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How do you remove sellotape residue from car paint?

Is there an easy way to remove sellotape residue from car paint? My kids taped a bunch of pictures to the car and now there are strips of sticky residue all over.

avatar
Joshua Levy · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Oh no, kids do the darndest things! Thankfully, you can remove sellotape or any sticky residue from your car paint with cleaner, a soft rag, and some good old-fashioned elbow grease.
There are many products you could use to clean up sticky residues, but here are our best recommendations:
  • Rubbing alcohol is a cheap, effective option, but it can dry out your skin. It’s also not intended for this kind of work, so it may take a little more effort to get out any stubborn areas.
  • WD-40 is another great product for cleaning tape residue. Although its main purpose is to remedy squeaky hinges, the oily substance can easily wipe away any sticky messes.
  • Goo Gone is a tried and true product for removing tape residue. While the other two options will work just as well, Goo Gone is specifically for messes like this.
While these are our recommended products, there are plenty of cleaners out there that can make it much easier for you to wipe up these kinds of messes. Just remember some products may not be safe for car paint. Using those may result in faded, stripped, or even chipped paint.
Unfortunately, most car insurance policies will not cover you for
paint-related damages
—unless they arise from very specific circumstances. To find out what circumstances your provider will cover, call your insurance company and ask.
If you’re unhappy with your coverage, you can always explore your other options with
Jerry
. A licensed broker, the Jerry app can help you gather affordable quotes and switch plans. It can even help you cancel your old policy!
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.

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