Removing Decals without Damaging Rear Window Defroster Lines

If you've ever bought a used car that had decals on the back or even had decals put on your car as an act of vandalism, then you know how difficult it is to remove these decals without causing damage to the rear window defroster lines on your vehicle. This article is going to cover how to get these decals off without damaging the actual defroster lines.

Step 1 - Mix the water and soap

You want to mix your soap and water at an even consistency. Basically, this means that you want to have enough soap in your water to cause more suds than usual.

Step 2 - Wipe it with the sponge

Take your sponge and let it soak in the water for a few minutes. After you've let the sponge soak, wash the decal. This is less about scrubbing it off and more about getting it covered in the mixture of water and soap. Make sure that your mixture suds as you completely soak the decal.

Step 3 - Wait

After you've completely soaked the decal, wait for at least five minutes. You want to let the decal dry with the mixture on it. Wait until the water and soap mixture has dried off.

Step 4 - Soak it again

After you've let the mixture dry on the decal, you have to soak it again. If you waited for the soap mixture to dry properly, when you soak it this time, you will begin to see the edges of the decal start to peel. The repeated soaking is what is going to allow you to remove the decal without causing any damage to the defrost lines.

Step 5 - Scrape it

Once you have soaked the decal again, use the plastic spatula to scrape it off. This can also be substituted for any other flat solid piece of plastic you can find. When you see the decal starting to peel on the edges, put the spatula underneath where the decal is peeling and gently scrape it.

Step 6 - Repeat

If you run into any resistance while trying to scrape the decal off, stop and soak it again. Forcing the decal off will defeat the purpose here, as it will take the defrost lines off with it if you use too much force. Continue scraping gently until the decal has completely come off of the window. This gentle method of removing decals from your car will not only save your defrost lines, but it will protect your car from the sludge that removed decals typically leave behind from their dried adhesive.

Step 7 - Rinse the area

After you've gotten your decal off, rinse your window thoroughly. You're doing this extra rinse to keep soap residue from drying on to the car window.