When I decided to paint my kitchen, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It sounded so simple at first, simply remove the previous owner’s decorative border, and repaint the entire kitchen to match our tastes. What seemed so simple, soon became a challenge for this first time painter. The decorative border I had to remove was actually a sticker that was supposed to be easy to peel off. I soon found ‘easy’ is a relative term. Easy as opposed to landing a rocket on the moon, sure. Easy as in just pull the border and it will come off, no such luck.

After peeling the border, a thin but stubborn film of sticky goo remained on my kitchen walls. I tried using a household cleaner to remove the sticky film, but it did nothing. Picking at it with my fingernail was not terribly effective, so I did what any woman in my situation would do. I ran to Lowe’s to beg for help. The associate I spoke with at Lowe’s suggested I try Goof Off The Ultimate Remover. I trusted him and purchased it.



About the product

Goof Off The Ultimate Remover comes in a square yellow can with a flip top. According to the product label, Goof Off claims it can remove dried latex paint, most glues, adhesives, and sticker residue. Also it claims to remove crayon, grease, pen, marker, lipstick, gum and candle wax. Specific instructions are labeled on the side of the can listing how the product should be used on various different surfaces, including cloth, hard surfaces, metal, and concrete. Surfaces that may be damaged by the use of Goof Off is also clearly stated.

Goof Off is considered flammable, harmful if swallowed, with harmful vapors, and is an eye and skin irritant. Goof Off does, I found, have a very strong odor. It is recommended by the manufacturer to only be used in areas with good ventilation. The product should, of course, be kept out of reach of children. The products colorful can , and labeling could definitely catch the eye and interest of a passing child.



How it worked for me


When I used Goof Off on the sticky adhesive that remained on my walls after removing the sticker border, it worked very well. Suddenly the stubborn sticky film was very easy to get off the wall. I was delighted. It saved me hours of work, not to mention the price of a manicure. I just simply applied Goof Off directly to the adhesive, then was able to wipe it away with little effort. It did however, take some of the paint ( a semi-gloss latex) underneath the residue off too, but since I was going to paint, I didn’t care. I have since used Goof Off to remove the sticky stuff left behind from removing price tags and labels on various safe surfaces, and it has worked well.

I also used Goof Off to remove old paint drips and splatters that were on our kitchen cabinets, stair railing, and fire place brick. It took several applications, and sometimes quite a bit of blotting, but sure enough Goof Off did remove the old dried latex paint. I was pleased with the result.

However, when I enlisted the help of Goof Off to remove some ink on my laminate counter top, it didn’t work well at all. In fact, I couldn’t really tell whether it removed any of the ink. I found my regular kitchen cleaner with bleach additive worked much better on the ink stain.

I have not used Goof Off for the other substances it claims to remove (gum, lipstick, crayon, or candle wax), so I cannot comment on its effectiveness regarding those particular substances. Would I try Goof Off should the situation arise? Sure, however, I’m not completely convinced it would work.



Overall opinion

When it came to removing difficult sticky adhesive Goof Off The Ultimate Remover worked like a charm. It made my life so much easier, and I was able to move on with my project. I was pleased that it removed the old latex paint splats, even if it required a bit more elbow grease. I was disappointed that it had seemingly no effect on removing the ink stain however.

I would recommend Goof Off for removing sticker adhesive. It was excellent for that. I would suggest it even for removing old latex paint drops. As for the others substances, it is difficult for me to say. Moderately priced, Goof Off may be well worth a try if you find yourself desperate to find something that works, like I was. However, there is now some doubt on my behalf whether all of Goof Off can do all it claims.

I will keep my can of Goof Off The Ultimate Remover handy. I imagine I will use it from time to time. When my can runs out, will I race to Lowe’s to buy another? Doubtful, unless I am removing another sticker border.


Recommended: Yes