Since I am turning into one of “those people” who make their own cleaning products (and bath products and beauty products and, well, you get the idea) I am always on the lookout for reusable containers. I really love glass ones since they last forever and don’t leach all kinds of weird stuff into whatever is in the container. But glass or plastic, they all come with labels attached and is it just me or do they sometimes seem attached with super glue?
I always go grab my bottle of Commercial Goo Remover, but the last time I did I realized it smelled like paint remover. The bottle says to avoid contact with skin or eyes. Not getting it your eyes I understand but how do I get the label off if I’m not supposed to touch the stuff? There had to be a better way.
Thankfully the Enchanted Mirror known as the Internet told me there is a better way. But like most talking mirrors it didn’t give me the whole story. I found several recipes but they just used baking soda and oil. The problem is that the baking soda and oil eventually separated and after a couple of weeks the bottom layer of baking soda was a brick. It was almost impossible to stir back together. I knew it needed an emulsifier so the two main ingredients wouldn’t separate. That’s where the soap comes in. I only had to use a little bit and problem solved.
One of the ingredients in GooGone is citrus oil and I knew my favorite lemon oil would work wonders. By itself lemon EO is great at removing all kinds of things like stickers, permanent marker, gum out of hair or clothes, grease spots, crayon, tree sap, clothing stains, scuff marks, temporary tattoos, the list goes on and on.
There’s not much work here when it comes to making this stuff yourself, just measuring and mixing and putting it in a container. I used the old farm girl stand-by, a mason jar. The 8 ounce squatty one was just the right size.
Now to test it and see if it works. This jar had stickers on all sides, even the bottom. I pulled off as much of the stickers as I could as you can see from the first picture. Then I slathered it with All-Natural Goo-B-Gone (go ahead, use a lot–it’s super cheap) and let it sit for about 20 minutes. I don’t know if you really have to let it sit that long but I kinda got distracted. My guess is that longer is better so the oil and lemon EO have time to do their work. Go get yourself a treat while you wait. As you can see from the last picture, my version works great. And smelled really nice by the way, if that’s important to you, which it should be.
I did a side by side test with GooGone and my All Natural Goo-B-Gone, which was a little hard because one of them I’m not supposed to touch. For the sake of science I threw caution to the wind and found that the two products worked pretty much the same. Both required a bit of rubbing in and “nail work” before all the sticker residue came off. In both cases, pulling the top layer of the label off before application made the products more effective. I would have to call it a tie.
It really comes down to wanting to know exactly what is in your product, wanting it to smell better than paint remover and wanting to be able to actually touch it. Oh yeah, and wanting to save money. If those are the criteria then my All Natural Goo-B-Gone is the hands-down winner! Big smile.
All-Natural Goo-B-Gone
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup oil (olive, canola, vegetable, etc.)
1 tsp. dish soap (I used Dawn brand)
20 drops Lemon essential oil
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until consistency is smooth. Store in an airtight glass container.
To use—remove as much of the label/sticker from container as possible. Spread All-Natural Goo-B-Gone generously over the sticker, rub it in a bit with your fingers to help it absorb. Leave mixture on container for 10-15 minutes or longer. With your finger rub in circular motions until all adhesive is removed. Wipe off with paper towel and wash with a little soap and water. Repeat if necessary.
Makes about 8 oz.
Note–I call my homemade version Goo-B-Gone because that’s what I’ve (mistakenly) always thought the stuff was called. When I grabbed it out of the cupboard to inspect the label for this post I saw that there is, in fact, no “B”. Who knew. Feel free to name yours whatever you like.
Vicki says
Great information! I have sticky stuff on a mirror that needs removing. I’m going to try this. So glad I found your blog. Love all the ideas here. Thank you!
Fabulous Farm Girl says
Thanks Vicki! You made my day:)
Robin Hughes says
Can’t wait to try this!!! Thanks for all of your great ideas!!
Abbi says
Very nice! I prefer natural homemade products too. I will pin this so I can find it when I need it.
Fabulous Farm Girl says
Thanks Abbi, so glad you found me! I wish I had gone all-natural years ago but it’s never to late to make a new start:)
Caryn says
HI. I love this post. I’m also trying to clean with less toxic ingredients and wonder whether baking soda and vinegar are the only options. I’m going to try this. SITSa-ly love, C
Fabulous Farm Girl says
Thanks for stopping by Caryn. I did a complete cleaning cabinet makeover some time ago and have never looked back. Check out my post on it and hopefully you will find some ideas to help you on your journey, Have a fabulous week!
–Leah
Susan - ofeverymoment says
I have always worried that my pets will get ahold of the goo-gone or residual from it – it is so toxic but probably smells yummy to them! Your goo-B-gone sounds much better! I would like to make some today, but I just have some lemon extract for cooking – would that be okay to substitute for the essential oil?
Found this at the Saturday Sharefest, by the way 🙂
Fabulous Farm Girl says
Hi Susan–thanks for your question. Lemon extract used for cooking is just synthetic flavoring. While it mightl make your Goo-B-Gone smell nice it won’t do anything to remove sticky residues. High quality lemon essential oil actually cuts through grease and dissolves sticky residues. Used straight, It can even remove gum from hair and clothing. You could try substituting with another essential oil (another reader had success with melaleuca) or you could try making the recipe without. The cooking oil does a great job of cutting residue by itself so you may find it still works. If you do this I suggest you let the mixture sit a while longer to give the oil time to penetrate the sticker. Hope that helps.
–Leah
Christie says
Thank you, thank you, thank! I LOVE this stuff. http://www.buildingafrog.com/2014/08/homemade-goo-b-gone-is-best.html
Fabulous Farm Girl says
You’re very welcome Christie! And thank you for loving it enough to write your own blog post about it. Your blog is lots of fun and I was thrilled to discover you live in Canada. I left years ago but I was born and raised in Lethbridge, Alberta. Glad to meet a fellow Canuck! Have a great week, eh?
–Leah
Donna Dailey says
Love your Blog and want to try your cleaning recipe. What is your source for the EO’s you reference?
I’d love to order / receive / use these ASAP.
Thank you for sharing your experience and stories.
Leah says
Hi Donna–thanks so much for the wonderful compliment. I only use essential oils from doTerra. You can order them by emailing me at fabulousfarmgirl@gmail.com. You’re going to love any of the cleaning recipes. Once you start making your own you’ll never go back to store-bought. So much healthier and the smell fantastic. Have a great week! 🙂
–Leah
Sherry says
Thanks for all these!! I’m definitely going to try to make all of them. I will try the Goo-B-Gone using castille soap instead of the dish soap, though — then it’ll be totally chemical free!! 🙂
Leah says
Hey Sherry–so glad you like the recipes and congrats on going chemical-free. You can definitely swap out the soap and it should work just as well. Thanks for stoppping by and have a great day!
–Leah