Dear manufacturers of the world – Quit using these stupid paper stickers!

Other / Canada

I came across this on reddit and couldn’t resist not sharing!

stickers Canada

No matter how slow and careful I am while peeling these silly stickers, I always end up with a piece of the sticker and glue on the product.

Even worse, all Canada Energy Guide stickers on appliances (fridges, stoves, etc.) use that super glue to stick on these HUGE ugly labels! Good luck removing those!


90 responses to “Dear manufacturers of the world – Quit using these stupid paper stickers!”

  1. Karen says:

    Goo be Gone-Canadian Tire or Home Hardware.

  2. SuperTech says:

    I guess they don’t want you to take them off especially those energy rating labels on appliances. I just leave them on or else it looks like S***

  3. Boo Radley says:

    Karen, are you saying that my hours of frustration and my special ability to very slowly peel a sticker without leaving any traces were all just a waste of time? cry

  4. Boo Radley says:

    SuperTech, I know the energy guide stickers are supposed to be useful but they look so freaking ugly, are full of useless information (except for one vale) and cover up half the appliance!

  5. Rosie says:

    The worst sticker is the the ones from Dollarama. They really don’t want you to take the sticker off.

  6. C says:

    🙁 at least you can soak the ones on dishes and stuff, but how often do I buy those? Not nearly as often as I buy everything else with these stupid stickers.

  7. Catherine L says:

    Karen’s right. Goo Gone. They’ve got it at Canadian Tire and in a mini size at Dollarama. Works great for getting rid of the gunk from those stickers.

  8. Anne Dougherty says:

    Okay, my BIGGEST beef, is when you buy a picture frame from say Home Sense, or Winners. Do they take JOY in slapping the large sticky price tag RIGHT ON THE GLASS? Why stick it to the large surface area at the back? You know, the part the no one ever sees!! I suppose I’m asking for too much here aren’t I? lol

  9. Sherrybobins says:

    The worst! A couples wks ago, I bought an mp3 player for my daughter…they had one of those stickers on the screen!! I emailed the company and got back “use alcohol to get it off…regards”. Grrrrreat customer service people!

  10. Nikki says:

    Goo Gone works best second to Rubbing alcohal. But I agree Can’t stand glued on papers

  11. Joel says:

    I hate them too.

    I use a heat gun to remove them.

    Heat them up and they peel…

  12. JSAM's Mom says:

    Baby oil works great too. For upright things, like fridge doors, pour some on a paper towel and hold it on the sticker. Let the oil soak in for a few minutes and peel it off. (For really big stickers, you might have to peel some away and repeat the process.) Works really well, and you just have to wash the surface off with soap and water. Works amazing on band-aids too, instead of just ripping them off…ouch! 🙂

  13. BooRadleyLover says:

    Radley – was that part of my Christmas gift kid? After all, we ARE Dating! What are you planning to put in there for me?

  14. msopinionated says:

    I have been trying in vain for the last 2.5 months to remove the sticker off my new stove. Getting there, but still a long way to go.

  15. Nita says:

    Winners/HomeSense stickers are the WORST. It’s not so much that the stickers don’t come off [although that can be the problem] but they leave a nasty sticky, gunky residue. Makes it hard to buy gifts there for people :/

  16. JeLLO2775 says:

    I was gonna say something smilar to what JSAM said – you could also use cooking oil to get those nasty stickers off!!

  17. Heather says:

    I have tried everything to remove the energy sticker on my new stove…even adhesive remover! The sticker is now gone after having it for 10 months, but the glue is still there and it looks like garbage

  18. Joe says:

    Nikki is correct. The glue used on labels is similar to that on Scotch tape, it’s not super glue. The best way to remove a label is to heat it up using a hair dryer or heat gun, peel an edge, then keep applying heat as you strip away the label. If any adhesive remains, then a little mild solvent like Varsol or one of the citrus-type cleaners will remove it without damaging what”s underneath. However, always try it out on an inconspicuous place if possible to make sure it won’t cause any damage.

  19. Joe says:

    Sorry – that should have been Joel’s suggestion about the heat gun.

  20. MortgageQueen says:

    If you need to get it off and you don’t have goo be gone around, you can also try brushing on fabric softener (preferably concentrated) It softens it up nicely and you can scrape it off.

  21. Kathleen says:

    skin so soft from Avon removes it

  22. donna says:

    I know it sounds silly but wb40…test on a safe site first or course, but I used to help people send in UPC’s for rebates and the wb40 works great.

