Trying to remove sticker residue from already-washed-and-dried clothing is the worst… unless you know this secret for easy removal in 30 seconds or less!
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I had never had to learn so much about removing interesting items from clothing as I have since becoming a mom. I had never faced so many stubborn stains. Or Googled the best ways to get poop or spit-up out of clothing.
Related Post: How to Get Grease Stains Out of Clothes That Have Been Dried
And I had never, ever known the pure frustration of trying to peel sticker residue off already-washed-and-dried clothing. Ugh.
If you’ve ever washed and dried a sticker onto your clothing, you know that it can be a bear to get off.
Unless you know the secret to easy removal.
If you don’t already know it, this little secret is going to save you a TON of time and angst the next time a sticker hitches a ride into your washing machine on the backs (or fronts) of your kids’ clothing.
Here are the 5 steps for easily removing sticker residue from clothing in 30 seconds or less!
HOW TO REMOVE STICKER RESIDUE FROM CLOTHING
That has been washed and/or dried!
STEP 1
First, dip a white rag or cotton ball in rubbing alcohol.
STEP 2
Then, rub the sticker with the rag or cotton ball. You don’t have to scrub, just make sure the entire sticker is soaked.
STEP 3
After sufficiently wetting the sticker area, peel it off!
It should come right off, but if it doesn’t, rub more rubbing alcohol on it.
STEP 4
Rub the area a bit more to remove all sticker residue. (For super-stubborn residue, you may have to gently pick a bit.)
STEP 5
Finally, rewash the clothing item.
That’s it! I couldn’t believe the first time I tried it how easily the sticker came off. No soaking, scrubbing, or picking required!
This was a genius tip that I am so thankful to have received. I hope if you didn’t already know about it that it makes your life a whole lot easier as well! (Especially if your kids love stickers as much as mine do!)
Was this helpful? Or did you know about this secret genius tip already? Share in the comments below!
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I tried this on the residue of a sticker that I missed on a shirt that I had bought that said, “Glows in the dark!” It did work, though I ended up putting a cloth behind the adhesive residue and just pouring the alcohol on it directly rather than dabbing it on. I had to do a fair amount of scraping with my fingers but it all seems to have come off, and I also gave it a good few wipes with the cloth for good measure. Hoping it will come out of the laundry all good to go. Thanks for the tip!
Wow! That was one stubborn sticker!! Hope it all came out. 🙂
I do all the laundry in my house, I have 2 daughters and a wife that run through clothes EVERYDAY….. I will try the abstain removal with in the next 24 hours… I wil try and let ya know. I have one shirt that has been washed and dried. I have washed it twice already. Did not know about the above way with the alcohol. So thank you Sir for the tip.
This was easily the best life hack post I have used! My wife (fortunately) keeps rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle so I was able to skip the cotton ball assist. To be fair, my daughter’s sweater hadn’t been washed yet, but it was still very fluffy and intent on staying attached to its name tag.
Yay! I’m so glad it was helpful to you! Stuck-on stickers are so frustrating without this hack!
I brought a shirt for my son and the sticky label left residue on it so I google how to get it off and the Alcohol technique worked. Thank you so much!
Yay!! I love to hear stories like this! This trick has saved me SO many times!
Worked like a charm! Thank you!
You’re welcome! It’s an awesome trick!
Is it any type of alcohol that is suitable for the removal of the sticker?
I use isopropyl rubbing alcohol.
Bought a brand new Tommy H blouse today, and got a big glob of sticker glue on it. Tried the alcohol (no, it won’t affect the color) It took out most of it, then put laundry soap on it and picked on it until it came off. Just dodged a bullet! Thanks
Yay!! So glad to hear that! Yes, every once in a while, I get a REALLY stubborn one that requires a little picking. But I’ve never had one yet that didn’t come off! Thanks for sharing!
I have tried everything and the sticky print from the name tag is still there. Dont know if its because its silky material. Ok afraid o will have to throw it away.
Oh, bummer!!! I hate that you might have to throw a shirt away! This trick has never failed me, so I don’t know what else to tell you. 🙁 I wish I could provide the magic solution for you! Let me know if you find something that works.
I used lighter fluid on a wag and scrub it came right off then rewashed it like new now. I have used this on t-shirts and silk shirts so far it worked with both materials.
