Stickers

[kags]

When my son was little I let him put stickers all over his bunk beds, mainly the sort of stickers you get free in sheets with comics. Now that he is a mature 8 year old he wants rid of them, but nothing will shift them. I have stood for hours with a scrubbing brush and hot soapy water, but there is still a residue and the shiny ones won't shift at all. The bed is not made of expensive wood, it is pine with a matt varnish finish. Does anybody have any suggestions as to how we might get rid of the pesky things?

[woofgang]

You can buy sticky stuff remover from B and Q and lakeland, but this might damage your varnish. If you are prepared to be patient, slosh on cooking oil wait a while then gentle rubbing with a non stick pan scourer should do the trick. If you are not so patient and don't mind damaging the surface, then use a rougher pot scourer. Score the surface of the shiny ones to get to the glue or backing paper. Lasly clean off the oil with meths

[monty0703]

Or you could try nail varnish remover - might affect the varnish though.

[incitatus]

nail varnich remover yes, it will damage the varnish. or just sand the thing down with wet and dry then revarnish it. or rub the area hard with a lemon....wierd but sometimes effective.

[bizzylizzy]

The best thing I've found for removing the sticky glue residue left over from labels is lighter fuel, it's excellent and cheap. Good luck. bizzylizzzy

[kags]

Thank you everyone, loads of things I had never thought of, I will give them a try - and stickers are now banned in our house!

[Cetti]

I agree with woofgang 'Sticky Stuff Remover is a must-have, along with Free 'N' Easy (another little gem for anything that sticks).

They should both come free with every child!!

[KARL]

Depending on how much daylight the bed has been exposed to, the result may be a blotchy appearance once the stickers are removed. Wickes sell a low cost stripper chemical which will remove the varnish and thereby much/most of the discolouration from affected areas. Apply new coat(s) of polyurethane varnish (silk or matt, also from Wickes) and within a year or so the patchy appearance will be undetectable as the varnish matures.

[molly]

Before you try any solvents which might attack the varnish, you could try rubbing swarfega into the glue and letting in soak in for a while before washing off with soapy water.