  23. Michelle says:

    I use a hair dryer, works all the time.

  24. Suzanne says:

    Couldn’t agree more! What a pain in the neck they are.

  25. denise says:

    Yep, the Winners stickers are the worst! I have an acrylic cannister from there & nothing works! Not Goo Gone, alcohol, cooking oil, nothing!

    Although, I do agree that Goo Gone is the best! I used to work at a fancy china & gift shop & that’s what we used. Pick off most of the sticker, soak with Windex to remove any remaining paper & then comes the Goo Gone on a paper towel.

    denise 🙂

  26. Liz says:

    I am with Michelle on this one a hair dryer…always works for me

    It softens the glue and the stickers peel right off

  27. Sally says:

    I spend 45 minutes take the energy saver sticker off my new stove. It was awesome fun.

  28. Heather says:

    Vodks…not just for drinking anymore!!

  29. Melody113 says:

    Hair dryer always and it takes nothing to do. Your stressing over nothing.LOL

  30. Larry G says:

    it’s like pillows DO NOT REMOVE LABEL UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH !!!!!!!!!!!

  31. Kelly says:

    My peeve was the warning stickers all over my cars visors – “Put your child in the back in a carseat and wear your seatbelt. There are stickers on the front and back of EACH visor…..so I carefully slowly peeled one off and there was ANOTHER one underneath it – hot embossed into the fabric, but now there is a sticky residue on it and it is worse than before. And I have a half peeled off sticker with no hope of finding an edge without actually tearing the fabric. Thanks Chrysler, but I think I know the laws about driving!!!@#$$%#

  32. Tammy says:

    Just a tip for those smaller items with annoying stickers on them…before pulling out all the chemical solutions to try to get it off, just put the item in the freezer for a while…often the sticker will just peel right off once it’s been chilled. (I think the when the glue gets cold it loses it’s sticky properties and is then easy to remove and doesn’t leave any residue).

  33. Robyn says:

    GOO GONE!

    Reading this post this morning made me smile.. because I just bought a wack of stuff at Winners, a bunch of picture frames were in the mix, and they had the stickers on the glass part. Winners stickers used to be terrible for peeling off. I’ve actually thought about writing an email to customer service. Then I thought, oh man am I nit picky.. it drives me crazy peeling off bits of those stickers, but maybe it’s just me. To my great surprise, the winners stickers peeled off easily, leaving no sticker bits behind. I’m not sure if they changed their sticker stock or maybe I just woke up on the right side of the bed today!

  34. julyprincess says:

    Talking about stickers, I have to the pink triangle stickers that loblaws/rcss use for 50% off are horrible too..I have so much trouble peeling them off….they need to be like SDM clearance stickers, eezy breezy

  35. SHY GIRL says:

    Great ideas everyone! I know about the WD40 and Goo Be Gone ones, but never thought of a blow dryer! It drives me batty also when it’s on the front of something where it could easily be put on the back.

  36. Julie says:

    I’m sure manufacturers and retailers would love to have a simpler to remove sticker. The reality is that there are way too many dishonest people out there who switch or remove stickers, either to steal an item outright or to try to get a lower price.

  37. Dale says:

    Soak it in warm water for a while (excepting major appliances). The residue will come off with a bit of peanut butter, margarine or most any oil-based product.

  38. JSAM's Mom says:

    When I used to work at Coles, we’d use lighter fluid on those nasty stickers. Wait a few minutes, then use a razor blade or scraper blade on an angle to take it off. Wipe the book off, and good as new! (Of course, this only works on those glossy book jackets…not the fabric or plain paper covered ones.)

  39. sassypants says:

    Goo Gone … I swear by it and have never been let down!

  40. M1RACLE says:

    I second the mention of using a blow dryer. It does a pretty job !

  41. Sally says:

    Ya, Ive used goo gone on picture frames from winners too! I hate how they put them right on the glass! But for my stove I didn’t want to mess with it so I set there doing it manually hahah

  42. Oxana says:

    I use Orange Oil wood furniture cleaner. Just spray, let the sticker soak and rub away. Used it on a new glass door that came with a huge ugly super-glued sticker.

  43. adora says:

    Don’t waste money on Goo Gone. You can easily remove it with WD-40, and you can use it for many other things.

  44. Jane Dillon says:

    I soak and remove as much paper as possible and then use turpentine for anything remaining.

  45. KT says:

    Use a hairdryer on a warm setting, blow the warm air on it as you’re peeling off the sticker. This melts the adhesive as you’re peeling it off.