I had sticker residue on a throw pillow. (My son added a fake mustache and it really stuck!). I can’t believe how well this worked. The pillow is like new again. Thank you so much!
Hahaha, that’s the BEST backstory I’ve heard yet as to why this post was needed! I’m so glad I could help!!
Thanks for the tip this worked instantly!
Yay! That’s what I like to hear! 🙂
I was hoping against hope it would come off, but no matter how much rubbing alcohol I applied it remains in😖
Well, shoot! That’s one stubborn sticker!! I’ve never had one yet not come off. What kind of sticker was it, and on what kind of material?
Same thing happened to me so how did you get it off.
OMG thank you Merry Momma!!! I thought I was sunk! My sons’ brand new white uniform short went through the wash/dryer with the size sticker still attached, EEK! Your hack did the trick, real quick! I will be sure to spread the love!!!
Aw, Stephanie! This made my day!! I’m so happy I could be a help to you. Hurray for hacks! 🙂
This worked so well!!! Thank you for the amazing hack!
Yay!!! You are so welcome! Isn’t it magic??
My teenaged grandson failed to make sure his Referring velcro badge backing was properly placed and secure on his new jersey. During itself first was it let go and reattached to the back shoulder area. Funny, but not funny. We didn’t discover the mishap until the jersey was removed from the dryer.
Anyway, it might be the silky fabric, but the alcohol wasn’t working. My mom taught me to use cooking or baby oil to remove adhesive from glass items, etc. So I switch to that and it worked much faster and got all of it out. I also had to place a rag under the area and scrub with my thumbnail, but it’s complete gone. Then I used Dawn dish liquid and hand washed the oily area.
I share this, not to criticize the alcohol at all, because I have no doubt, that on some fabrics it works like a charm. But I just wanted to share this because, in some areas, we still can find alcohol to buy. And, to share as an alternative option to consider, if you can’t get alcohol, and see what you think. If it doesn’t work for your item, you can always use the Dawn to handwash the oil out, hang it up to dry, the return to the alcohol. 😊
That’s a great point about the shortage of alcohol! I wrote this before the COVID craziness. 😉
I had heard the method of using oil and then Dawn, but this was much easier/faster. However, I have not ever tried to get sticker residue off silky material, so that’s good to know!
Thanks for sharing your experience and alternate method!!
OMG Lisa, thank you so much for your tip! That worked amazingly! My adult daughter had a sticker on her shirt from going into the hospital to visit her grandmother and when she came out she removed the sticker and the sticky was left behind on her shirt. She washed it right away thinking it might just wash out but no it didn’t and she brought it over to me and said, do you have any ideas mom. So I googled this problem and you came up and because it had been washed, not dried I selected your site. I took an old dishcloth and dabbed the rubbing alcohol onto the cloth and started rubbing the area and it just rubbed off. So easy…….than you thank you thank you from myself and my daughter.
Debbie! This made my day!! I’m so glad I could be a help to you! That’s wonderful. And just so you know… it works if you dry it, as well! 🙂
My sticker was on a fleece jacket and had already gone through the washer and dryer, but unfortunately this did not work for me. I still have residue in a nice little square on my sleeve. 🙁
Bummer!! I’ve never not had it work… but I can’t say whether I’ve ever tried it on fleece. I’ve heard of people using baby oil, I think? And then Dawn dish detergent to get the oil out. Maybe try that?
Wonder if it will work on a puffy down jacket that has a hospital sticker on it.??m.
I couldn’t say for sure, but it’s worth a try!!
Is it just me or does the “before” picture with the sticker look like one side of the shirt and the “after” picture looks like the other? One side has the X threading at the neck, the other doesn’t…
Anyway, unfortunately this did not work for my poly fabric.
Oh my goodness. Jamie, you are so right! I took the “after” picture at another time (because I forgot when I was first taking pictures #mombrain), and I must have taken a picture of THE WRONG SIDE. Oh brother. Thank you for bringing that to my attention! I took the picture down. Hopefully we still have that shirt (thank you, hand-me-downs) so I can take a picture of the CORRECT side.
Regardless of my picture snafoo, though, I assure you I have used this trick many, many times and it has always worked like a charm for me. Which is the reason I wrote this post. 🙂 Sorry to hear it did not work for you!
