If you wish to learn how to remove inspection sticker from windshield to reuse, the process is simple — a heat gun and razor are all you need. Apply the heat to weaken the adhesive, and then use the razor to peel the sticker out gently from its edges.
We have the details of this method in the form of a step-by-step guide below. Also, we will discuss eight more working methods and leave you to choose your favorite.
How To Remove Inspection Sticker From Your Windshield to Reuse
To remove inspection sticker from your windshield to reuse, use one of the many proven methods. These include applying heat, rubbing alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol to weaken the adhesive and peel the sticker out easily. Other practical household items include nail polish.
An inspection sticker is glued and designed to stay on a windshield until its expiry date, so removing it can be a challenging task. The law requires a car owner to place and align the sticker properly on the passenger side not to block the driver’s view on the road.
Thus, realizing that you have accidentally misapplied the sticker can be a nightmare. That’s why it’s essential to know how to remove inspection stickers to reuse them.
However, that largely depends on the type of sticker. It’s almost impossible to remove a paper-based sticker to reuse. These inspection stickers are fragile and have little to no reuse value.
Removing inspection decal to reuse is only feasible if it’s a plastic-based sticker. The methods and steps discussed below are unsuitable for paper stickers because they can get damaged easily. These methods will certainly work if you’re fortunate to have a plastic sticker.
– Use Heat
Heat is an effective adhesive remover. Therefore, you can use it to your advantage to loosen the sticker and make it easier to peel off without damaging it.
Before we get into the steps, here are the tools you need:
- A heat gun (or a hairdryer)
- A razor blade
Once you’ve gathered these tools, follow these steps to remove the sticker and reuse it:
- Apply heat to the sticker using the gun from the outside of your car. Ensure the heat is blowing directly onto the side of the sticker that has the adhesive.
- Using the tip of your razor, press against the loosened corner as you slowly lift the sticker and razor. Apply more heat when you feel more resistance, and remove the sticker from another corner.
- Keep applying heat, and you’ll slowly find the sticker’s adhesive loosening, and you can get it out without damage.
- Preheat the area of the windshield you wish to reapply the sticker using the gun for better application. You should add a high-quality adhesive on the removed sticker to enhance adhesion on the new windshield spot.
A blade is safer than pulling the sticker out with your fingers. It minimizes the probability of damaging the sticker. Ensure you’re using a clean, unused razor.
– Apply Multipurpose Lubricant
A versatile lubricant like WD40 has proven effective in loosening adhesive bonds. This method is also safe to use on your car’s windshield.
Ensure you have these tools:
- WD40 (or any other suitable lubricant)
- A clean microfiber piece of cloth
- Some hot or soapy water in a basin
Next, follow these easy steps:
- Gently lift one of the sticker’s corners with your fingernails (or a clean blade) and spray a small amount of the lubricant directly on the point of contact.
- Spray the lubricant repeatedly as you gently peel the sticker until it comes out without damage.
- Allow the lubricant to soak for about 1-5 minutes to remove sticker residue with ease.
- Soak your cloth with hot water and wipe off the windshield. Use gentle pressure and wipe in circular motions until all the glue residue is out.
- Apply adhesive before transferring your removed sticker to the new, desired spot on your windshield.
A spray adhesive may be the best option on your removed sticker before applying it to the new surface.
– Apply Shaving Cream
Shaving creams work, and many people use them to remove wrongly placed inspection stickers on their car windshields.
So find the following tools and then follow the steps below to remove your sticker:
- Any brand of your favorite shaving cream
- An applicator
To remove a sticker with this method, you must be patient; it requires much of your time. It would help if you were generous with the cream for the sticker to come out in the perfect condition.
- Apply about an inch thick of your cream to the sticker and leave it to work on the adhesive for about 45-60 minutes.
- Gently loosen the edges and remove the cream. Apply a new layer to the sticker, giving it more time to soak the remaining glue.
- Loosen the sticker further from the edges, wipe off the layer of the cream, apply a new layer, and give it more time.
- Repeat steps #2 and #3 as often as necessary until the sticker comes out undamaged. As mentioned, this whole process takes a lot of time, but it’s worth it if you want to remove the inspection sticker and reuse it.
– Use Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is another excellent method to remove car inspection labels and reuse them. The good thing about this product is that it’s readily available in many homes. In other words, it’s easily accessible.
The tools you’ll need are as follows:
- Alcohol
- Cotton balls or paper towel
- A new, unused razor blade (avoid old, used blades for your safety and the windshield)
- A clean piece of microfiber towel
The alcohol works by dissolving the glue backing of the sticker. That enables you to pull it out quickly and without damage.
These are the steps to apply:
- Dip a cotton ball or paper towel into the alcohol and gently press on the sticker.
- Let the wet cotton ball or paper towel rest for about 5 minutes to work on and loosen the adhesive.
- Using the blade, gently pull the sticker from one of its edges until it comes out.
- Apply a reliable adhesive to the inspection sticker before reusing it. Use your clean towel to clean out any remaining adhesive residue.
– Apply Isopropyl Alcohol
This type of alcohol can also do magic. The secret is to use 70 percent alcohol because higher concentrations can damage the car paint surface if it spills.
Start by gathering the following tools:
- Alcohol
- A small spray bottle, cotton ball, or paper towel
- A clean piece of microfiber cloth
A spray bottle would do better than a cotton ball or paper towel. The idea is to accurately seep the alcohol under the back of the sticker to ease its removal.
