My family has used GooGone religiously for years. Whenever we encounter something sticky, we run to get the GooGone from the cabinet. I highly recommend it!

This stuff is amazing. We had to bring a bottle of it back to Ireland because we can't find it here.

I'm pretty sure I'm using a bottle of GooGone from the mid 1980s. GooGone, WD-40, duct tape, and bleach solve all the world's problems.

I LOVE GooGone. It's the most amazing thing for removing adhesives that other cleaners don't touch, and it smells good too.

I've discovered something. If you can put something in the dishwasher, those labels come right off when you take them out.

You can't use it for everything, obviously. It's pretty slick for those darn crystal glasses with the stickers all over them and dishes.

Oh, just to be clear. They don't come off IN the dishwasher, but they slide right off when you take it out.

I also love Goo Gone and i use it quoitea lot. But to say it does not have much of an odor is not correct. It has a very strong sort-of-chemically orange smell. Its way better than most solvents and stuff, but my wife hates the smell, and can tell when I've used it three rooms away. I've also notices that it takes a fair amount of work (more than just an ordinary hand washing) to get the smell totally off my hands.

Goo Gone is good, but I've had better luck with Goof Off, not a good name but works well.
http://www.amazon.com/Goof-Off-Ultimate-Remover-easy/dp/B00030419I/

It does smell more than Goo Gone though.

I too have had great luck with Goof-Off. Strong solvent smell that lingers though. I always use gloves to keep the stink off of my hands (probably safer too). Paper towels & rags always go in the outside garbage otherwise they stink up the garage.

I'll try goo-gone. I mostly need to remove labels from plastic items and one thing with Goof-Off is that as strong as it smells and as well as it works, I've yet to have it harm any plastic that I used it on, YMMV. Just don't rub too hard and be patient, let it soak in a bit to do it's thing. Don't let it soak too long, I think most solvents will affect plastic, just that Goof-Off is slow and gentle (no melting like acetone).

I used to process used books for resale, and their standard was to heat the sticker with what was essentially an immobile iron, and then use lighter fluid to remove the remaining residue.

Since then, I've always used lighter fluid to remove the bits of stickers that my fingernail or knife couldn't scrape off, and it works shockingly well.

In fact, I find it kind of hard to believe that Goo Gone would be significantly better. Can someone who's used both lighter fluid and Goo Gone confirm?

I worked at the gift wrap counter at a large bookstore and we had Googone at hand but only used it on impervious surfaces. It can leave an oily stain on paper. One thing that helped with price tags was dabbing the area with the sticky part of adhesive tape; a few seconds work often removed the bits of glue and all the cling-ons.

Goo-gone and lighter fluid (the naphthalene Zippo fluid, not charcoal starter fluid) are effectively the same in effect. They're both just light, thin petroleum distillate.

I like the Zippo Fluid better, but have Goo-gone at the house right now...

Seems like Zippo Fluid leaves less residue, to me.

I love GooGone. I also have used Goof Off, and found it works, too. Also, for food related items when you may not want to use a chemical remover with a strong odor, most cooking oils (olive, canola, etc.) will also take off that residue, albeit a bit slower and needing a hot rinse afterward.

I've always used paint thinner for this. As John said, when you've seen one light aliphatic hydrocarbon you've seen them all. An advantage of this class of compounds over acetone, lacquer thinner, and chloroform is that plain hydrocarbons don't dissolve many things but are safe for plastic and painted surfaces. If paint thinner doesn't work, try alcohol next.

Beware, there are two kinds of Goo Gone -- a petroleum based one, and the one pictured here (which is limonene-based).

I'm not aware of a reliable way to distinguish them, but if you see something about an orange you're getting the good one.

I got a knock-off at the drug store called "Goo Remover", which is limonene-based and clear (instead of yellow), and I like it even better.

Limonene is fantastic stuff, and also is a great pesticide for ants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limonene

-Carl

I too have used GooGone for years to remove price tags and other obnoxious sticky things. I have, in fact, not found anything GooGone hasn't dispatched. I use a little liquid dish soap and hot water to finish off a cleaning. Even works on plastic surfaces without damage.

I owned a used bookstore for 30 years. GooGone is the stuff to use to remove stickers. Goof Off sometimes dissolves the ink on the cover of the book. Just use one drop on a sticker. Wait a few minutes. The label will pop right off with a razor blade scraper. If the sticker is ancient and the glue is hard, put another drop on & wait a little while longer. If the sticker is 50 years old it might take a while, but I have never seen a case where GooGone damaged a book. It might leave what appears to be a stain, but that will evaporate before long.

funny... ive always just used hairspray. hairspray will remove sticker gunk, "permanent" marker, all kinds of stuff.

