Raise your hand if you think I’m anal.
(I’ll pause while you do that).
Well, I probably am. I’m definitely type A. But I think there might be a misconception that our house gleams and the faucets are always shined and there aren’t any toothpaste splatters on the mirrors. Yeah right, I wish. We tried to disprove the whole perfect thing with this video (yes, we leave clothes on the floor and mail in a pile like the rest of the population- haha) and it seemed like the masses were relieved.
We’re human I promise (although I’m pretty sure if I weren’t human I’d pretend that I was for assimilation purposes), and my dirty goo-related secret might just prove that once and for all (prove that I’m human, not prove that I’m an assimilating robot). Check out this lamp – from Linens N Things back in the day – that I’ve had for over four years. That’s more than 1,460 days. Yup, that’s the sticky rectangle left by the clearance tag that was on there when I got it. Yes, the goo is practically an antique. I’ve just never scrubbed it off.
Same with the back of the ceramic container (from Target) from at least two years ago that we use to hold our serving and cooking utensils. I just turn the container sticky-side-back so it faces the wall and go on my merry way.
Of course outing myself makes me feel like I should remedy these two sticky situations (my mom does occasionally skim the blog- hi ma!), so with a little bit of soap (Dr. Bronners if you’re wondering, the almond kind) and some water I’m off to get my scrub on. Let’s hope in ten minutes I’ll be singing “ding dong, the goo is gone.” I have to admit that I’m worried that it might be a bit rough to remove thanks to years of dormancy. So that’s what I’m up to this afternoon (along with continued console bid-ness and some post writing). Whew, outing my sticky secret feels kind of good. I can’t be alone in this can I? Please tell me someone else out there just rotates things so the “flaws” face the wall.
Elizabeth says
Not totally related, but in a similar vein…I love it when celebs are caught in photographs with the price stickers still on the soles of their shoes. LOL
Christie says
GooGone is the best! It will take you all of 10 seconds to get the sticky stuff off.
Carolyn says
I can’t stand those sticky label spots! But yea, I’ve definitely got a few laying around … err, hiding against the wall too. Maybe I’ve become lazy, but I’ve started leaving the stickers on things that don’t really matter … like tools and our cheese grater cover. But that looks kinda tacky ; )
Actually, I received a Norwex cloth as a gift a while back and that totally does the trick. Hard to get ahold of Norwex products though as you have to host or go to a party (like a jewelry or tupperware party). But if you ever have a chance to test one out, they’re great! Just add water, scrub, problem solved (no chemicals whatsoever!). Curious to know if the Dr. Bronners method works though!
Stephanie says
LOL! I love this post! It made me laugh(duh, that’s what the LOL would imply). Mine isn’t so much sticker stuff as it is child finger prints :) I don’t notice them until I sit down at the end of the day and I’m not about to get back up :)And I can’t turn those walls around so I let it all hang out.
Sarah says
Best advice ever: take a hair dyer (I know you have one from the chair dye job)to the label before peeling! Or take it to the goo for a few seconds and scrub a bit. Comes right off!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s interesting!
xo,
s
Jessi says
ALL THE TIME!
Stephanie says
I definitely turn the couch pillows that have dog drool on them over rather than cleaning it up!
Hayley says
Instead of spending a lot of time scrubbing just take nail polish remover to it. I usually put some nail polish remover on a klennex and it comes off in half the time!
Susan says
I agree with previous posters who recommend GOO GONE. It is probably made entirely of toxic chemicals but a very, very tiny bit goes a long way and requires virtually no scrubbing. It takes out grease and all things sticky. I keep it locked away for after trips to the thrift store. :) It’s my guilty cleaning secret.
Erin says
My mom has always used a product called Lestoil. I remember my dad coming home with various grease or oil stains on his clothes while I was growing up and telling her to work her magic. That stuff would take out anything and worked even better with removing stickers. There are probably similar products that are better for the environement these days though.
sandra says
I gotta add my 2 cents about Lestoil…someone recommended it to me to remove stains (some goo related) from clothing…it will NOT rinse out of clothes in the washer! It has petroleum distillates in it, and the smell is oily (yuck), and I am not kidding, the washer will smell, the clothes will smell, I hate that stuff!! Who cares if it removes stains when it is so nasty! Okay, I’m done. :)
Keri M says
To avoid future goo… use the hairdryer to heat up the sticker before you peel it off. The sticker peels away no problem and no goo is left behind :)
Or you could always get “Un-do” from Michaels. My mom uses that stuff on anything sticky.
Gaidig says
Broken lampshade? Totally facing the wall.
Johanna says
Rubbing alcohol (or antibacterial gel) works like a charm at getting goo off. Hope that helps!
Shayli says
Goo-Gone works really good for these sticky situations!
J&J says
You’ve probably gotten it off with all the tips listed above mine. Here are my 2 cents. Just soak a paper towel with warm water and let it sit on the sticky mess for a while and it will scrub right off. Easy.
Kendra says
Hilarious. Thanks for keeping it real. We are all in the same boat.
