A Sticky Situation 2

It’s been almost non-stop rain here in Minnesota for the past week. This has put a serious damper on our outdoor flea market shopping and outdoor auctions!

Since I am always on the look-out for fun and unique items to add to our ThirdShift store inventory, this week I made the rare trip to a thrift store. While thrift stores can be a good source for finding vintage items, one thing that always disappoints me about thrift store shopping are those pesky price tag stickers! 

This particular thrift store trip was a classic example of what I’m talking about.

I found a stack of vintage sewing patterns. I love the illustrations on the covers of patterns from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. I think the illustrations are worthy of being framed and hung in a craft or sewing room. But, each pattern I found had a price sticker placed directly on the front of the pattern, over the illustration! 

The person who priced these patterns should have taken a second to stop and realize that a STICKY price tag on a paper pattern was probably not a good idea!

I wish they would have put the pattern in a plastic bag and stuck the price tag on that. Or at the very least, the sticker could be placed on the BACK of the pattern in some obscure place that wouldn’t hamper the pattern envelope itself. 

I also found an old child’s toy piano with red paint. The price tag was stuck to the top of the piano, over the decorative paint. You can imagine what happened when that sticker was pealed off – yep! The paint came with it! No matter how careful I was, that sticker was just not going to come off without some paint coming with it.

I realize some people see these old items as just castoffs that aren’t worth anything. But those of us with a passion for vintage, understand and appreciate the items for what they are. When I find great items, but I see the sticky price tags on them, I just have to cringe and hope that I’ll be able to get that sticker off without damaging the vintage treasure.

I guess the sticky price tags are not quite as bad as the prices written directly on the object – in permanent marker! But that’s another article…

PRICE TAG REMOVAL TIPS:

• Peel – Of course the obvious way to remove a price sticker is to peel it off. If you’re lucky, the adhesive on the sticker was made for easy removal. Still be careful when peeling a sticker and check the surface beneath it as you peel to ensure you are not destroying the surface.
• Heat – The heat from a blow dryer can be very helpful in removing a price sticker, assuming heat won’t damage the item to be salvaged. Just turn the blow dryer on low heat, aim it at the sticker for a few seconds to soften the adhesive, then carefully peel the sticker. Reheat as necessary.
• Hot Water – If it’s safe to submerge the item in water, a hot water bath of a minute or so usually does the trick to loosening the sticker adhesive.
• Commercial Remover – If a sticker is very stubborn, you might have to use a commercial product to remove the sticker and/or it’s adhesive residue. Start with mild products, and move to more aggressive cleaners as needed – and as the salvaged item will allow.  A product such as Goo Gone Spray Gel usually does the trick. Rubbing alcohol, paint thinner, acetone, WD40, and rubbing compound can also aid in removing sticker adhesive residue – depending on the finish of the original item.  The more aggressive chemicals may damage the original surface of the item, so always work from least aggressive to most aggressive. TIP: Make sure to test a discreet area of the item before using any adhesive remover!

Do you have recommendations for removing sticky price tags from items? Share in a comment below!