How to Remove Bathtub Decals

Applying Vinegar

Heat vinegar in the microwave. Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of white distilled vinegar into a container. Put it in the microwave for 1 minute, or until it is hot. The heat will help remove the bathtub decal better than room temperature vinegar. Put the heated vinegar in a spray bottle or container. Make sure the container you put the vinegar in is sturdy. A thin, plastic container may melt from the heat. The time to heat the vinegar may vary depending on your microwave. Heat it for 30 seconds at a time if you are worried about it getting too hot.

Coat the decal with vinegar. Use a paper towel, paintbrush, or sponge. Vinegar has a strong smell, so use something you don’t mind retaining the smell for a while. Coat the decal lightly. The vinegar should soak through and around the sides of the decal.

Let the vinegar set. Allow the vinegar to soak into the decal for at least 5 minutes. Check the decal after 5 minutes, and let it soak longer if it still hasn’t loosened up. Allow it to set for up to 1 hour.

Wipe the excess vinegar away. Use a paper towel to wipe any wet vinegar off of the decal. Then, try to peel or scrape the decal off of the bathtub. Gently use a box cutter or razor blade on the decal if it does not easily peel off. Make sure not to use too much force, or you will leave marks on the bathtub. A plastic ice scraper is another choice to use for a scraper. It will not scratch the bathtub, but it may not work as effectively as a blade.

Reapply vinegar if necessary. A stubborn decal may not come off easily after the first application of vinegar. Repeat the heating, setting, and peeling/scraping process until all of the decal is removed from the bathtub. It should not take more than a few times of reapplying vinegar.

Wash the area where the sticker was removed. Use water, a rag, and soap to wipe off the area where the decal was. There should not be any sticky substance left over, but the water and soap should remove it if there is. A strong smell of vinegar may last for a while, but it will go away.

Taking a Hairdryer to the Decal

Cover the decal in aluminum foil. The aluminum foil from your kitchen is fine to use. Cover the decal, and hold it with tape or your hand. The foil reflects thermal energy back into the object it is covering, so the foil will help the decal warm up more than if you leave it exposed, once you take a hairdryer to it. You can use take a hairdryer to the decal without foil, though it may not heat up as well.

Heat it with a hairdryer. Any type of hair dryer will work. Plug in the hairdryer to the nearest socket. Make sure that the bathtub or surrounding area is dry before turning on the hairdryer. Heat it on a hot, high setting until the sticker has softened. This will probably take a couple of minutes. Slowly go over every part of the sticker with the dryer. Keep the hair dryer at least 6 inches (15 cm) away from the sticker while you dry.

Peel the decal off of the bathtub. The sticker should be soft by the time you finish drying. Pull it up and peel it back slowly starting at one end of the sticker. The sticker may not peel off easily and begin to tear. If this happens, take your fingers and lift up the decal around the edges, slowly working towards the center. Do this until the sticker comes completely comes off. Try to keep the toy and clear adhesive film layer together as you pull the decal off.

Scrape the sticker off if necessary. If the decal is stubborn and won’t come off, you will need to scrape it off. Take a plastic ice scraper and work around the edges or the parts of the sticker that has not come off. Continue to scrape until there are no remnants of the decal left. You can also use a box cutter or razor if a plastic ice scraper is not available. Metal can leave marks, so be careful to not to cut into the bathtub.

Use WD-40 to remove stickiness. A sticky residue may still be left over after removing the sticker. Spray WD-40 onto the sticky surface, and wipe it off with a rag or paper towel. Scrub the bathtub surface until there is no adhesive residue left. You can use water and white vinegar to remove sticky residue if WD-40 is not available.

Wash the surface of the bathtub. WD-40 will leave a greasy residue, so you will need to wash the surface where the decal was to remove it. You should wash the surface even if you chose to use vinegar to remove the stickiness. Take soap and warm water and wash the surface with a rag. Allow it to dry.

Removing with Goo Gone

Purchase Goo Gone. Goo Gone is a product made specifically for removing adhesives, or anything that is sticky or greasy in general. It can be purchased from a supermarket or online. A bottle will typically be around $5 USD or less. There several Goo Gone products. The Original Goo Gone will work to remove the decal. You can also purchase it in a spray gel form, or buy the Goo Gone Sticker Lifter. They are slightly different products, but they work in the same way. You can also make a homemade Goo Gone by adding 1 part vegetable oil with 2 parts baking soda. Put the contents in a bowl or jar.

Apply the product on the decal. Take the product and apply it to the decal with a rag or paper towel. If using a spray, spray it on and use a paper towel to spread the product over all of the decal. Use as much product as necessary to cover the entire decal.

Allow a few minutes for the product to sit. Once it is covered with Goo Gone, you should leave it on the decal for about 4 or 5 minutes. The decal should be loosened up at that point. Then, take a plastic ice scraper or similar tool and lift the decal from the bathtub. Start around the edges and work towards the center. Continue to use the tool until the decal has been completely removed. Use more Goo Gone if any sticky residue remains.

Wipe the surface. Use hot, soapy water with a sponge or rag and wash the surface of the bathtub. This is to remove any Goo Gone residue. The adhesive residue should be gone at this point.

Using Alcohol

Obtain alcohol. There are several products containing alcohol that will remove adhesives. You can use rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, or even an alcoholic beverage, like Smirnoff. Test the alcohol on the surface of the tub before using. Do not use nail polish remover on plastic. It might melt the plastic.

Apply alcohol to the decal. Put alcohol on a paper towel. Rub the alcohol onto the decal until it is saturated. Lay the paper towel onto the decal. Wait a few minutes to allow the alcohol to work on the adhesive. If the paper towel will not stay, thoroughly saturate the decal and allow it to sit.

Remove the decal. Try peeling the decal off. If it does not work, take a tool, like a paint chipper, and work on removing it. Apply more alcohol and allow it to sit for a few more minutes if the sticker does not come off completely the first time. The surface should dry quickly. If any stickiness remains after removing the decal, apply alcohol and scrub the stickiness off with a rag.