While I love finding great books in the clearance section of bookstores, I am not so much a fan of those irritating price stickers they put on them. I’m all about getting a great new read for $1, but am less enthusiastic about dealing with the resulting goo.

Here is an easy hack to remove stickers and goo from books. Bonus: it also works for removing labels from bottles and jars.

Supplies:

  • Baking soda
  • Oil of some sort
  • Container for mixing
  • Stirring utensil
1. Mix equal parts baking soda and oil together in the container and stir with spoon. I usually do about a spoonful of each.
2. Peel off as much of the sticker as you can.
3. Gently apply your mixture to the sticky residue.
4. Repeat on any other desired items and let sit. I left mine on for only about 10 minutes, because I wanted to make sure it didn’t result in any discoloration.
5. Use a damp cloth to remove the paste and any residue. The stickiness should come right off.

BONUS: This technique also works on bottles and other surfaces.

Apply paste of equal parts of baking soda and oil. I’m less careful with letting this sit longer because I’m not afraid of any discoloration or anything as I am with books. Let sit for about half an hour. (You could go read one of your non-sticky books!)
Use a scouring pad to rub off any residue. It should come off relatively easily.