Things You'll Need:
- Spray bottle
- Hot water
- Vinegar
- Fabric softener
- Commercial wallpaper remover
- Plastic scraper
- Hair dryer
- Steamer
- Sponge
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Step 1
Pull up an edge of the border to determine if the border is pre-pasted or if glue was used to place it on the wall. If the border was pre-pasted, the edge will come up easily and all you will have to do is pull the border off. If glue was used, the job will be much more difficult and require scraping.
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Step 2
Determine if the border is made of paper or vinyl. If the border is vinyl, you will need to score it with a scoring tool found at home improvement and hardware stores. Scoring enables the solution you use to penetrate the border and loosen the glue.
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Step 3
Prepare the border for scraping by wetting it. You can use a homemade solution: add one cup of cider or white vinegar to one gallon of hot water or mix a solution of ¼ cup fabric softener and ¾ cup hot water. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray the border, being sure to saturate it so that the solution reaches the glue layer. Let the solution sit for ten minutes. You can also buy a commercially made solution if you prefer.
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Step 4
Scrape the wallpaper border with a plastic scraper. You will probably only be able to scrape small sections at a time. Be sure not to press too hard with the scraper or you will damage the wall. If the border starts to dry, spray it again and wait for a few minutes before resuming scraping.
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Step 5
Bring out the heavy duty tools if you are not having success with the spray. A hair dryer can be helpful in loosening stubborn glue. If that doesn’t work, you may want to rent a steamer. Particularly difficult spots may require more than one pass of the steamer.
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Step 6
Clean the walls of any remaining areas of glue with warm water and a sponge. You may have to scrub hard to remove some of the spots. If you can’t remove all the glue spots, try sanding them when they are dry.
