Window film adhesive removal

[razz]

For those of us in the colder parts of NA, we often will place a plastic film over the large windows to reduce heat loss.
We need to do this to our patio door glass each year.
WE replaced our wooden framed patio door with a 100% vinyl one but the adhesive seems to stick a whole lot more to the vinyl when we take the plastic down.

What can we use to clean up the remaining sticky adhesive that will not damage the vinyl?
TIA

[Mrs-M]

I've always had great success removing sticky residue with oil. (Vegetable oil, olive oil, whatever you have on hand). I would do a trial run on a small area first before jumping in (feet first). Soak a soft cloth in oil and start rubbing/scrubbing. Sticky residue normally breaks down quickly and is removed easily with minimal effort. Cleanup is as easy as using plain detergent/soap in hot water.

[jp1]

I would agree with Mrs M. If that doesn't work I'd move on to dish detergent, and if that doesn't work I'd splurge on a bottle of goo gone.

Just curious, what type of tape are you using. Back when we lived somewhere with weather we would put the plastic over the windows using the doublestick tape that came with the plastic sheets and we never had a problem with the adhesive being left behind on the window frame.

[razz]

This is the insulating heat-shrunk film that one puts up over the patio door in the fall and removes in the spring. It comes with a thin double-sided tape for adherence. Because the patio door is 100% vinyl, I am being extra cautious not to damage the vinyl when removing the leftover adhesive. When we had a wooden frame on the patio door, it never seemed to stick so tightly.

Last year i used nail polish remover but was uncomfortable doing so. These insulating films are so commonly used that I thought that there might be a simple solution that I could not find in the hardware store. The 3M website has nothing about adhesive removal either.

[Gina]

I don't know if this is the same stuff, but I have a tinted film covering some of my glass windows that is supposed to cut down light coming through. It was applied years ago and is getting pretty bad in places. I removed some of it with a single-sided razor blade, but it was tough going since it was very stuck down. After seeing this thread last night, I did a bit of looking and found a place that suggested spraying the film with ammonia, and then covering it with plastic wrap so it would 'sink in'. And after an hour or so, using razor blades to scrape it up.

I have no idea what that would do to your vinyl however. Or if the layers of film we each have are similar.