A common item that many of us have lying around our garages could be just the thing we need to remove stubborn sticker residue from glass. If you’ve ever found yourself trying to seamlessly remove the label from a glass, only to discover that it leaves a sticky residue behind, you’ll know full well how annoying it can be.

Indeed, it can sometimes be tricky to remove them even with old-fashioned elbow grease, but there is a lesser-known method that could make short work of this irritating task, it has been claimed. In a piece for the home design website Hunker, Cayla Leonard wrote that one solution that we might not be aware of is WD-40, a multi-purpose lubricant often used to fix squeaky doors. She added that, while vegetable oil can sometimes remove a sticker, it is “only half the battle.”

Yet, WD-40 can also dissolve adhesives, such as the offending sticker, so, according to the writer, this is the “most effective” method to deal with the problem, adding that it “won’t hurt glass.”

She wrote on the Hunker website: “While scraping the residue off can also be effective, it can leave scratches on the surface the sticker was applied to.

“That isn’t a problem with WD-40! It won’t hurt glass, so you can use it to remove stickers from windows, car windows, and the bottoms of glasses.”

It’s essential to note that WD-40 should not come into contact with food, as it’s not safe. Therefore, ensure that you don’t use it if your sticker is on an area where the food could touch it. 

Cayla then proceeded to share her method for using the product to remove sticker residue. She advised spraying the WD-40 in a well-ventilated area and then applying the product directly to the residue, allowing it to soak.

Once you’ve waited a few minutes, simply wipe off the lubricant and residue with a cloth or sponge, and then proceed to wash your item with water and soap.

It wouldn’t be the first time that this method has impressed like-minded writers, however. In October, a writer from the food and home website The Kitchn tried five distinct methods for removing stickers.

Ashley Poskin experimented with everything from peanut butter and vinegar to coconut oil and a hair dryer. In her assessment of WD-40’s ability to remove a sticker from the bottom of a plate, the writer noted that it “came up with ease”.

Despite this, she also pointed out that it was “messy and stinky,” but conceded that it was both a fast and effective method. Yet, it wasn’t WD-40 that ultimately won the day.

For her, applying vinegar to the sticker using a cotton ball or piece of kitchen roll proved triumphant, with Poskin writing that the method “stood out above the rest.”