How do I get stuck on adhesive like stain off my laminate dresser?
August 31, 2011 5:38 PM Subscribe
We left a t-shirt with a decal on it on top of a white laminate dresser for a few weeks and I guess from the heat of the room, bits of the decal have sort of melted into the laminate. Can I get this off?
The decal was one of those rubbery iron-on kind of things and it's really made a mess of the top of our dresser. I tried warm water with a sponge and then in desperation, I tried a bit of nail polish remover. The decal didn't really come off but the nail polish remover removed a bit of the white laminate so don't want to try that again. I've tried scraping it off with my fingernail but that's not really working either. It's almost like dried gum or something
Any other ideas? Would Brillo completely ruin the laminate? Or maybe a very find sandpaper?
The decal was one of those rubbery iron-on kind of things and it's really made a mess of the top of our dresser. I tried warm water with a sponge and then in desperation, I tried a bit of nail polish remover. The decal didn't really come off but the nail polish remover removed a bit of the white laminate so don't want to try that again. I've tried scraping it off with my fingernail but that's not really working either. It's almost like dried gum or something
Any other ideas? Would Brillo completely ruin the laminate? Or maybe a very find sandpaper?
Response by poster: Thanks. I should have mentioned that yes, I have one of those magic eraser sponges and it unfortunately didn't work.
posted by gfrobe at 5:44 PM on August 31, 2011
posted by gfrobe at 5:44 PM on August 31, 2011
What happens if you heat it with a blow dryer; does it get gummy? Has the colour stained the laminate, or is it just sitting on top?
Can you take a clear pic...?
posted by kmennie at 5:55 PM on August 31, 2011
Can you take a clear pic...?
posted by kmennie at 5:55 PM on August 31, 2011
Hmm, I don't know if this would work for a decal, but it's worth trying.
-Get iron, set it to hottest setting.
-Get some scrap kraft paper (e.g. a cut open paper shopping bag).
-Put paper over decal.
-Firmly iron over the paper in the area covering the decal.
-Peel paper back slowly.
Ideally, the decal will lift off with the paper. The method is very successful at getting wax out of things*, and since the decal was heat-sealed to the t-shirt, maybe it will un-heat-seal itself from the dresser. It's worth trying, at least. It shouldn't damage the laminate. (Maybe test it on an inconspicuous area first, if you're really concerned?)
*Including that one time during science class in 5th grade when a girl wrote "hoar" on my canvas trapper keeper with the paraffin wax we were using in lab. Good times, good times.
posted by phunniemee at 5:55 PM on August 31, 2011
-Get iron, set it to hottest setting.
-Get some scrap kraft paper (e.g. a cut open paper shopping bag).
-Put paper over decal.
-Firmly iron over the paper in the area covering the decal.
-Peel paper back slowly.
Ideally, the decal will lift off with the paper. The method is very successful at getting wax out of things*, and since the decal was heat-sealed to the t-shirt, maybe it will un-heat-seal itself from the dresser. It's worth trying, at least. It shouldn't damage the laminate. (Maybe test it on an inconspicuous area first, if you're really concerned?)
*Including that one time during science class in 5th grade when a girl wrote "hoar" on my canvas trapper keeper with the paraffin wax we were using in lab. Good times, good times.
posted by phunniemee at 5:55 PM on August 31, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks, I'm unable to get a good photo of it. If I run my finger across it, it is a bit rough so I'm assuming it's mostly sitting on there but there could be some staining as well.
I'm a bit nervous about a hot iron but will try it on a small area (wife won't be happy if I make it worse. And it was my shirt!)
Thanks again.
posted by gfrobe at 6:21 PM on August 31, 2011
I'm a bit nervous about a hot iron but will try it on a small area (wife won't be happy if I make it worse. And it was my shirt!)
Thanks again.
posted by gfrobe at 6:21 PM on August 31, 2011
Nail polish remover? No. You need something closer to Goo Gone, which is excellent at removing sticky, gummy, gluey types of adhesive substances. I can't guarantee that it won't damage the laminate surface, as well, but in my experience it's far less harsh than most solvents.
posted by dhartung at 9:30 PM on August 31, 2011
posted by dhartung at 9:30 PM on August 31, 2011
If it's gummy, you need Goo Gone. Works like a top. An alternative would be baby oil or mineral oil, but the Goo Gone is best. It may not remove an ink stain, but it'll definitely remove the gummy residue from the decal along with any paper-type material.
If you still have an ink stain, try Aqua-Net hair spray; I say Aqua-Net because you want the old-fashioned nasty hair spray, not any of this gentle/natural/organic stuff. Aqua-Net is always helpful for ink stains, even on white shirt front-pocket stains from ballpoint pens.
Good luck.
posted by aryma at 10:24 PM on August 31, 2011
If you still have an ink stain, try Aqua-Net hair spray; I say Aqua-Net because you want the old-fashioned nasty hair spray, not any of this gentle/natural/organic stuff. Aqua-Net is always helpful for ink stains, even on white shirt front-pocket stains from ballpoint pens.
Good luck.
posted by aryma at 10:24 PM on August 31, 2011
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posted by Admiral Haddock at 5:40 PM on August 31, 2011 [1 favorite]