Protective film is designed for providing temporary protection to product surfaces during production, transportation and fabrication. Most protective film is made with plastic film (PE) with adhesive (Water-based Acrylic ) coated on its back side.
So when we talk about removing the residue of protective film, we need to check that the residue is plastic film & adhesive or only adhesive. Because the plastic film is neither permeable nor dissolvable while adhesive may be dissolved by some solvents. Maybe residue on your item can be cleaned with one solvent, but you fail. That is probably because you are not applying the solvent on the plastic film instead of adhesive.
Even it is difficult to remove the residues, there are still people who have tried many methods to overcome the difficulties and some of them really did it. In this article, we have collected some methods that have been tried by many people and sort out. Hope it can help more people to remove protective film residues easily and quickly.
Solution 1, Recommended methods for removing residue of plastic film and adhesive.
If the residue is plastic film and adhesive together, recommend firstly find mechanical method of removing the film. And than refer to Situation 2 to remove adhesive residue.
No | Method | The methods have be applied on following surfaces without damaging the surfaces. | Success rate | IMPORTANT NOTES |
1 | Boiled water / Hot water |
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11 people tried and 8 succeed |
1, you can soak the film in hot water, or pour hot water when removing the film, or use hot pressure wash by hooking garden hose to hot water when removing the film. 2, remember to wear rubber gloves with cotton gloves under the rubber gloves and also wear a rain suit and safety glasses when pouring or spraying the boiling water. It's very hot. 3, you have to work quickly as the film will cool and adhere to the metal. 4, plastic film may be removed easily with this method. If adhesive residue is left, should try ammonia or other solvents. Refers to solution 2. |
2 | Ammonia |
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13 people tried and 6 succeed | Make sure that ammonia is applied directly on the glue instead of plastic film. Because plastic (LDPE mostly) film used to produce protective film is non-permeable and can not be dissolved by most chemicals. Ammonia only works on some adhesives. |
3 | Heat gun / torch |
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9 people tried and 6 succeed |
Liquefy the plastic and wiping it off while it's still fluid. It can remove plastic film that has been on the item for 14 years. Before using this method, make sure no material will be harmed by the heat. If still some residue left, can use acetone or goo gone to remove. Refer to solution 2. |
4 | Non-acetoneNail polish remover |
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3 people tried and 2 succeed | |
5 | Acetone / nail polish remover with acetone |
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4 people tried and 2 succeed | |
6 | Xylene |
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1 people tried and 1 succeed |
Xylene at elevated temperatures would penetrate the LDPE. Steps: 1, use a heat gun and warm the metal 2, soaked a towel in Xylene and placed it on top of plastic and let it sit 3, After 10-20 min, the plastic coating peeled off as if it were new. |
7 | Orange TKO "super concentrated cleaner" |
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1 people tried and 1 succeed |
1, pour the orange concentrate on the remaining plastic, spread it around, and wait for a few minutes. 2, using a paper towel soaked in the cleaner, easily scrape the plastic off. 3, It starts coming off in sheets (like it was supposed to) after soaking for a little longer. |
8 | High pressure cleaner |
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1 people tried and 1 succeed | |
9 | Australia LIQUID 8 (paint stripper gel) |
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1 people tried and 1 succeed | |
10 | Jasco Paint and Epoxy Remover |
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1 people tried and 1 succeed | |
11 | Gasoline / Petrol |
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2 people tried and 0 succeed | |
12 | Goo gone |
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3 people tried and 0 succeed | |
13 | Vinegar |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
14 | Domestos |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
15 | Meths |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
16 | Turps |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
17 | Detergent |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
18 | diluted pool acid |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
19 | goof off |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
20 | orange stuff |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
21 | wonderwheel (Automotive pinstripe remover, which just smeared the plastic) |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
22 | Glass Plus, |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
23 | Green Works, |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
24 | rubbing alcoho |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
25 | Sulfamic Acid |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
26 | Citric Acid |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
27 | rubbing alcohol |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed |
Solution 2, Solvents recommended for dissolving adhesive residue only:
No | Solvent | The methods have be applied on following surfaces without damaging the surfaces. | Success rate | IMPORTANT NOTES |
1 | Ammonia |
|
6 people tried and 5 succeed |
Make sure that ammonia is applied directly on the glue instead of plastic film. You can soak a washcloth with household ammonia and let it set on the item (set horizontal and let the ammonia work on the adhesive from the gap) for 15 minutes or longer. Then used a plastic scraper to scrape away the softened film. |
2 | Goo gone |
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1 people tried 1 succeed | |
3 | Non-acetoneNail polish remover |
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2 people tried and 1 succeed | |
4 | Non-acetonenail polish |
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1 people tried and 1 succeed | |
5 | Unseal adhesive releasing solvent |
|
1 people tried and 1 succeed |
Manufacturer: Hunt Corporation in Statesville, NC
You can get small container (32 Fl.Oz) from your local picture frame molding supplier. Catalog # 470.
It works great but very expensive. Active ingredient is Heptane. |
6 | Brasso |
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1 people tried and 1 succeed | |
7 | Brake Fluid |
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1 people tried and 1 succeed | |
8 | WD-40 |
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3 people tried and 0 succeed | |
9 | Lacquer/paint thinner |
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2 people tried and 0 succeed | |
10 | MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) |
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2 people tried and 0 succeed | |
11 | De-Solve-it |
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2 people tried and 0 succeed | |
12 | vinegar |
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2 people tried and 0 succeed | |
13 | Gasoline / Petrol |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
14 | Toluene |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
15 | Xylene |
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1 people tried and 0 succeed | |
16 | hair spray |
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17 | blow dryer |
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18 | soapy water |
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19 | sponge |
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20 | orange degreaser |
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21 | stainless steel cleaner, |
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