    I work at Zellers and this is what we do when people return items that have security stickers on them.

    Good luck!

  46. SMARTESTCOOKIE says:

    Hey KT im going to try that thx.

  47. Windex always works well for me 🙂

  48. Brenda says:

    Soak them in HOT water for a few seconds. A lot will come right off.

  49. Scott says:

    Rubbing alcohol and a q-tip.

  50. Melissa says:

    Ok, if you don’t want to use Goo Gone (after all, what is in that stuff?), I use plain, simple, natural…olive oil! It might not work every time, but it’s worth a shot before you go and spend money on a questionable chemical.

    🙂

    PS I even used olive oil on a q-tip to remove lash glue after a Xmas party. It worked like a charm and was so gentle on my eyelids. Yay for olive oil!

  51. Michelle says:

    I suggested the blow dryer earlier in the comments. As an example, I purchased a DVD for my niece for Christmas….used the blow dryer on warm cycle and peeled the large price sticker right off without damaging the cellophane covering the DVD!

  52. Kit says:

    Try WD-40. I use it to remove stickers. It works in seconds.

  53. Blues5_ca says:

    Hair Dryer will help to take them off….

  54. Linda says:

    I hate stickers too!!! Love all the ideas to get them off. Hate that they are now on fruit and vegetable.

  55. kelf says:

    yes. use Goo be Gone from Dollarama

  56. Anne Dougherty says:

    If it’s dishes or glasses, or anything you can soak, I leave those in hot soapy water for awhile till it peels off and scrub away the excess gunk with an old toothbrush I keep by the sink.

  57. jason says:

    WD-40

  58. westcoast mom says:

    Lavender Oil – scrape as much paper off, rub in a couple of drops, use a paper towel to wipe off the sticker, if you removed lots of glue gunk, then go back with one more drop and a clean paper towel to get the last of the adhesive off. It’s a 2 for 1 deal – get out your frustration and practice aromatherapy all at the same time! A sales clerk taught me this trick many years ago.

  59. Shadyman says:

    @Larry G: “…until delivered to the customer”

  60. Sandra says:

    In general, the quicker you remove stickers, they easier they come off. I never store anything with stickers attached, they always come off the same day I bring the item home. Of, course, this tip can’t help all situations if the item sat on the shelf in the store too long.

  61. ccg says:

    it certainly so silly it takes us so much time to remove them..
    I use goo be gone too, but i also use magic clean eraser it works and doesn’t have a oily residue!

  62. liltiggy23 says:

    I use steam from a kettle

  63. westendgirl32 says:

    Put some olive oil on the sticker and let it soak in for a while, then the sticker will come up with no problem!! Why buy those ‘Goo be Gone’ products when you’ve got things at home that’ll do the trick just as good if not better?

  64. K says:

    Canola oil, olive oil, anything like that. Rub it in, let it sit a bit, a good cloth ( I use my Norwex) a little elbow grease and off it comes.

  65. Penny says:

    Kelly; there are stupid people out there, who need stickers on their visors to remind them that they shouldn’t have their baby on their lap or in a pillow on the passenger seat… but just so you know, if you remove the warning and safety stickers in a car, you will never EVER be able to sell it, so you’d better hope it runs forever and you like the style 20 years from now. Just because YOU know not to do that or what oil and gas type it takes, doesn’t mean that the person who buys it from you or from the dealership you trade it in to (you won’t without all of the stickers though) does or that it will be legal to sell without them. If your car is from a date (90’s plus) that made the labels a legal requirement, it’s considered unsafe without all of its proper labels. Just learn to deal with it, when do you really see them anyway?

    When it comes to picture frames, I would rather spend a few minutes picking than several minutes while they try to find the price for me since stickers never stay on those velvety backings. I would also rather them not be on the frame itself, since no one ever uses quality paint on anything anymore.

    Another poster is right, stickers have been forced to go the way of evil sharp hard plastic packaging, they are just trying to make it harder for the people out there who feel the need to steal everything or change prices (same difference really). Although it is true, the dollar stores just do it for fun.

    Why are some of you picking stickers off of clearance foods? Are you giving them to people? Don’t you just eat it in a few days anyway? Do you have nasty family members who come over and judge the contents of your fridge and freezer? If you got a good price on something do they chastise you? I don’t understand why you would need to do this, do you suffer from OCD or spend time with elitist people? I don’t think the stores are expecting you will be concerned about this, which is why they probably just go along with their little guns and stick them anywhere.