GooGone is okay for some tasks, but for removing labels rubber cement thinner is much better. As a graphic designer I became familiar with Bestine thinner back in the days of paste-up production with wax and adhesive. You can buy a convenient package marketed by Quickie named "Quickie Professional Gunk & Goo Remover". The solvent in these products is napthene and unlike GooGone, this solvent doesn't leave a residue or oily film. It also won't dissolve the surface of most plastics. I've had GooGone dissolve some materials. And GooGone will dissolve inks in stickers where is much less likely to do so. Sometimes you want to preserve a label.

I've used Goo Gone and Goof Off but for price tags and such I prefer a heat gun (or hair dryer). Apply heat for a few seconds and the tag comes right off - usually without leaving residue. No smell either.

Jeez, how did this stuff avoid being reviewed on Cool Tools before now? I used it nearly daily in my many years behind the counter at a used bookstore. Yeah, the citrus fragrance is difficult to get off your hands, but otherwise it's practically a wonder substance. It *will* leave an oily stain on unsealed paper or cardboard, but works fine on standard slick/shiny paperbacks and paper bookjackets.

I'd been having a hard time using Goo Gone on bottles I wanted to save and reuse, but plain white vinegar worked (in this application) much better- and it washed off more easily.

Works poorly. Smells awful. Difficult cleanup.

I long ago switched to Un-Du.

i've long used wd40 to remove goo, and since i use it for so many other purposes i can't see getting something additional useful for only one of those many purposes

This stuff also removes those nasty "Intel Inside" and "Microsoft XP/Vista" metallic stickers that are plastered all over your new laptop, without marring the finish.

I second the WD40 for goo removal. While it can obviously not be used for something like stickers on books, it's great for most things. I used it most recently to get rid of double adhesive tape and those nasty little stickers that are put on laptops to make them uglier.

After my dog got stuck in a sticky trap (for mice) I learned that ORDINARY VEGETABLE OIL will dissolve any organic adhesive. Try it. My dog swears by it.

A few years ago I tried to remove some self stick velcro from some mobile radios (the velcro held the radios to the carpet in our cars) and tried both Goof Off and Goo Gone. Neither had any effect. After some research I found un-du and it worked like a charm!

Since un-du was so hard to find, I built an internet business around this product. The basic chemical is similar to Bestine solvent however it is much purer and acid free. It is safe on paper, silk, household furniture (will remove furniture wax so be careful here), plastics, almost any material except unfinished leather and suede.

It does not dissolve adhesives... it simply neutralizes the adhesive properties allowing you to quickly remove the sticker or other self stick item. The adhesive on the sticker is restored once the solution dries. So you can use it to remove and reuse most self stick items. To illustrate how benign this stuff is, just consider that forensics (crime lab) experts use it to lift adhesive tapes and then obtain fingerprints from the adhesive side. Other products including Goo Gone tend to dissolve adhesive leaving a gooey mess.

Use un-du to remove or reposition vinyl vehicle signs and decals, remove price stickers, shipping labels, even tar and tree sap. Automobile pin striping experts and picture framers love it. un-du cleans film and negatives, tape residue from photos and can even be used to clean camera lenses. Because it is so safe, and leaves no oily residue or lingering smell it is especially popular among scrapbook enthusiasts.

Got kids? Have they ever used their crayons on the walls? It is perfect for cleaning crayon and is also useful as a candle wax remover.

It's not readily available in stores, but we carry all un-du products online at un-du.net. We are not the manufacturer, but a reseller of these fine products.

Bestine is heptane (gasoline fraction) and the petroleum version of Goo Gone probably contains heptane also. They stink, can stain certain materials, and have higher toxicity to mammals than limonene-based products. Un-du.com doesn't seem to be telling their secret sauce.

Sorry but I can't stand that awful orange smell that stays on forever on anything you try to clean.

Goo Gone and Goof Off both failed to remove the adhesive residue left behind on a gym may I purchased. WD40 failed. Scrubbing it with soapy water failed. Vinegar failed. Finally, it was time to use science.

3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner (08984) is likely the most toxic and dangerous chemical you can buy without a license. It contains xylene, heavy naptha, ethylbenzene, benzene, toulene, and trimethylpentane. However, it works like a motherf#@%er on any adhesive residue. If you really get stuck, 3M is probably your best source for heavyweight chemistry.

Also used this product in my shop for ever. Best thing you ever saw for preparing a surface for plastic welding or padding. Just don't forget to neutralize the residue as it keeps on working away at the plastic's surface long after you thought it wiped clean.

It does exactly what the name says. No more needs to be said.

To remove adhesive from many surfaces, I rub it off with an eraser (to use the American term). I find this technique removes most things from hard surfaces.

I've only been disappointed with Goo Gone. Plain old lighter fluid (naphtha, Ronsonol) works extremely well and is pretty darn cheap.

My need was remedy for overzealous use of flypaper. Found 3oz bottle at Dollar General. Worked perfectly - simple and quick. For the price, this did not need to be the solution to anything else, but I find it makes a good low-impact residue remover. I keep it next to the Energine in the laundry.