Some people like putting stickers on their bumpers to represent something or someone they’re a fan of. Other people put them as a warning in case the car owner is deaf, left-handed, or if there’s a baby on board, to notify other drivers to drive carefully around them.
But if you have some old backdated or damaged bumper sticker you need to remove from your car’s bumper, then why not try some simple and less harmful techniques in doing it. It’s better than using sharp objects or dangerous chemicals anyway.
There are safer ways you can learn how to remove bumper stickers from your car and still have a fresh-looking spot to put on a new bumper sticker.
11 Ways to Remove Bumper Stickers
No matter how tough it is to remove your bumper sticker, you should never use razors or any chemicals because it can scratch your bumper or even scrape off the paint on the bumper. Painting plastic bumpers takes some unique measures , you should know the proper ways of doing it.
However,back to the point, you should avoid risky techniques like using razors or any chemicals and focus more on simple items like cleaning supplies, materials from your toolbox, or even ingredients used in cooking. Below we’ll be talking about such items used in removing bumper stickers:
Lubricants
There are some cheap lubricants found in gas or spray form. These work perfectly to remove bumper stickers. First, you need to put on some safety glasses and a mask to cover your mouth, nose, and eyes, because this is a gas-form lubricant and could be harmful to you, even though it’s not harmful to your car.
Take the lubricant and spray it all over the bumper sticker that you want to remove. Make sure to get it on all the corners and edges since you’ll peel from those areas. Let the solution sit for about 5 minutes.
After the sticker softens, you can use a rubber spatula, credit card, or just your fingers to start peeling it off from the corners. Make sure to keep the angle of your peeling low so that the sticker doesn’t rip halfway.
Even if residue does end up sticking in places after you’ve peeled most of the sticker off, there’s a way to remove those as well. Try spraying the lubricant on again and rub the remaining bits off.
Once the bumper sticker is completely off, dampen a cloth with rubbing alcohol and wipe the bumper area clean. Apply a coat of wax to the bumper so that it shines like new again.
Hairdryer
By applying heat, you can also remove bumper stickers. The heat reactivates the adhesive part on the back of the bumper sticker, and this makes it possible to peel it off. Take a hairdryer and set it to low heat. Keep the nozzle opening near the sticker with a distance of 6 inches.
Don’t keep it too close because it could melt the bumper or erode the paint on the bumper. Keep applying the heat for a minute or more and make sure to move your dryer all around the bumper sticker so that all areas of the sticker receive the heat from the hairdryer.
The heat will now slowly make the sticker loosen up from the bumper. Now you can just peel it off with a rubber spatula or credit card. Make sure to start peeling from the corners.
If you still find some part of the sticker refusing to loosen, then try applying heat from the hairdryer with one hand and, at the same time, peel with your spatula.
After you’ve accomplished taking off all sticker residue, just wipe the area clean with rubbing alcohol and cloth and then wax it to make the area shiny. You can use a car-safe buffer pad because it makes the application of wax more effective.
Heat Gun
Similar to the hairdryer technique, you can also use a heat gun. But you need to aim the gun at the sticker with a distance of 1 foot, and you can only apply heat for 3 seconds at most.
When you see the adhesive start to bubble up a bit, that’s when you know you’re ready to peel the sticker off. It will come off easily, but the adhesives might remain on the bumper. Make sure you use rubbing alcohol to clean the area.
Wet Cloth
Another method where you can apply heat is by soaking a rag in boiling water and directly placing it on the bumper sticker. This also works in softening up the adhesive and making it come loose for you to peel off.
Vinegar
I’m sure you’ve used the ingredient vinegar for many cleaning purposes around the house. You can do the same with cars. Of course, we’re talking about plain white vinegar.
Other than its cleaning abilities, vinegar also helps get rid of adhesiveness on anything. Dampen a paper towel in some vinegar and place the towel on the bumper sticker. Let the wet towel stick onto the bumper sticker area for about 5 minutes.
Once it sits and the vinegar solution soaks in, the bumper sticker should start to lift or loosen up. Again, like the previous methods, just use a spatula or credit card and try scraping it off. Clean the residue with some more vinegar or with rubbing alcohol and then wax the bumper to make it look fresh.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, also known as Miracle-Whip, can be used to remove stickers on bumpers. You might not believe it, but many people have suggested that it’s true. You just have to smear on some of the mayonnaise on the sticker before you’re about the remove it. The slippery and oily texture helps soften the sticker for removal.
Vodka
The first thing you should be cautious about when using vodka is that it is extremely flammable. So, always make sure your car is off and has been off for hours to avoid any gas element even being in the air around it and to avoid any combustion from happening.
So, while your car is sitting cold for hours, you can try using this alcoholic solvent on the sticker. Like with vinegar, you can dip a cloth in vodka and place it on the sticker to let it soak in the alcohol. In a while, it will be ready for easy removal.
Lighter Fluid
The fluids used in lighters are also very flammable, so you need to have the same caution as you do when you’re using vodka to remove bumper stickers. This is applied to the bumper sticker the same way vodka is. It’s not the most recommended method, but some people have succeeded with lighter fluid.
Nail Polish Remover
Although acetone-based nail polish remover isn’t the ideal remover for stickers on metal bumpers, it is still the best choice if you had to remove bumper stickers placed on glass areas in a car.
The problem with using nail polish on the bumper stickers placed on metal areas on your car is that it ruins the paint on the surface. But bumper stickers can also be placed in other areas like your glass. If that’s the case, then nail polish remover is the perfect item to use to remove the bumper sticker.
Temporary Stickers
There are some stickers that have built-in expiration. These types of stickers are made for specific causes that are temporary. Political campaigns are an example of temporary events. During such events, people like putting on bumper stickers to show support for any political party.
The bumper stickers made for such events are also made in a way it can be used temporarily. And the adhesive on the back is not that strong and not that long-lasting. Eventually, when the expiration date comes, the sticker loses its adhesive and will come off easily.
Magnet Stickers
Magnet stickers are basically thin flat magnets that have bumper stickers on them. These magnets attach to the car easily. And all you need to do is take off the magnets each time you want the bumper stickers off or if you want to switch to another. These kinds of stickers don’t leave any residue on the bumper or need any sort of cleansing.
Some people don’t prefer magnets because it sometimes leaves a discolored spot where the magnet was. You’ll notice the spot when you remove the magnet sticker. In the end, you’ll have to always place a new magnet in the exact same spot to hide the discoloring on your bumper.
Final Words
The above ways are very helpful if you want to handle removing bumper stickers by yourself. You can also take your car to a workshop garage and let a worker there do it for you, but that’ll be an extra cost.Just be cautious before removing the sticker, sometimes the paint may get chipped off for not being in the proper manner. Not a problem, there’re lots of quality paint chip repair kits in the market.
So why not try using some home appliances instead and learn how to remove bumper stickers carefully and easily without causing any damage or having to repaint.
