Relocating to a new state will demand a lot of work and, most importantly, a lot of different packing materials, and one of the tools you will use most frequently is a well-known glued ribbon. It’ll hold whatever item you want in one piece, but it’ll also leave traces of its use. Still, there is a remedy for everything, and with proper materials and scrubbing techniques, you will learn how to get rid of sticky remains even from the most stubborn surfaces.
How to Remove Tape Residue After Cross-Country Moving
One of the good things that came out of World War II was the wide usage of duct tape. To this day, a life without it is hard to imagine, and it can be used on almost all surfaces. Still, there’s an unwanted consequence – glue remains . So how to remove tape residue without damaging the surface it is attached to? We will try to answer this and more questions.
How to Get Rid of Tape Residue? Different Surfaces Demand Different Approaches
Relocating to a new home will bring a lot of hard work. From house-hunting to finding a new job, there will be a lot of things on your plate. You will have to pack pots and pans, dishes, and the rest of your belongings. Not to mention you will probably do some renovations, have to prepare a house for a sale and adjust the new one to your wishes. Either way, there is a great chance you encounter glue on different kinds of surfaces. And removing tape residue from wood is not the same as when removing it from glass.
Ceramic tiles, countertops made from resisting materials, and glass surfaces are the easiest to work with. All you need is rubbing alcohol,water and cloth or cotton wool. Dab the alcohol on the surface and leave it there for a couple of minutes. The glue should easily peel off. But if it is not peeling off, you can scrub it off with a knife.
How to Remove Tape Adhesive From a Wall – The Best Method
What better way to adjust to a new country and fight relocation depression than with some renovations? And what is a better way to perform them than repaintings? But as soon as you clear away old paint or wallpaper from the wall, you realize there is a lot of adhesive remains on the wall. But don’t worry since it can be removed. All it takes is patience and knowledge.
First, you need to identify types of residues. As you know, you can have more than one adhesive on your wall. You need to know exactly what you are dealing with and act accordingly. Wallpaper glue can easily be cleaned up with hot water and soft scrub, while other materials demand stronger solutions.
If there is a duct strip on your wall, you can remove it with a knife, just be careful and do it slowly. Or heat it with a hairdryer and then get rid of it with a knife.
How to Get Tape Residue off the Plastic
One of the common relocation mistakes people make is that they don’t protect their plastic items from sticky materials. Or maybe you have done everything right. You booked cross-country movers and their long-distance moving services and even decided to go the extra mile and hired them for packing service as well. And even if all your belongings are properly packed, you still can find sticky leftovers on your plastic items from before. The best way to get rid of this, from a plastic bowl, for example, is with some chemical.
Because, if you use a knife and try to scrub it off, it will damage the surface. And if you’ve been thinking about does vinegar remove duct tape residue, the answer is yes. And it is great for plastic. You can also use nail polish remover. Just make sure you don’t use this on any area you believe it would be damaged by nail polish remover.
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What Product Removes Glue Residue? Best Solutions for Removing Glue Remains Easy
For some stubborn stains, you can use a lot of commercial removal solutions to clean them. These solutions are great, especially if you have tricky areas that can easily be damaged. For example, you can buy sticker removal Goo Gone in Walmart for $4. All you have to do is apply it, let it sit, and do the cleaning with some cloth rag.
While packing your garage and getting ready for a move, you will probably stumble upon some WD-40, excellent for squeaky doors and even better to remove tape residue. Just cut off the cap on the WD-40 with a pen and rub it on the area you wish to clean, let it sit, and clear any leftovers with a cloth or sponge. But there are other DIY methods you can implement to safely get rid of the sticky stuff.
One of the DIY Option Is to Use Olive Oil or Alcohol
On smooth areas, even on your floor, you can apply olive or cooking oil. Let the oil sit for a while, as it will soften the glue. Then take something sharp like a plastic scraper or plastic knife cleaning of a sticky leftovers. The best option to extract tape residue is by using rubbing alcohol. It can work in most areas, even on wooden items. Soak a cloth with alcohol, leave it on an area for a couple of minutes, and then scrape everything with the same cloth.