I saw this post today and thought of you guys:
http://www.thisfreshfossil.com/2011/04/etsy-love.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FJJnaI+%28This+Fresh+Fossil%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Kendra
YoungHouseLove says
Oooh, love all of those things!
xo,
s
tara or some call me "a rat" says
Use rubbing alcohol!! Works the best, so I think!! :)
Alexa says
I can’t say enough about Goo-Gone – love that stuff!
Amber says
I don’t know if this has already been posted, but rubbing alcohol works too!
Julie says
I totally have a half ripped off clearance tag from Bed Bath and Beyond on my over-the-toilet tower thingy in the bathroom. I stare at it guiltily every day when I’m brushing my teeth. However, the bathroom in our new house also has 5 different paint swatches on the wall (we’re trying to find something that works with lime green tile…eek), a brass and crystal chandelier, and horrible plantation shutters. So the sticker is really the least of my worries.
Kirsten says
I’ve always liked WD-40. It leaves an oily residue, so you’ll have to wash with soap after, but it works better than anything else I’ve tried, including other oils, rubbing alcohol, or other goo removal liquids.
Jessica says
We just had our little one’s first birthday party…the theme was “you are my sunshine” so to add a cute little “sun-related” detail (and some added fun for the older kiddos) we purchased an assortment of suncatchers at Michael’s for them to paint and take home as a “party favor” of sorts. They all had those annoying price tag stickers on them (which wasn’t exactly going to help the sun shine through them…lol) so my hubby soaked them in hot water for about 20 minutes, then he used a cotton ball and some baby oil to rub off the stickers (while I baked dozens of cupcakes)…..worked like a charm. Then we just washed them off with soap and water so they weren’t all oily. Hope it helps!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds like such a cute theme!
xo,
s
Debbie says
You seriously just blogged about goo?
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, I went there. Other random things I’ve blogged about include: buying ceramic animals, painting things white, weird dreams I’ve had, and my secret middle name. It’s the good, the bad, the ugly, and the mundane all day every day around these parts.
xo,
s
Debbie says
I guess if the goal is to make yourselves seem more human and less like DIY superheroes, all the mundane day-to-day stuff helps us see that!
Kate B says
You can also use orange peels- you know how when you peel an orange, the peel sprays that super-fine mist? Basically what they use to make Goo-Gone.
Dee says
All I have to say is at least you go the extra mile to take the tag off. It drives my husband crazy when he turns an item around and see’s the price tag still attached. I face it toward the wall though, what’s it matter!? You’re right, that did feel good!
Love your blog by the way. I don’t remember how I ran across it but I’m glad I did the other day. It’s very inspiring!
karen @ our slo house says
Oh hayyll no! That goo gunk has gots to go.
I guess I’m even more anal than you. :)
p.s. Btw, how difficult is it for the salespeople to put the the price sticker on the bottom of the item?!! That’s the only place I’m okay with leaving gunk.
Mrs. T says
Goo gone is your friend!
Giulia says
I have a ceramic stool in my entryway and I turn the half torn off price tag to towards the wall. It seems like sitting down and scrubbing that thing off is just not on any of my many lists. I also have many vases or other decorative items that will have the sticker on the bottom, but no one sees that, right?
Ashley says
Use rubbing alcohol pads or rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball. I never buy anything like Goo Gone. The rubbing alcohol is safe to use on all sorts of things.
It is also great for taking off band-aids/tape… slowly peel up the corner of the band-aid or tape and rub the part closest to the skin with the alcohol pad until it’s off… works great for kids! :)
Snickrsnack Katie says
Sticky labels suck!!!!
Audi B. says
Hello, this is my first post :) Ive been following for a while now… and GOO is what is getting me to finally comment HAHA! I hate sticker goo, it seems like clearance items always have the worst case of goo, it is like an obstacle they give you for snagging up such a fantastic deal. My trick to getting it off is nail polish remover or acetone. I know you’re a smell-a-phobic but it only takes a quick second and you can easily get it done outside :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love that goo made you comment!!! That just made my day. And for anyone in need of a goo update: it’s gone! Just needed a washcloth and some Dr. Bronners. And now I feel like more of a woman.
xo,
s
Corinne says
Olive oil, vegetable oil, and Windex (even the greener varities) work pretty well too! I can’t stand Goo Gone anymore after using a ton of it every time I had to scrape gum off the walls, mirrors, benches, and floors of the clothing store I used to manage.
I totally hide this kind of stuff though. There’s a lamp in my guest room with a big chip in the paint…that side faces the wall!
Carrie says
I ABSOLUTELY do the same thing when it comes to flaws! I recently spray painted a lamp and missed a spot on the back – All it took was a little lamp-base-rotation to hide the mistake =) Out of sight, out of mind!!!
Megan says
Oh yeah. I have this too. I have a set of Martha Stewart canisters that I bought ten years ago peeps. TEN! Fast forward to today and I have never taken the sticker off the smallest canister. I never really used it to store much except the occasional bag of brown sugar. It’s got quite the track record now. Can’t go ruin it by taking the sticker off now!
