Stickers on laptops

Hi all. So I just sold my existing laptop and bought a Dell Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1. Nice machine, but I’m trying to decide if the stickers on the chassis bother me enough to try to take them off. I fear the gunk that it’s going to leave behind. You guys equally frustrated by this kind of thing? How have you dealt with it? I assume something like Goo Gone should do the trick … I might have to look to see if I have some.

If there’s one advantage you get from buying a computer from the Microsoft or Apple Stores, it’s the lack of stickers.

The Dell software tools that are provided are mostly useful I think, but I sure as heck couldn’t care less about the McAfee Anti-Virus.

Conversation 20 comments

  • Paul Thurrott

    Premium Member
    30 October, 2019 - 8:12 pm

    <p>Yeah, Goo Be Gone does work, but it takes a while and requires some strength. Be careful. :)</p>

  • bob_shutts

    30 October, 2019 - 11:24 pm

    <p>GooGone works great, but be careful with it. I had a GooGone disaster where some fell on my desk and messed up the finish.</p>

    • moruobai

      01 November, 2019 - 2:01 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#484979">In reply to Bob_Shutts:</a></em></blockquote><p>This. Goo Be Gone will get the job done with no residue at all.</p>

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    31 October, 2019 - 4:22 am

    <p>The first thing I do when I get a new laptop is remove all the damned stickers. I hate them. They are fine on demo devices in shops, but I don't want my private devices tarnished with stickers!</p><p>I just peel them off, 99% of them just peel away. I then use window cleaner or similar on the tough Intel Inside stickers.</p>

  • Orin

    31 October, 2019 - 7:18 am

    <p>I always remove all of the stickers as well. Typically they peel off without a problem in my experience. If any sticker residue is left, I will use the sticky portions of the now peeled off sticker to grab any residue left on the computer. I hope that makes sense!</p>

  • BeckoningEagle

    Premium Member
    31 October, 2019 - 8:05 am

    <p>I always remove them as soon as I buy a new computer. Then use a little bit of alcohol to get rid of the gunk. If it is an old laptop then there may already be some discoloration that will leave a permanent mark. So I don't remove them from old computers (unless it is too big to ignore).</p>

  • driftsk

    31 October, 2019 - 8:08 am

    <p>Team Stickers Be Gone here too. In my experience they all come off without residues as long as you peel them away in a very slow and steady pace. You've got to be really slow and then some, say 2-3 minutes continuous pull for each sticker, but results are rewarding.</p>

  • tamichan

    Premium Member
    31 October, 2019 - 8:26 am

    <p>Baby oil with a little bit of elbow grease does a pretty good job of removing adhesive goo.</p>

  • ErichK

    Premium Member
    31 October, 2019 - 11:54 am

    <p>Thanks all for the tips. I'm going to think about it. Heck, maybe I'll leave the big one in place, the one that lists all the features of the laptop … "15.6 Full HD IPS Touch Display" "Active Pen Support" "USB Type-C" "Dell Cinema" … drives all the ladies wild.</p>

  • Thom77

    31 October, 2019 - 1:41 pm

    <p>I have found saliva mixed with determination and patience seems to do the trick.</p>

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    31 October, 2019 - 4:07 pm

    <p>Fire. ?</p>

    • ErichK

      Premium Member
      01 November, 2019 - 4:38 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#485314">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p>Uh, it's illegal to yell fire in a crowded forum thread………</p>

      • jimchamplin

        Premium Member
        03 November, 2019 - 11:23 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#485615">In reply to ErichK:</a></em></blockquote><p>I’m such a rebel ?</p>

  • Skolvikings

    01 November, 2019 - 10:29 am

    <p>I don't get people who actually put stickers all over the back of their laptop screen. I mean, to each their own, but no thanks for me.</p>

    • ErichK

      Premium Member
      01 November, 2019 - 4:37 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#485522">In reply to Skolvikings:</a></em></blockquote><p>I'm with you on that. Must be a youngster thing … reminds me of when I used to put bumper stickers on my car, but then again it was a Plymouth Valiant, so no harm no foul.</p>

  • ben lee

    01 November, 2019 - 11:57 am

    <p>I always remove the onest hat come woth the laptop and eventually cover with my own, better than an indistinguishable black/silver slab. A bit isopropol alchohol is your friend for cleaning the gunk of, works quickly and easily.</p>

  • straker135

    Premium Member
    02 November, 2019 - 2:20 am

    <p>Like most of you I cannot stand stickers. Some people leave stickers on fridges ,TVs and other home appliances where anyone can see them. It perplexes me how they can stand it but clearly each to their own. </p><p><br></p><p>I tend to leave stickers for a couple of weeks in case I have to send the device back but the sooner they are removed the easier it is. Slow and steady is often successful and, as with Orin, usually the easiest way to remove glue remnants is by repeatedly dabbing them with the sticky part of the sticker. Solvent and/or abrasion is potentially risky. </p>

  • minke

    04 November, 2019 - 10:10 am

    <p>I don't like all the component stickers on the keyboard area, but don't really care about any on the bottom of the laptop. One thing I do is remove them in one piece if possible and then tape them on some type of paperwork that comes with the laptop. More than once I have had to refer to a sticker to figure out some configuration issue. As to stickers on the back of the screen they can be useful to quickly identify your laptop if you are in an office full of Macbooks or Dells, and they probably reduce the interest from a thief who might want to grab your laptop in a coffee shop–they don't want to grab anything that is quickly identifiable. It also can prevent someone from walking off with your machine by accident. Same reason I mark my suitcases with something distinctive so they stick out like a sore thumb at the baggage carousel.</p>

    • ErichK

      Premium Member
      04 November, 2019 - 10:34 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#486256">In reply to Minke:</a></em></blockquote><p>Some good points there.</p>

  • TechnologyTemperance

    05 November, 2019 - 9:33 am

    <p>I'll admit I haven't tried this on a laptop. </p><p><br></p><p>But one trick I've used successfully on used video games, DVD cases, etc… is to heat up the stickers with a hair dryer (just a bit), before peeling them off. I really does leave less residue.</p>

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