How to Remove Decals From a Car Windshield

Most decals and other stickers applied to car windshields are designed to stay on for a very long time, and thus can be very difficult to remove. The longer they stay on, the harder removal can be. This can pose a problem for things like expired parking stickers, faded or peeling designer decals or any other old sticker that you may decide needs to come off. These won't peel off very easily; you need to loosen the adhesive bonding the paper to the window. You may need to try numerous substances to weaken the adhesive bond, and you'll need a lot of elbow grease no matter what.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Window cleaner
• White vinegar
• Colloidal gel
• Cooking oil
• Thin, flat blade

Instructions

1. Peel a small portion of the decal off of the window. See how much you can remove before it tears off. The longer ago the decal's application was, the harder this will be. Peeling it very slowly helps. If a piece tears off while peeling before you remove a significant portion of the decal, look for another removal method than just peeling it off outright.

2. Rub water over the decal and let it sit for a minute or two for the decal to absorb the water. Window cleaner may work also, if you can apply enough using its aerosol form. Scrape the decal off the window with a flat, bladed object. A razor blade may work best, but a putty knife or other scraper might reduce the risk of scratching the windshield.

3. Switch to another liquid or colloidal substance if the water doesn't work. You can try "Goo Be Gone" or a similar removal substance. Rub this on the decal using a wash cloth in circular motions, then rub the decal off with the same cloth. If you can't get any such substance, apply white vinegar to the decal and use your scraping tool. Keep the decal wet while scraping by continuously applying vinegar.

4. Use olive oil, canola oil or any other cooking oil on any small pieces of residue left on the windshield. Apply the oil and remove the residue with either the blade or hard rubbing from the cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Running the windshield wipers with the car's washer fluid won't help much even if the decal is on the outside of the front windshield. Much of the decal or any remnants will likely be out of reach of the reach of the wiper's blades.