Homemade Goo Gone

Goo Gone is one of those products I almost always have on hand. I worked selling used books for years and years and I don't think I'll ever be able to stand having stickers on anything ever again. I spent so much of my life peeling them off it feels wrong to leave them on now.

But as much as I love removing stickers, I hate using the Goo Gone. It smells pretty atrocious and it's notoriously tough to get rid of the greasy feeling it leaves behind.

This homemade Goo Gone gets the job done, is much less messy to use, and is super easy to wash off! Pretty excited to not have to buy the stinky stuff anymore :D

Step 1: Ingredients

The coconut oil version:

• 1 part baking soda
• 1 part melted coconut oil (I used refined coconut oil here)
• sweet orange oil (optional)

The vegetable oil/mineral oil/etc. version:

• 2 parts baking soda
• 1 part oil
• sweet orange oil (optional)

You essentially just need enough soda to make a paste so it clings to the item and doesn't run down. The baking soda also acts as an abrasive to help remove residue.

Coconut oil is the easiest way to get the paste consistency right, but it's also possible with oils that are liquid at room temperature. Just keep adding baking soda until it's right. :)

Sweet orange essential oil is a great addition. It will scent it nicely - like Goo Gone without that weird petroleum smell.

Step 2: Mix It Together

Mix together the baking soda and oil until it's nicely combined. I used a little less than 1/2 cup of each. The baking soda will be pretty resistant, but it'll come together in a minute or so.

Mix in the sweet orange essential oil last if you're using it - I used just a few drops for my batch.

The mixture will be very runny at first, but as the coconut oil begins to harden it will form a paste.

Make sure to store it at room temperature to keep the coconut oil from going rock hard. :)

Step 3: Apply the Goo Gone

For best results, peel away as much of the top layer of the label as you can. I've included photos of the bottles I cleaned so you can see how they looked before!

Apply a thick layer to the whole area and let sit for a few minutes. I found it worked best to massage it in and warm up the oil a little. You should be able to peel away the leftover paper quite easily at this point!

I scrubbed at the adhesive right after applying and it started to come off, so that's pretty impressive. :D

Step 4: Wash It Off

Once the mixture's had a chance to work, wash your container with soap and warm water to remove the extra oil and baking soda and any sticker residue.

For particularly stubborn labels, you might need to apply it twice - but that's sometimes how normal Goo Gone works, too. :P