How to clean glass from tape?

Often we are faced with a difficult problem - this is scrubbing the adhesive tape from the glass, especially when it has been glued for a long time. If the upper film can be picked up and removed with something, then it is not easy to remove the strip from the dried glue. In this article we will tell you how to clean glass from tape and what means are best suited for this purpose.

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Varieties of adhesive tapes

Types of adhesive tape differ among themselves in a variety of adhesive bases, which are responsible for their strong attachment to the required surface. In today's market you can find the following types of adhesive tapes:

1. Packaging tape, of which one is clerical. Usually its surface is covered with a transparent or solid acrylic adhesive.
2. Masking tape, crepe or paper - made using rubber glue.
3. Mounting tape, construction, including double-sided tape - coated with acrylic adhesive.
4. Double-sided mounting tape with a foamed base, presented in a wide range of colors. For its manufacture, acrylic or rubber glue is used.

Important! The traces of rubber glue are most easily removed, because with timely removal of the adhesive tape from the glass surface, you will not need to use additional cleaners.

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What can not be used to clean glass?

Glass is a material that is resistant to various chemicals, but there are certain limitations for it:

1. Glass surfaces cannot be heated, because if the heating is uneven and the temperature is too high, your product may simply burst. It is almost impossible to control the temperature of heating the entire surface at home.
2. Do not use abrasive substances - sponges, skins or soda will damage the glass, leaving scratches on its surface. For the same reason, it is undesirable to apply mechanical action with sharp objects with scrapers or metal brushes.
3. You will not get a good result if you use acetone or solvent 646. They dissolve the adhesive base a little, but when washed, it spreads over a large area, which complicates the procedure for its complete removal.

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How to remove masking tape?

Before removing the crepe, which has long been glued to the glass surface, it is carefully moistened with hot water and left for some time. After penetration of moisture into the adhesive layer, the tape is easily removed, and adhesive residues are also easily removed.

Important! If small traces still remain on the surface, they are easy to remove with a stationery eraser.

To remove traces of adhesive tape glued not very long, you can use vegetable oil or drying oil. In this case, it is necessary to act according to the following algorithm:

• Rub the problem area with oil.
• Wait 10-15 minutes.
• Wipe with a cloth dampened in oil until traces of glue are completely removed.
• Wash the glass with a degreaser.

Important! When working with chemical compounds, it is necessary to take measures to ensure personal safety, namely, use gloves, a respirator, etc.

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Remove mounting tape

To remove packing, clerical or assembly tape from glass is much harder than painting tape, because the film that makes up its base does not allow solvents to pass to the adhesive layer.

Important! Before you remove the double-sided tape from the glass, you must remove the base itself. To do this, the basis of the adhesive tape is picked up with a sharp object and removed. Sometimes this process is impossible, since the film comes off in small pieces.

You can remove traces of tape on the glass according to the following instructions:

1. Stick a new one over the removable adhesive tape.
2. Slightly move the tape along the entire length, leaving a small corner.
3. Take the corner, with a sharp movement of the hand tear off the adhesive tape.
4. Repeat the procedure if necessary.

Thus, sometimes it turns out to immediately remove not only the base, but also the trace of glue. However, it is often possible to remove the adhesive base only with the help of special chemistry or improvised means.

Important! It is safest to use vegetable oil at home to remove glue. However, using acrylic adhesive to remove it is much more difficult than removing traces of masking tape. Lubricate the stained area with oil, wait until the glue swells, and then remove it with a dry cloth or a clean rag.

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Which is better - gasoline or alcohol?

If you could not get rid of the traces of scotch tape with vegetable oil, you can try to remove them with oil products.

For this purpose fit:

• petrol;
• kerosene;
• White Spirit;
• solvent.

Important! Each of these substances has a strong asphyxiating odor, and therefore they must be used in a well-ventilated area.

The solvent, like other petroleum products, dissolves well even dried traces of rubber adhesives, but weakly affects acrylic adhesive. Therefore, if you tried these tools, but they did not bring the expected result, then you can try another group of solvents - organic alcohols.

To remove traces of tape, you can use the following types of alcohol:

• medical or drinking - ethyl alcohol;
• industrial alcohol - methyl;
• compounds containing alcohol - vodka, cologne and others.

To remove adhesive from adhesive tape from the glass, proceed as follows:

1. Moisten a cloth with alcohol.
2. Attach and press it to the area with traces of glue.
3. Wait 10-15 minutes.
4. Wipe the area with a clean cloth.

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Alkaline compounds

Traces of acrylic glue, polyacrylates can be removed with highly alkaline compounds - strippers. Weak alkali is a laundry soap. But if you apply it repeatedly, you can gradually help to wash the hardened glue from the tape.

Important! This method is perfect for people who do not tolerate chemistry and strong odors, especially for allergy sufferers and asthmatics.

A more powerful tool is caustic soda. To achieve the highest quality result, follow these recommendations:

1. Take a concentrated caustic solution.
2. Apply the composition to the adhesive layer.
3. When the glue becomes gelatinous, wipe the surface with a dry cloth.

Important! The alkaline products used to clean the toilet, or dishwashing detergents with surfactant components will help you get rid of adhesive tape.

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Special tools

The industry produces various special products that help wipe glue off the tape from glass. Such formulations are made in the form of a pencil, liquid or spray.

Important! The form of release does not affect the quality of glue removal - only ease of application depends on it.

The following formulations are most popular today:

1. Sticker Remover. Such a tool exists on sale in all types - liquid, pencils and spray cans. This tool helps remove traces of stickers, paper and adhesive tapes on any surface. Such a substance is applied directly to the contaminated area.
2. Kiehl Tablefi - a remedy for difficult to remove pollution. Available in the form of a liquid in a spray can.To remove traces of glue, the liquid is applied to a rag or napkin.
3. Liquid in a bottle with a spray - Stain remover “Taygeta S-405”. The action of the composition begins 15-30 seconds after application.
4. FORMULA X-5 - a liquid that is applied to traces of glue or masking tape for 15-20 minutes.
5. Super CMF-240 - a product manufactured by the company "Chrysal" is positioned as a "dirt separator." Removes traces of glue worse than previous means, but can be a salvation for allergy sufferers and asthmatics, as it does not cause allergic reactions.
6. “Merida Impet” - this highly alkaline liquid is designed to remove difficult to remove contaminants. After application to the glue, the action occurs within 2 minutes.

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In this article, we tried to understand the basic principles of removing glue from glass and other surfaces, which depend on the type of adhesive tape. We hope that the information received will help you quickly and efficiently get rid of pollution and restore the original attractiveness of glasses and mirrors.