the fabric cutting section of Hobby Lobby.
     Immediately after removing adhesive, cover the WD-40 spot with Grandma's Secret Spot Remover. Let it soak in about 30 minutes, you can even work it in with your fingers or a brush.

     Step 5) Wash immediately. Let it air dry, so you won't set in the stain with the dryer. Check to see if this took out the WD-40, if not, you may need to repeat steps 4 & 5.



When I was taking pictures for this post I must have been distracted by everything I had going on on Laundry Day and I forgot to take a before of the cat shirt.  Don't let that deter you from trying. I used this on both of these shirts with total success and on a Polo shirt as well. I would've never tried it on a Polo if it hadn't worked on the others. If you're worried about ruining your clothes from using these two products on it, consider the fact that you really have nothing to lose. Are you really going to use it with a big grubby sticker stain on it?

After: Sticker was over upper right cat's nose and mouth

After: Sticker was on red stripe above "ND"