Olive oil is a common ingredient in our favorite vinaigrettes, marinades, and sauces like gremolata or basil pesto, but this culinary wonder can do so much more than make your favorite foods taste good. Olive oil is great for keeping your cast iron pans in tip-top condition, but it can also help you get rid of that pesky sticker residue that you can’t pick-off a new glass or the unsightly, half-scraped superhero sticker on the window in your kid’s room.
Olive oil’s superpower manifests itself with a just a few drops, sprinkled onto and gently rubbed right into the spot where the sticker has left its gunky mark. Here’s where you are going to need to use a little patience. You want to leave it set for at least a half hour, before returning and using a simple pan scraper or a wooden spatula — nothing abrasive or that you wouldn’t use to clean a delicate pan – to do the rest of the work.
No olive oil? No problem
Once you have all that adhesive residue is gone, simply wash the item in question with some soapy water to remove the oil and dry. Olive oil works well on these sticky encounters because it serves as a softener, loosening the stubborn glue from the sticker that doesn’t want to be displaced. It’s perfect for delicate glasses, wood surfaces, or even a stainless steel appliance that might need a little TLC to remove leftover sticker glue — but you should always consider how porous the surface is before using this method.
At this point, you’re probably wondering — what if you are fresh out of olive oil or simply don’t want to use it in this manner because it’s expensive? You can use vegetable or canola oil. These can also help break down that grimy glue. Additionally, you can try a little mayo, softened butter, or peanut butter if your pantry is a little light on cooking oils.