How to Remove Tape Residue From Fabric Surface and Clothes
Preparing for a move is often hectic, and many mistakes can happen that can damage your belongings and leave stains you can not easily wash. So how to clean tape residue from fabric or clothes? When moving furniture, we think about how to pack furniture so it doesn’t get torn apart or scratched. And you will admit we pay way more attention to our fragile items and furniture that can be broken. We don’t pay so much attention to our fabric chairs or sofas. All we do is roll them in some bubble wrap and reinforce everything with a scotch strip. Which usually accidentally end up on the fabric. In most cases, this can be easily washed up with warm water and soap, but glue is plastic-based, and sometimes water is not enough for cleaning it, so consider buying specialized fabric adhesive removal. Check this video for more tips and tricks.
There Are Ways to Prevent Adhesive Material From Sticking to Your Items
Now that you know how to remove old tape residue let’s talk about preventing this from happening. As you know, the key to efficient move is in good preparation. And if you wish to have undamaged items during this transition, you have to implement some packing tips and tricks most long-distance movers are using to have safe and quick packing. And once you learn these rules, you can implement them on all your future long-distance moving projects.
When Packing Furniture, Take Sheets or Blankets to Protect It
Most fabric furniture, like a sofa, can be wrapped in plastic and bubble wrap, but if they have any wooden parts (like legs or arms holders) you should skip the plastic and wrap everything in blankets. Or just wrap those wooden parts in blankets. Here is where the tricky part comes. The plastic wrap will hold on its own, but blankets or sheets need some reinforcement and guess what? Here is where our gluey tools come in. You have to wrap the whole sofa with a blanket and then reinforce everything with a scotch strip. Just make sure the strip is always touching only the blanket.
Do Not Glue It Directly to Your Electronic Devices
This mistake we usually make when we want to fasten the power cable to a TV or some other device. As you know, your belongings may be in storage units for some time, and the longer they are there, the more glue will dry, and it will be harder to get it out. To prevent this, simply wrap your electronic devices with plastic wrap, and then you can glue the cable.
How to Pack Your Drawer and Closets
As you know, even if you hire a long-distance moving company for cross-country moving services, you can still do some things to prepare for movers. That will speed up the process and make a job a lot easier for you and your movers. One of those things is to prepare your dresser and closets before movers arrive. Protecting the items for storage units means there must be as few parts that can move as possible. So you will have to fasten your drawers and closets doors. And there is no way to fasten anything without glue tacking the area. But you can minimize the damage made of dry glue – instead of wrapping everything with glued strips, be strategic and only glue the necessary parts of furniture.
Use Paper to Protect Your Dishes
When it comes to packing dishes, some pieces are better to be stuck together. Not only will you save some space in your boxes, but this way the transport will be safer. For example, you can stack a couple of bowls together. Just place packing paper between each bowl and stack five to six bowls together. Once they are all in one pile, you can wrap them all in another paper and fasten everything with a strip. Just ensure no glue is touching the dishes. Even though removing it from dishes shouldn’t be a problem, but unpacking after a move will take longer.
Hire Cross Country Moving Company for Most Efficient and Damage-Free Move
Cross-country moving is demanding and time-consuming, but if you wish everything to go smoothly, you will have to make some effort. As you can see, even a simple item like a scotch band can do a lot of damage if it is not used properly. And even though the damage is reversible in most cases, there are materials that don’t tolerate any kind of scrubbing, rubbing, or drying, not to mention putting some alcohol or nail polish on them. Some belongings are just too valuable and should be treated with utmost care.
Therefore if you are moving cross country any time soon and want to have the whole process go without a risk, hire movers to do everything for you from car shipping to packing. With their help, you will not have to worry about anything. They will do all the heavy lifting and meticulous work, including careful packaging of your precious belongings.