Ashley says
We use lighter fluid on a paper towel in my house. Works wonders. Not sure that meets your “all natural, low VOC” requirements…
Trista says
I’m worse. I bought a big mirror from Ross to put up over the mantle. The price tag is still on the front of the mirror…
Patti says
C’mon Sherry, is that all ya got? LOL! My kids broke a lamp that sat on a corner table a few years back. Instead of replacing it, I just turned the broken part towards the wall. Oh and for any and all goo to be gone, Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser. My favorite cleaning tool FOR.EVERY.THING.
Eliza says
Lemon juice or lemon oil (essential oil) are the greatest non-toxic alternative to “goo gone”. I use lemon EO and it works like a charm! I haven’t tried straight lemon juice but I imagine it would be just as good.
Chels says
BUTTER.
Put some butter on your stickies, leave it for awhile, and wash with soap and water. I’ve used it to take off stickers on our self-assembled furniture (minus the soap and water, of course), jars, shoes…I used to use olive oil, but butter’s much easier to wipe off if you can’t wash the item.
YoungHouseLove says
Love it. For some reason the fact that you put butter in caps lock with a period after it cracks me up. Like it’s The Answer. Haha. I’ll have to give that a try along with some of the other awesome suggestions.
xo,
s
Ashley E says
Amen on the BUTTER. It’s like they say in Julie and Julia — “The answer is always going to be… butter.”
Amanda says
Ugh – I hate goo!
I have to say, I try really hard to get it all off, but if I don’t, it definitely goes toward the wall. So do all the seams on my plant pots (the galvanized ones from Ikea) so I don’t have to see the “ugly” side.
Sheryl J says
We got new bedroom furniture and 2 yrs in I left a faulty airfreshener plug in on the top of the nightstand. The oils stripped the stain and the varnish. So now we just cover it with a Ikea mimi mirror and a lamp on top.
Michelle says
We once bought a black Ford pickup truck for a STEAL. Only problem was it had a black and yellow “caution tape” sticker down both sides. We just though “no biggie, we’ll just goo-gone it off!”
Um, no. It would NOT come off. My husband drove it for a long time with those horrible stickers, halfway picked apart. The best part was I was always surprised when friends immediately waved at us around town…as if I thought we were incognito in our “bumblebee” truck. When we finally broke down and paid a body shop hundreds of dollars to remove it, the truck promptly died. Awesome.
Brooke @ Inside-Out Design says
Thanks for this post, it makes me feel so much better. I am super anal and a big time “clean-freak” but I do stuff like this all the time! It’s so easy just to turn something around so that a chip, a mark or the residue from a sticker is facing the wall. (Who’s totally perfect, anyway? Impossible!)
beth in dc says
On the subject of sticky patches and other little things that we all turn to the wall: Every once in a while I start keeping a list of the really SMALL THINGS around the house that bug me but are too dinky to focus on: loose doorknobs, wiggly towel bars, slippy area rugs, squeaky hinges, sticky tag residue, water spots on a nice wood table…. Then I set aside an hour or so gather the tools I’ll need and blitz through all the little daily annoyances at once. It’s an out-of-proportion great feeling to just clear the decks of nigging little things.
Kristin says
Tried to read through most of the comments before saying mine (didnt want to rec the same thing over n over!!) and can’t believe no one said vodka! Don’t know if you guys drink/have vodka on hand, but it works like a chaaaarm! (which prob should tell me right there that it’s something I shouldn’t be drinking ;)
Ps.I for one loved this post! :)
Amanda says
I just have to add that I ALSO love it when there are plastic tags rather than the gooey stickers! I even have moments where I sit for up to 10 minutes straight trying to sloooowly (and I mean really slowly) pull the sticker off so the goo comes with it and doesn’t leave any residue…. And yes, I’m a type A as well. :)
This post and all the replies made me chuckle at my work desk. Oops!
Lauren (in PA) says
oh hells yeah! My son’s school portraits have been sitting on my desk (at three different jobs, no less) with a big old sticky smear on the front for years!
I actually just wiped it away (with VERY little difficulty) last week. It’s his senior portrait, cap and gown, so I figured that deserved a little respect!
Lindsay says
About a month ago, we upgraded and bought all new plates and bowls. EVERY SINGLE ONE came with a price sticker on the bottom with the kind of adhesive that leaves marks (WHY DO COMPANIES NOT USE THE KIND THAT COMES RIGHT OFF?!?!). After scrubbing and carefully removing ONE, we decided to let the dishwasher do the rest of the work, over time. hah.
The ones that have been through 4-5 times still have residue (though at least you can no longer read the price), but maybe we’ll get there in another year or so, fingers crossed. ;)
TeamAlix says
Here you go, my friends:
http://www.magicamerican.com/googone.aspx
works like a charm!
MRF says
I know someone suggested goo gone, but lighter fluid works just as well. Get a paper towel just a little wet with it and you’ll have the gooey mess gone in seconds.