  66. Darling says:

    Next time before peeling it of any item use a hair dryer and blow it over the sticker for few minutes. It will peel off without leaving any sticky stuff behind. Try this it does work!! 🙂

  67. Norma says:

    Thanks to everyone for their tips. I have always had good success with Avon Skin-so-Soft. I remove as much sticker as I can, spray and let soak in. For some labels a second soak may be necessary. It takes off residue.

  68. couponfreak says:

    I have a steamer it works great(was under 30 at XS Cargo..also works for cleaning just about everything without using chemicals..made my BBQ grill look brand new not going to lie it was scary)

  69. dar smith says:

    I used to work at a large furniture store and we always recommended goo be gone.

  70. Jeff says:

    Goo Gone, works good. There are certainly eco options out there too.

  71. Diana says:

    I use Olive oil or vegetable oil as well as baby oil but for food items such as plastic containers or pots and pans cooking is best . I wouldn’t use something like goo gone for that, although goo gone does work well it also stinks.

  72. 2jk19 says:

    AGREED! they are sooo annoying! Yes there are some that I leave on as ppl have mentioned (energy saving ones on the furnace or whatever) but ones such as your example – no thanks!

    I almost think they must have an agreement with GooGone lol because that is what I am forced to use to get them off – lots of ppl use this product!

  73. Keekorae says:

    Soak it in hot water, with lots of dish soap. Rub off with cloth. Patience is a virtue. Come on people it’s a sticker.

  74. Beth says:

    Another way to get those stickers off is Skin-So-Soft from Avon. Works really well.

  75. H Bal says:

    Just use a hair dryer to heat up the sticker and glue first. Then it will peel off quite easily. If there is any excess glue left over just use baby oil to clean it off.

  76. chrissie says:

    may sound silly but I use peanut butter—works like a charm everytime!

  77. simplebb says:

    Oh yeah chrissie, just saw your comment, gonna write the exact same thing PEANUT BUTTER, it works for everyrhing!! gum in hair, stickers etc….

  78. Zay says:

    Great ideas! I use petroleum jelly and it works great.

  79. minimusiclover says:

    I hate them too. I use my steam cleaner to remove them sometimes. But it does get very tedious.

  80. kingy says:

    i leave them on. after about 10 years, they fall off on their own. 🙂

  81. dreambaby05 says:

    Agree, this is soooooooooo hard to get them off, even after years use !!!

  82. bargainseeker says:

    Oh boy! I can relate to those nasty stickers! I got a new stove and fridge and they put this bluish protective coating on the stove that I had to remove, which was not a problem. And then they stick they stupid big sticky sticker on the oven door! That was two weeks ago and I’m still trying to get it off. Yuk!

  83. hotdot says:

    Hydrogen Peroxide!! Works like magic. Faster than Go-Gone or steaming the label off! Takes 2 minutes.

  84. Alex says:

    Soak them overnight.

  85. seida says:

    i hate them damn stickers…all i can say is dollarama needs to get them stickers in check them name brand products are a steal for me i love saving money but please stop putting the $2 sticker on the shampoo bottle nobody needs to know that i just bought Dove shampoo for $2 lol from dollarama and they have all these cute gift sets that they so nicely priced everything could have been good christmas presence to ppl u know slightly but u cant get the darn thing of hey i’m just saying change the stickers dollarama

  86. Cigale says:

    Why should we even invest so much of our lives to remove the darn things in the first place. How cruel.

  87. bkuebunch says:

    Ok vinegar works great also nail polish – just let it soak for a while then remove. I know some people that are allergic to adhesives (stickers included)- imageine their frustration with these things

  88. stove door sticker was about 10 months to a year old, tried hair dryer didn’t work – just overheated hair dryer LOL tried rubbing alcohol and scraping withmy nail, but residue left behind and it only seemed to work teeny bit at the edges by teeny bit ;-( Then I tried my all purpose cleaner that i make (baking soda, vinegar, borax, glycerin etc) and my husband had this little razor blade thingy from home depot- super sharp, it took it off in maybe 1 minute, effortlessly, I was stunned, 2 minutes tops…no residue left behind, so incredibly easy I feel silly that I left it on there that long LOL

  89. Tina Sixx says:

    I’ve tried goo gone, wd40, citrus sticker remover stuff & there’s still the ugly glue from the huge sticker on my oven door!!!! Ugh! 18 months & counting. Why why why would they do this to their customers??


















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