Icky Sticky Shelves Solution

Our classroom has some fairly old furniture, and because we continually are required to have our shelves labeled, there was quite a buildup of sticky tape residue all over them.  Ever use packing tape on your shelves?  You know the cleanup nightmare.

 

Here's what we did.  Items needed:  Goo Gone, Razor blade/scraper, sanding blocks.

 

 

I got this pack of two sanding blocks at the Dollar Tree.  They have rough on the front and back, and then the middle is foam.

 



 

I would use this method at your own discretion.  Our shelves are old, and the finish is worn off in many places, so damaging the finish really wasn't a concern.  Also, the sanding blocks we used were abrasive enough to get the yuck off, but at least in my case I didn't notice it taking off much finish.  It was kind of like using a really scrubby brush or sponge.

 

It is simple enough to do.  Just Goo Gone, scrub with the sanding blocks, and if there are any bits of anything left like tape remnants that's where the scraper comes in handy. 

 

Here is an example of a before.

 



 

And here is an after.

 



 

It may not look like that much, but the stuff on that shelf was so stubbornly stuck on I was impressed that it came off so easily with this method.  I hope it helps you too!