How To Remove Stickers From Your Car's Windshield

Stickers on car's windshields are one of the simplest but most effective ways of relaying information. For instance, in Texas, stickers are used as proof that your vehicle is registered. Some locations also issue windshield stickers for other purposes like emission inspections, parking permits, and county park passes. Aside from official uses, they're great for personal uses too. You could put a "student driver" sticker on your rear windshield to let others know you're still learning. Or perhaps you want decorative stickers of your favorite band if you find your windshield too plain and boring.

But what happens when you want to take those stickers off? Maybe you're moving abroad and want to make your car easier to sell, you no longer visit that specific county park, or you just want to replace an already faded sticker. Whichever the case, maybe you won't need to take your car in for a thorough detailing just to remove the stickers on your car's windshield — you can easily do it yourself with a few items you might already have on hand.

To get rid of the stickers from your car's windshield, you'll need a couple of cleaning materials. First, there's your choice of sticker removing solution. This can be as simple as the automotive glass cleaner you already use to keep your car windows spotless and clear. You can also use Goo Gone for your car since it's especially designed for adhesive removal or go with the multipurpose WD-40 if you already have some lying around.

Next, get a scraping tool. A razor blade scraper like Cleanse Razor Blade Scraper Tool works like a charm for this task. However, don't use just any blade. It's important to make sure that the blade is brand new as its smooth and rust-free edges wouldn't scratch your windshield. If you don't want to risk damaging the glass by mishandling a razor blade, feel free to try using your fingernails or a plastic putty knife instead.

Other materials you'll need are rubbing alcohol and something to apply it with, like paper towels, a microfiber cloth, or even cotton balls. Lastly, grab a microfiber or lint-free towel and some automotive glass cleaner to finish the job.

Removing the stickers off your car's windshield is fairly straightforward but might take a bit of patience, depending on how long they're been there or how sticky they are. If the sticker is close to the edges of the windshield, be careful during removal to avoid slicing off the rubber gasket.

1. Give the sticker and the surrounding area a couple of wipes with automotive glass cleaner on a microfiber cloth to clear the space of any sand or other large debris that your scraper could scratch on the glass.
2. Spray your choice of sticker removing solution on and around the sticker. 
3. If you're using Goo Gone or WD-40, leave it soaking for ten minutes or so to break down the adhesive.
4. Start scraping off the sticker at a 45-degree angle. Carefully scrape the edges off first with fast back-and-forth motion. Then, once some parts are lifted, go slower and with more control .
5. Use your free hand to peel off the sticker to speed up the process.
6. Wipe your scraping tool on a paper towel to remove any residue buildup.
7. Apply more solution to the sticker and surrounding area as needed. Scraping on a dry surface could scratch your windshield.
8. Repeat until you get all of the adhesive off.

If your scraper no longer works on the remaining adhesive, you can soften it with the rubbing alcohol (which is also great for easily removing bumper stickers). Wet your alcohol applicator and press it on the sticker residue for a good few minutes before scraping it off again. Once the windshield is free of the sticker, you can finish off the job by cleaning it with a microfiber cloth and automotive glass cleaner.