A beautiful piece of wooden furniture can provide a foundational base to pull together the decor in a room. Scouring antique stores and yard sales can produce breathtaking treasures with disappointing price tags. It may not be the price that is the problem; it is the glue on the back of the sticker that causes concern. Don't reach for a chisel to remove a stubborn sticker. There are many safe ways to remove a price tag without damaging the integrity of the beautiful wood.
Mineral oil, baby oil or vegetable oil will loosen and break down the glue underneath the price tag. Once the glue is broken down, it will easily crumble away when rubbed. Dip a cotton swab into the oil. Rub the oil on the price tag to saturate the paper and glue underneath. Allow the oil to soak for 3 minutes to break down the glue. Peel the price tag off. Rub any leftover residue with a dry cloth.
Price tags that have been applied with water-soluble glue can be removed with water. Water-soluble stickers and price tags were moistened to activate the glue. They can be removed with water as well. Moisten a cloth with warm water. Hold the wet cloth over the sticky price tag for 3 minutes to saturate the layers. Rub the cloth with pressure over the price tag until the entire price tag crumbles away.
Furniture polish is used not only to bring sheen to wood, it can also be used to clean the surface of wood. Apply a generous amount of furniture polish to a soft cloth. Rub the surface of the price tag gently with the furniture polish on the cloth for 1 minute. Apply pressure to the price tag when the color has darkened and appears somewhat transparent. Rub until the surface of the wood is completely clean.
The market is full of products that claim to clean nearly everything off any surface. Choose a wood-safe cleanser and solvent with natural ingredients such as oil and citrus to remove a price tag from wood. A product like this can effectively remove a price tag when rubbed in with a cloth for 3 minutes.