HOW TO REMOVE VINYL STICKERS AND DECALS
W h a t Y o u W i l l N eed
1 . W a r m T h e V i n y l W i t h A H a i r d r y e r
Turn your hairdryer on low power and gently run it back and forth over the wall decal. The heat from
the hairdryer weakens the adhesive on the vinyl. This makes it much less likely to remove any paint
when you take your decal off. Focus on the corners, as that’s where it is easiest to begin removing
the wall decal.
2 . P e e l A C o r n e r W i t h T w e e z e r s
Using a pair of tweezers or your fingernails, gently peel back one corner of the wall decal. Once the
corner is peeled back, check to see if there is any paint sticking to the vinyl. If there is, spend a few
more minutes heating it with the hairdryer. If no paint is removed, peel back the rest of the decal.
Work slowly and reheat sections with the hairdryer as needed.
3 . R e m o v e L e f t o v e r A d h e s i v e
Scrub the surface gently with warm, soapy water to remove any adhesive residue from the decal. Be
careful not to scrub too hard, which can damage the paint, especially if it was weakened by the vinyl
removal. If the adhesive doesn’t come off, you may need to use a specialized adhesive remover (just
make sure to test it first so it doesn’t harm the paint either). This step is especially important if you
are removing a decal from a window or glass door, where traces of leftover adhesive are easy to see
S p e c i a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s
No matter how easily removable the adhesive on the sticker or decal is, the paint might still peel off
if it is not attached to the wall behind. Removal of any wall decal is like a simple tug of war. If the
bond between the adhesive and the paint is stronger than the bond between the paint and the wall,
then some paint might come off with the decal and may need touching up