Hi, I'm new to the site and I think it's a good idea and have hopes that it will prove useful when enough threads get built up. I run a high-end handyman business here in El Dorado County, California (Gold Country).

I am always running into cleaning issues and have, in the past, just had to ask around and spend a lot of time on the phone with product manufacturers. Now, I have a new and hopefully quicker and more reliable source to turn to when I need help.

Here's a cleaning tip of my own learned in the days when I worked in a technical publications department:

What to use to easily get price tag labels off of commodities you purchase. I know folks try paint thinner, alcohol and even gasoline. Well, pick up a quart of "Bestine" Rubber Cement Cleaner (manufactured by the Union Rubber Company http://unionrubber.com). It once was used a lot for preparing camera-ready publishing copy but the computer age has pretty much done away with rubber cement. Anyway, the chemical name for this stuff is Heptane. You can usually get it through Graphic Arts stores.

If the label is soakable, that is, does not have a plastic coating that prevents the paper from getting wet, all you have to do is put a little of this thinner on a kleenex or piece of toilet paper and then apply to the label and most labels will lift right off. If any adhesive remains, just rubbing a few times with the kleenex will remove all trace of it. One nice thing about this thinner is that I have never found anything that it damages. As far as I know, it can be used on plastics, wood, anything and is excellent at removing all the goo. If upon the first attempt a little trace ring is left, just let it dry (a few seconds) and reapply the thinner using a clean kleenex. I try to keep a can in my truck. The only down sides to using this stuff is that it is flammable and it will remove all of the oils from the tips of your finders but I've never seen that as a problem. If you have a dry skin condition already, it may be a problem for you and you might want to wear gloves. It is not carcinogenic. Here's the MSDS: http://best-testproducts.com/msds_bestine.pdf

Best Regards

Welcome!!!

Wow, and introduction and a tip. Thanks!

Welcome to the site and enjoy your stay. This site is going to be great I can feel it.

Goof Off will do the same. Use it all the time on customers Vinyl Siding. The installers seem to use the pieces that still have Tape gunk on them from where they had bundled the pieces together with tape.

Well, Goofoff has it uses but it is very destructive to many surfaces. It will dissolve and turn to goo all latex painted surfaces and do the same to many plastic surfaces. In addition, it is corrosive to your skin. Bestine will do neither of these things and it actually dissolves the adhesive on the back of those pesky price tags much quicker than Goofoff. The only real drawbacks to Bestine is that it temporarily removes oils from your skin and it is more difficult to find. You can only really get it through a graphic arts supply store.

Jim H.

Great tip and welcome!

A good man to have around.
Thanks and welcome!

Post some more tips.

Welcome