If Your Stubborn Price Tag Sticker Won't Budge, This Adult Beverage Will Do The Trick

It's exciting bringing something new home after a successful shopping trip, but no one likes battling the stubborn glue of a price sticker. Sometimes you'll find yourself standing over the sink for minutes on end, scratching the residual glue and paper pieces. Rather than put yourself through that frustrating scenario every time you buy something, you can help move things along quicker by using vodka to loosen the adhesive.

Unlike, say, absinthe, a bottle of vodka is a relatively common fixture of a bar cart or liquor cabinet. This particular trick is a great way to use up some of that bottom-shelf liquor that's been hanging around since your college days. Using strong alcohol to dissolve whatever pesky adhesive you might be dealing with will not only save you time, but can also help protect the piece you're trying to remove the tag from. Sometimes the glue can discolor the piece underneath, scratching can remove some paint, or the adhesive can become a black, sticky mess, leaving a permanent mark. Grab a bottle of vodka instead and say goodbye to that adhesive residue. 

To pull off this hack, all you will need is a bottle of vodka and a paper towel. Saturate the paper towel with 1 teaspoon of vodka, and apply it directly to the sticker. Dab it for a few seconds to saturate the tag, and give it a few extra seconds for the alcohol to begin breaking down the glue. Once done, rub a paper towel back and forth across the sticker; the quilted surface will act as an abrasive, helping to remove the tag. It should begin to tear right apart.

If the sticker is particularly stubborn, you can help break down the glue by allowing the vodka to saturate it for longer. Fold the towel into a small square, soak it with the clear alcohol, put it over the adhesive, and hold it in place with plastic wrap and tape. This should help the liquid penetrate deeper into the glue, allowing it to slide off once wiped.

While everyone loves a time-saving hack, it's best to take a beat and consider whether the vodka might damage the item you're trying to remove gunk off of. Vodka is acidic, with most brands hovering around a pH of 4. Keeping that in mind, it might stain certain items if you're not careful.

For example, it can dissolve stains and finishes, which means it can blemish wooden pieces. It does the same thing to plastic and acrylic, and can even potentially crack it. While this might not happen if you rub vodka on the piece for three seconds, it might occur if you leave a soaked paper towel and leave it on the sticker for 10 minutes to help dilute it.

To stay on the safe side, always spot-check before dousing the item with liquid. Take a Q-tip, dip it in vodka, and rub it on a nondescript spot, like underneath the side table or on the back of the frame. If it doesn't change color or blemish, then you're good to go.