Proceed as follows:
- Soak a cotton ball or a paper towel in the alcohol and place it on the sticker. You can also pour the alcohol into the spray bottle, lift the sticker’s edge with your fingernails, and spray a small amount of alcohol on the point of contact.
- Let the alcohol soak the glue for about 3-5 minutes to make the removal process more straightforward.
- Gently peel the sticker out and apply a small amount of alcohol when you meet resistance. You can use the edge of an old credit card to help you lift the sticker.
- Repeat steps #2 and #3, intermittently spraying until the sticker comes out without damage. If the sticker doesn’t budge while peeling from one edge, try the other side to avoid damaging it.
- Once the sticker is out, use the microfiber cloth to wipe the remaining residue and clean the windshield.
- Apply adhesive on the removed sticker before reapplying it correctly on the windshield.
– Use Ice and a Razor Blade
Another proven method to extract a sticker and reuse it is ice and a razor.
For this method to be successful, you’ll need a set of the following tools:
- Ice cubes
- A new, unused razor blade
- Paper towels or a microfiber towel
- A suitable car window cleaner
Using ice cools and hardens the adhesive, which weakens it and makes it easier to peel off.
Once you’ve gathered the above tools, apply the following steps to remove the sticker and reuse it:
- Hold your ice bag (a bag with ice cubes) over the inspection sticker for about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the ice and gently use the razor to peel off the car sticker. Hold the razor at an angle and start scratching from the edge to avoid damaging the sticker and the glass.
- Place the ice over the sticker again to ease removal. Repeat this while you peel the sticker out gently and eventually get it out.
- Once you’ve removed the sticker, use the auto window cleaner to remove the glue residue on the windshield thoroughly. You can also use the razor to push the sticky residue out of the glass and clean it using a paper towel or microfiber.
- Remember to apply a suitable adhesive to the sticker before transferring it to a new spot.
You can use household items like nail polish instead of an auto glass cleaner to remove the glue residue. Other products you can buy and use include 3M adhesive remover and wonder wheel 4 decal remover. Goo gone tape & sticker lifter also removes stickers and glue residues.
– Use White Vinegar
Vinegar is another readily available product in our homes and has proven to remove the inspection decals to reuse effectively. You can always get it at your nearest store. It’s an affordable and eco-friendly option.
Here are the tools you need for this method:
- Vinegar
- Paper towel
- Scraper, razor, or an old credit card
Like all the products mentioned here, the vinegar helps by loosening the adhesive and making it easier to peel off the sticker. Now proceed as follows:
- Soak your paper towel in vinegar. Lift one edge of the sticker with your fingernail or blade and gently press the damp towel on the point of contact. Alternatively, you can apply the vinegar directly on the edge but ensure you do it sparingly.
- Let the vinegar sit and work on the glue for about 5 minutes.
- Using an old credit card or scraper, start peeling the corners of the sticker to remove it slowly.
- Apply vinegar whenever you meet resistance and gradually peel out the sticker.
- Once the sticker is out, re-glue it and correctly stick it back on the desired spot.
– Use Hairspray
Hairspray that has oil in it also works by weakening the adhesive, which helps to remove stickers easily. The great thing is that it’s also readily available, which means you might already have it at home.
These are a couple of tools you’ll need:
- A suitable hairspray
- An old credit card or blade
More than just hairspray is effective for this exercise. It would be best if you had an oil-based hairspray for effective sticker removal.
Follow and execute these steps:
- Grab your oil-based hairspray and spray it on the edge of the sticker. First, lift the sticker at the corner using your fingernails or blade so that the hairspray can seep through.
- Give it a few minutes to react with the adhesive.
- Start peeling the sticker gently from the edges and apply hairspray repeatedly as you peel.
- Ensure you’re as gentle as possible to avoid damaging the sticker. The secret is to make the glue slippery rather than sticky.
- Repeat the spray-wait-peel procedure until the sticker comes out undamaged.
- Reapply the sticker on the desired spot correctly.
– Try Using Gasoline
Gasoline also works great in removing stickers. You can use some of it, remove the sticker, and reuse it.
Here’s what to do, but first, ensure you have the following:
- A small amount of gasoline
- Cotton balls or soft microfiber towel
Gasoline is highly flammable, and you must be careful while handling it. Keep your car door open for better ventilation and a quick exit in case of fire.
- Pour a small amount of gasoline on the cotton ball or soft microfiber.
- Rub the edges of the sticker for a moment to weaken the adhesive.
- After a few minutes, gently peel the sticker from the corners.
- Add the gasoline when you meet resistance.
- Repeat the process until the sticker comes out.
- Apply adhesive to the sticker and stick it onto the right spot.
Conclusion
You can quickly remove an inspection sticker using any of the methods we have discussed above.
As a summary:
- It’s not possible to remove a paper-based sticker and reuse it.
- Paper-based stickers are fragile and easy to damage.
- Applying heat, using ice and blade, and all other methods we have discussed are best suited to plastic-based stickers.
- Applying more glue and using a heat gun can help your removed sticker stick better onto its new spot.
Now that you know several methods to remove the sticker to reuse it, what’s stopping you from doing it? Choose the best method for you, grab the tools, and get it done today!
References
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter10/section46.2-1172/
https://dmv.dc.gov/service/inspection-sticker-replacements
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