Hurray! Fortunately, the shirt is currently in my younger son’s clothing rotation, and it just happened to be in today’s wash load! So, I snagged it and snapped some new pictures. Thanks again for your eagle eye and bringing it to my attention! (Although, if you ever happen to catch something like this again, a private message first would be appreciated. 🙂 )
Omg what a wonderful trick this was! I tried on my daughter’s fave unicorn..oh yes..unicorn sweater…n thank the Lord..and u…that it came out, just as promised, in 30 seconds!! I’d definately be checking out more of your stuff!! Thank you so much!!!
So glad to hear her sweater was saved!! I completely understand how big a deal a favorite unicorn sweater is. 😉
How about removal of ECT adhesive from nylon pants after washing and drying them? Nothing like trying to be cool while walking out of the ER wearing ECT Tags on your rear end!
Hahaha! I chuckled at the image of that. 😉 I can’t say for sure, but it’s definitely worth a try! Let me know how it goes for you!
After getting his first COVID vaccine, he received a sticker indicating that he had receive his COVID vaccine. He put it on his mask. I accidentally washed it with no thought of removing the sticker. I normally us a hair dryer for such things, but it did not completely remove the residue. Your tip with rubbing alcohol did the trick! Thanks!
Yay! I’m so glad it worked for you!
I don’t have rubbing alcohol on hand, but I used canola oil like one of the commenters suggested. It worked quickly on a rash guard/bathing suit top. Thank you for sharing.
Interesting! And it didn’t leave an oil mark? (Although, if it did, I have another hack for that! Hah!)
WOW! You saved my work blouse, as I’ve forgotten to remove a sticker and only noticed it after wash. Soaked it with hand sanitizer with alcohol, and it easier came off after rubbing it with a cloth!
Woop woop! I’m THRILLED I could help! 🙂
Thank you so much for this! I thought my son’s favorite shirt was ruined but this worked like a charm!
Yay! I love to hear reports like this!!
Thank you for this!!! My daughter’s favorite dress had a sticker washed and dried on it, I was just going to throw it away but thought maybe there’s a trick out there and Googled it…. this worked in under 30 seconds!
Hooray!!! I absolute LOVE these stories! I’m thrilled when I can save “favorites”!
I just found a new method. My daughter stuck a sticker on my husband’s shirt and I washed it without realizing. We had some 1” Gorilla tape and I literally was able to get the whole sticker off in just a few minutes without scrubbing. I just applied the tape and rubbed and it came right off. This may work with other brands of tape as well.
Awesome! Cool trick!
This was so easy!
Isn’t it?? I love this hack!
Thank you! This didn’t really work for me. It worked a little, but I ended up suing Goo Gone. That did the trick!
Hey, whatever works! I’m just glad you got it off. 🙂 Goo Gone is awesome!
Thank You!!!! I used double sided tape to attach a butterfly cape to a Sherpa sweatshirt. Ugh!!! No way could I pull the tape off the sweatshirt! This hack took it right off!!! Thank you so much!!!
YAY!! Stickers on Sherpa are AWFUL. 😂 I’m so so glad I could help!
Well Lisa, I was skeptical at first but and it is a big but…it worked like a charm in less than 30 seconds…looked on line and other sites had these complicated things to do and it just wore me out reading them…so THANKS from the bottom of my heart…I will come back to your site…and I signed up too!!!
Haha, I love this comment! YOU’RE WELCOME from the bottom of MY heart. 🙂 And I’m so glad to hear you’ll be returning!
I had Christmas dinner at my dad’s assisted living facility, wearing one of my most favorite shirts. After I washed it, I realized I forgot to take off my name badge they give at sign in. It took me several applications of alcohol and lots of rubbing with a textured washcloth, but it came off finally! Thank you for saving one of my most favorite shirts.
Yay!!! “You saved my favorite shirt” messages are my favorites! 🙂
Thank you for the tip on how to get those stubborn stickers off clothing. I received the cutest sweatshirt and overlooked a sticker before I washed it. Luckily I hadn’t dried it. The alcohol worked PERFECT. The sticker residue came off without any problem. 😊
Hooray!! So glad it worked for you!