How to Remove Stickers from Your Car's Paint or Windows

Has your car outlived the love of the stickers you’ve stuck on it? Over time, tastes change, elections end or that quote you thought was hilarious in high school doesn’t quite hold up when you’re driving into your corporate job. Thankfully, you have options beyond selling your beloved car or forever promoting your favorite candidate from 2004. Instead, just finally learn how to remove those pesky stickers. It may sound like a challenge, but it’s actually much easier than most people think. There are several simple, fool-proof ways to remove vehicle stickers from your car without risking damage. Whether you’ve stuck them on the windows or covered every inch of the car’s paint, we’ll walk you through our favorite method—plus a few extra options that might involve a quick trip to the store.

Removing Stickers from Car Windows

If you scour the internet, you’ll find several different techniques people for removing stickers from car windows. Though we won’t debate against most of these methods, we do prefer one technique over the others because it only uses items that most people already have at home.

Heat and Dull Razor or Credit Card Method

What You’ll Need:

• Hairdryer
• Dull razor, credit card or a similar object

1. Plug your hairdryer in and put the heat on high
2. Blow air onto the sticker for about one minute
3. Immediately after turning the heat off, use your blunt razor, credit card or other object to slowly remove the sticker. We suggest starting at the corners and carefully peeling inwards.
4. If necessary, apply more heat every few minutes to weaken the adhesive
5. Once the sticker has been fully removed, use soap and warm water to clean any remaining adhesive. Other liquids like rubbing alcohol or Goo Gone can also be effective.

Removing Stickers from Car Paint

Properly removing a sticker from a car’s paint is undoubtedly trickier than glass. Even small mistakes or stubborn adhesives can equal serious damage to your car’s body. Also, certain chemicals can harm your vehicle. It’s important to only use products that are verified as safe for car paint.

Heat and a Credit Card Method

The method for removing a sticker from paint is nearly the same as removing it from a car’s glass with one very important distinction—the object used for removing the sticker. To remove a sticker away from the paint, follow Steps 1—4 from the above car window method. However, once it’s time to peel the sticker, avoid using a razor blade or any sharp, metal object. This can easily scratch the paint. Instead, stick with the credit card or another plastic item like a soft, non-metal spatula. Once a corner of the sticker has been pulled up, slowly use your fingers to remove the rest of the sticker.

Other Sticker Removal Techniques

Though the above methods are our personal favorites for sticker removal, others can work as well. Here are some additional sticker removal methods, plus some techniques on removing tough adhesives: Ice Essentially the opposite of the above technique, some people rave about using ice to freeze the adhesive from their cars. Just take a bag of ice, hold it against the sticker for several minutes and attempt to peel the sticker away. If it’s still adhering, hold the ice against the sticker for another minute or two. WD-40 This famously versatile lubricating spray also works as a great sticker remover. First, spray an ample amount of WD-40 onto the sticker and allow it to seep into the adhesive for several minutes. Then, slowly start peeling the sticker away from the car’s surface. In addition, WD-40 works as a fantastic remover for any adhesive left behind after taking a sticker off of both glass and paint. Goo Gone Goo Gone is a wonderful product for removing stickers. After all, that’s what it was created for. However, unlike the above methods, it will likely mean a special trip to the store. If you don’t mind the extra effort, spray Goo Gone onto the sticker. Then, allow it to seep into the edges of the sticker’s adhesive for several minutes before slowly removing the sticker.

More Sticker Removal Tips

Take It Slow Not only can rushing the process cause stickers to rip apart and make removal harder—it can also cause the car’s paint to tear away entirely. That’s why it’s important to be patient and take your time during sticker removal. Use the Proper Materials Some removal methods that might work great on a window can wreak havoc on other parts of your vehicle. Not every technique is interchangeable with the most important being that metal objects—like razor blades—should never be used on paint, vinyl, plastic, etc. as it can easily ruin those surfaces. With these handy tips, a few common household items and a little bit of patience, your car will be refreshingly sticker-free in no time.