The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #96394   Message #1885170
Posted By: JohnInKansas
13-Nov-06 - 08:46 PM
Thread Name: BS: Removing Truculent Labels
Subject: RE: BS: Removing Truculent Labels
I'm sure I've said here before that Mentholatum is my universal remover for adhesives. I discovered it when faced with lots of old masking tape and other such gunk on furniture "brought out of storage" at offices where I worked, and have yet to find anything - including chewing gum - that it won't soften sufficiently for easy removal. It seems to have just the right mix of light mineral oil with menthol and eucalypus oils.

Stoddard solvent was a replacement decades ago for the "dry cleaning" fluids previously used, because it was less toxic than older materials. It wasn't sufficiently non-toxic to remain in widespread use and has been replaced by other stuff. Even the later replacements are subject to US EPA mandates that "recovery systems" be used to prevent venting to the ouside world. Use caution and good ventilation if you choose to try it.

Of course that caution applies to lots of solvents, including several other substances suggested above.

John