Updated at: 19-03-2022 - By: micdot

This article contains affiliate links. There is no additional cost to you, and I may receive a small compensation if you make a purchase after clicking on one of my links. Every automobile owner’s worst nightmare is a misapplied vehicle inspection sticker. In order to reuse an inspection sticker, you’ll need to know how to remove it from the windshield and apply it again.

You may remove an inspection sticker from a car’s windshield without causing any damage to the sticker or the windshield in this article.

How to Remove Inspection Sticker From Windshield to Reuse

It is important to note that this mostly depends on the type of sticker before we get started. With paper-based stickers, you’ll have little or no success. They’re flimsy and don’t have a long-term value. The following methods can be used to remove different types of stickers, such as plastic car inspection stickers, so that they can be reused.

1. Apply Heat

It’s easier to remove a sticker if you heat it up with a hand dryer or heat gun. To help with the removal, you can use use the tip of a razor blade. A razor blade inserted under one of the sticker’s corners will do the trick. The loosened area of the car inspection sticker should be pressed against the razor blade, and then the blade and the sticker should be slowly lifted. Make sure to reapply heat and start peeling from a different corner if the sticker tears at any stage. It’s safer to remove the sticker using a blade than it is to use your hands alone. In the first place, you avoid damaging the sticker’s adhesive by rubbing it with your fingers. Using an adhesive on the removed car inspection sticker may be necessary if you intend to use it on a replacement windshield.

2. Use Gasoline

Apply a few drops of gasoline to a cotton rag. Make gentle strokes across the sticker’s surface with the rag. Keep doing this until the sticker is removed. Applying a flame to gasoline can speed up the process if it doesn’t work the first time around. As gasoline is incredibly flammable, I do not advocate doing this.

Make sure your car’s door is ajar after you’ve filled it with gas. After removing any sticky residue with an adhesive remover, buff the surface to a high sheen using a towel.

3. Use Multipurpose Lubricant

WD-40, for example, is a multipurpose lubricant that aids in bond breaking. You can use this procedure by gently lifting the corner of the sticker with your fingers, and then spraying WD-40 or any other multi-functional grease on the spot where it comes into contact with the surface to be removed. Be careful not to break the sticker by continuously spraying it with lubrication when removing it. Before placing the sticker to the new windshield or surface, use an adhesive, such as a spray adhesive.

To remove WD-40 or any other lubricant, soak a towel in hot water and apply mild pressure.

4. Apply Hairspray

Despite how out of the ordinary something may seem. When used with a razor blade, it works. Hairsprays are created with a lot of oil in order to give them a glossy finish, and oils tend to break down adhesives. Let it dry for about five minutes before applying another layer of hairspray to the sticker. To remove the sticker without scratching or harming the glass, wait till it has dried a bit and then use a clean, preferably brand-new razor blade.

Work your way from the corner of the sticker to the center. If you feel the need, reapply the hairspray. Any adhesive remover will do; just wipe the surface until no more residue is left to be removed.

5. Use Shaving Cream

To be honest, if someone offered this as a remedy to my panic over a misplaced inspection sticker on my car, I’d roll my eyes as well, but it works. Shaving cream and time are the only things you need to be liberal with. This procedure uses a lot of both if you want to paste a car inspection sticker on successfully.

Your favourite shaving cream should be generously doused on to the sticker before applying. An inch thick and leave for around an hour. Shaving cream is applied to a car inspection sticker for an hour before you begin to loosen the margins, remove that layer, and add another layer. You can save shaving cream by shaving with the removed shaving cream and having a friend shave with the following layer. In all seriousness, I’m fooling around. You’ll have to keep going back and forth until you’ve completed the task. It takes a long time, but it is effective.

6. Rubbing Alcohol

When it comes to removing automotive inspection stickers from the windshield, rubbing alcohol is a wonderful tool, especially if you want to reuse it. Fortunately, you can get it right in your own backyard. In order to make it easier to remove the inspection sticker, this product dissolves the adhesive backing.

Apply rubbing alcohol on a paper towel or cotton ball and push the sticker into place. Allow the damp paper towel or cotton ball to sit for a few minutes so that the glue can be dislodged. Use a razor blade to gently remove the sticker off the edge until it is completely removed. Before reusing the car inspection sticker, apply a layer of glue. A clean cloth can be used to remove any residual adhesive residue from the surface.

7. Try Ice

A bag of ice and a razor blade are all you need for this procedure. Keep the ice bag over your windshield inspection sticker. Adhesive is hardened and cooled by the use of ice. This reduces the stickiness of the glue and makes it easier to remove. Use a razor blade to take off the car inspection sticker after removing the ice from the windshield. Avoid scratching the glass by holding the razor blade at an angle. A new blade must be used to avoid harming the windshield, as I’ve said before. Rust and other impurities may be present in razor blades that have been previously used, causing permanent damage to the windshield. Using any of the methods outlined above, you may swiftly remove car inspection stickers off your windshield. Especially when it’s going to be reused, a little patience is all that’s needed.

Using a decent auto glass cleaner after you remove the automobile inspection stickers will help you eliminate the adhesive residue, which can be unsightly if left behind. To get rid of the gooey residue, try using nail polish remover, paper towels, or even razor blades. Nail polish remover can be used to remove adhesive residue by soaking paper towels in nail polish remover and gently rubbing the area until it is saturated.The sticky residue on the windshield or any other glass can be removed by using a razorĀ  blade set at an angle as mentioned earlier.

Buff the area to a sheen with a clean towel, preferably one made of microfiber, after you’ve repeated the process several times to remove all residue. Be sure to put the inspection sticker to clean, non-lint or non-wool-containing fabric before applying it to the windshield. Adhesive will become much less sticky as a result of this method of application. It will still be firmly attached to the windshield, but it will be much easier to remove when you need to.

Conclusion

To reuse an inspection sticker, learn how to remove it. Until you accidentally put your car inspection sticker on your wife’s car and hers on yours, it may not seem like a huge deal. The solutions outlined above are risk-free and easy to implement with common household items.