A Quick Tip To Cleaning Stickers Off Used Books

I buy used books from various book sales, the Salvation Army Thrift Stores, and garage sales. I then resell them on Amazon.com (usually for a profit). The problem with used books is that they sometimes have stickers on them that are tough to remove. I have found a good solution for this problem. If I cannot get the sticker off using my fingernails, I will take a cotton makeup pad and slightly soak it with “Goof Off” which is a product you can buy at any hardware store, or Home Depot.

Previously I would use nail polish remover.  However, this was too acidic and it would also eat through to the ink of the book cover, which would make the book look even worse.  Now that I use Goof Off, this is not a problem.  This should only be used on slick book covers (usually called dust covers), not on regular textured covers.  The first thing you should do is try to get as much of the label off as possible, and then gently rub the slightly damp makeup pad across the label. 

Be careful because the first thing that comes off is the ink so be cautious that you don’t smear it onto the book cover. As the label starts coming off, you can use additional pads if needed, until the label is soft enough to remove. Another tip is that I use the edge of a large (round) paperclip to rub off the final layers of the label. This works really well because a paperclip edge will not cut the cover, unlike a knife or scrapper.

Hope this tip is useful for you.  If anyone else wants to share some tips on cleaning books, feel free to add your comments.  HAPPY BOOKING !

 I thought I'd add a couple other cool cleaning tips that I have picked up along the way and share them with you.  Hope you enjoy them!

Here's a tip for cleaning your shower curtain. Toss your plastic or vinyl shower curtain (and liner) in the washing machine set for cold water only. Add 3/4 cup bleach after the wash cycle has started. This cleans off the mildew, soap scum and shampoo that has built up over time. The bleach also keeps helps make the shower curtain smell fresher when you rehang it. I would not recommend that you use bleach if your shower curtain is cloth as it may fade the colors.

To get cloudy, silver faucets gleaming, you should first wipe them with a damp cloth. Then soak the cloth or a paper towl in vinegar and wrap it around the faucet. After about an hour or so, remove the wrappings and give your faucets a final rub down with a fresh cloth. If you do this on a regular basis, you won't have to soak them, just a brisk wipe will do the job.

This vinegar solution also works great on silverware. Not the good silver, just your everyday silverware. My daughter taught me this trick she picked up when she worked at a retirement home and the waitresses had to brighten up the silverware. After they had come out of the industrial dishwasher (the silverware, not the waitresses), they were a little dingy, so they would just take a cloth that was damp with vinegar and wipe all the forks, knives, and spoons. This made them really sparkle and look like brand new.

Bright, sunny days are not the days you want to clean your windows. Glass tends to dry very quickly on these kinds of days, which promotes streaks because your cleaning solution is drying before you can wipe it off. A cloudy day is better, or do it later in the day when the sun is not hitting the window directly.

Have you ever cleaned a window in your house or car and then kept wiping trying to get the left over cleaning marks off only to find the streaks were on the other side? Here's a neat little trick I read about on the internet. Use different wiping strokes on different sides. For example, wipe vertically on the outside of the window, then wipe horizontally on the inside of the window. That way, when you are done, you can tell if you have any streaks left, which side of the window you still need to clean. Cool, huh?