Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Tip for Getting Price Tags Off

I adore reading "tips" at the back of homey cookbooks. In fact, any time I see "tips" I feel compelled to read them even though I can't possibly remember them all.

You know how some stores, especially the secondhand kind, stick their superglue pricetags right on the item?  I tried scraping it off with my fingernail, I tried leaving it in the dishwater to soak. . . now I know just what to do!


Here's the trick:  apply a little oil or a thin layer of shortening to a stubbornly sticking price tag; give it some time, a few hours, and then it should wash right off with soap and warm water. (I'd credit the cookbook if I could remember but, you know, I read so many tips, I just can't remember. . .)



Do you have a favorite housekeeping tip/trick?  Where did you get your tip?

 P.S. I hope you can join us for Shoestring Chic tomorrow! (details on the sidebar)

10 comments:

  1. I was waiting for you to say you use toothpaste.You got me again. Hum Shoestring Chicks. Need a new wardrobe. Came to that conclusion last week as I slipped into a torn denim skirt. See if I can join in.

    Have a great day. Marlyn

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  2. If you get the sticker off but still have any residue, especially on glass, hand sanitizer works.

    I learned this "tip" when I was working in a gift shop. Price tags and manufacturers' stickers that would leave residue, and we tried hand sanitizer in a pinch. The concentrated alcohol content works like a charm!

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  3. So much more pleasant than using a stinky (toxic!) chemical. Hand sanitizer... I'm making a note of it.

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  4. If the oil doesn't work quickly, try W-D 40. Works like a charm on the stickers that oil doesn't work on. Jeanie

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  5. This is a great tip! I've always heard people say use some product (Goo Gone? Something like that) but I can't bring myself to buy extra chemicals. Thank you!

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  6. ooooh, good tips: WD-40 and hand sanitizer.

    and Polly, besides the fact that Goo-Gone is a chemical, it's so much simpler to have multi-tasking products around. Cuts down on clutter, mental (too many product names to keep track of - as you illustrated!) and physical.

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  7. Oil will also remove crayon from most surfaces!

    Have enjoyed your last several posts...so sorry for not commenting!

    And your new photo is nice (noticed when you commented on my post today)!

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  8. Great tip!

    I just got a copy of "A Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking" from the library and read another one that I bet you already know - you can write on glass with a Sharpie marker and it comes right off with a little rubbing alcohol!

    Scotch tape labels, be gone ;-)

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  9. My recent household tip/obsession has been soaking vintage linens to get them white again. (I love it so much I'm going to blog about it in the near future.) Anyway, I fill a tub/bucket with hot water and a scoop of oxygenated detergent, throw in the stained linen, poke it around with a wooden spoon then leave it for a day or two. Rinse it through the washing machine and that usually removes any stains and brightens it to white. I'm telling ya, it's a miracle worker. (Love your new profile pic too!)

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  10. Rather after the fact, but here in Oz we have Eucalyptus Oil. PERFECT for labels including cleaning glass jars for reuse for homemade jam. Careful though as it will dissolve some plastics too.

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