Lately I've been reading a lot of articles about the hundreds of uses for coconut oil. It is heralded as a non-toxic remedy for anything from acid reflux to cellulite, diaper rash to yeast infections. The most interesting use was for adhesive removal. You know, peel the label off a glass jar and what's left is the icky, sticky residue from the toxic glue. In the past I have purchased toxic, chemical-based removers and donned fashionable masks, goggles and gloves. Now, coconut oil doesn't come cheap so I don't know if I'd want to use it a lot for adhesive removal but I thought I'd give it a try just to see if it works. So I spread the coconut oil over the sticky stuff and let it sit for 24 hours. It did nothing. Still icky and sticky.
A friend of mine mentioned peanut butter should also do the trick. Hmmm...is it the oils? I just so happen to have a small jar of incredibly cheap peanut butter I bought years ago for rodent bait.
It smells less like peanut butter and looks more like shortening, but I figured mice, rats, and opossums might like it. There is no way I'd ever eat it. The ingredients are: peanuts, sugar and/or dextrose, hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed and cottonseed), salt. Yes, people really eat this and pretend it's food. The expiration date on this jar is 05-06-08 and I keep it on hand should I ever discover unwanted crawlspace roommates again. Over the years when I see it sitting on the highest shelf in the laundry room I constantly think
I should throw that away. I'm glad I didn't now!
I generously frosted the icky-sticky jar with peanut butter and sat it on the counter. How long do I wait? I had no idea so I left it there for a few days. On the third day I took a paper towel and wiped. It all came off including the sticky stuff! Hooray!
Newly inspired, I took all my recycled sticky jars out of their storage and frosted them with peanut butter for some experimentation. The stink of the fake peanut butter was nauseating so I wrapped them in plastic bags.
At 12 hours, the sticky stuff didn't come off at all. At 36 hours, most of it came off but not all. Three days more of it came off but on some jars small dots of sticky was still left. Perhaps that is where it was thickest? Since I'm in the experimenting mood, I decided to try the coconut oil again leaving it on the jar for three days. It all came off!
Hooray!
Another non-toxic substitute for toxic chemical products!
Who needs chemicals anyway???
You can use cellophane tape to remove the sticky bits too. I do that. Just do it in the motion like people removing the waxing sheets from their hairy legs! Works every time. :)
ReplyDeleteNope, doesn't work.
DeleteWhat mutant strength glue did they use???? ;P
DeleteLOL! Well, if it's American, it's the most mutant and therefore, the most toxic!
DeleteExcellent experimental technique!! Throughout, I kept thinking, but what if the coconut oil were left on longer...... And then there it was!! So satisfying. :) Glad it worked. I'll have to try that. It's nice to be able to get labels off jars and bottles and be able to reuse them easily.
ReplyDelete