Cleaning glue residue on Terrarium

[Jeremy Gareau]

I hope I didn't post in the wrong place, today I went out and bought 3 new terrariums for some aboreal species I plan on getting as well as an old friend to be rehomed. Now I ended up getting an extremely good deal as when they tried to up sale me (They never have the terrariums Im actually looking for) I find out they have a few in the back that we're never on display. So I bought them 12x12x18 by ZooMed, all 3 for under 180$ came with eco earth, background water stuff ect ect (It was a frog kit) the issue I had was as soon as I went home and open the package I found out it was from 2013! Being this old isnt an issue as I still feel like compared to other prices and getting a stock they never sold was still a good idea but the issue I actually had was when removing the stickers on the glass, there was advertisements and they absolutely gunked up the glass so bad it's not even funny. There's no goo gone in my area the closest store is a dollar store and I tried vinegar to no avail. It removed a bit but I been at it over and over and over. So my next plan is to soak the entire area in WD-40 for several minutes, but Im worried as Im not very experienced with WD-40 other then for squeeky doors. I don't think it's safe to use I may be wrong, but if I do choose to use it as its my only option other then to wait to rehome my animal's what can I use to clean the surface properly? What can I do to properly ensure there is no chemical left overs but get this done asap? If there's any other suddgestions Im open to it! Thanks for reading and for your help in advance.

 

[CJJon]

Mineral oil

 

[Rhino1]

My father in law owns a major glass company in Australia and when I was working for him picked up a few tricks, use a brand new razor blade, like a proper old school square one, (snap off blades or utility knife blades are no good) and wipe or spray with methylated spirits to counteract the stickiness as you go, should only take a few minutes once you get going.

 

[The Snark]

Always test any removal method in a corner. And why are some of those stickers so hard to remove? Because some of the glues aren't a glue but a polymer specifically formulated to resist removal by most commonly available substances and methods. I've got a lab jar here I've been trying to get the label off for 2 years. No luck so far. Acids, bases, solvents, detergents, industrial surfactants, heat, cold, oils... mostly no go.
The most effective method so far has been reducing the temperature until the state change where it becomes a solid and is brittle. This may require liquid nitrogen or colder.

 

[Jeremy Gareau]

It took alot of hard work but I got a general 90% of it off through extremely hard work and I can at least see now inside without having 40% of the glass looking frosted from whatever that gunk was. I ended up using a razor blade as suddgested by Rhino1 bought the best I could find nearby. And I agree with you Snark, I don't think it was a regular glue Im use to, I thought the age and possibly sitting for so long might of done it at first, but I never had an issue as bad as this one I'm usually able to remove most labels I come across with vinegar or rubbing alc, but I put a ton of elbow grease non-stop and even after 3 washes extreme hot water and trying so many different methods it was still there! Frustrating! Even when scrapping it off it was almost like there was a layer under that layer, it'd lift up a bunch of small white gunk but still be there and scrape up even more. But I really over did it on purpose to make sure it was clean and there was nothing left over in the tank and I still feel a little cautious like I may need another wash.

 

[Rhino1]

I hope you get it sorted, possibly you could find some one experienced enough to just put a new piece in. I think there is a fine line as to how easily glass can be damaged by solvents etc and from your description sounds like it may end up being a permanent thing.
I had delivered a frame less shower screen once, just a single glass panel and this was installed by a plumber who wiped it down with mineral turps and left it, that was enough to permanently damage the glass and we all ended up in court with the actual glass manufacturer to back us up and was a big eye opener as to how careful you need to be.

 

[Jeremy Gareau]

I think it'll be ok and I maybe over thinking a bit but I just like to be cautious and safe then sorry and I definitely want to make sure some of the chemicals I tried today are gone from the tanks. I'll still probably do another through cleaning then after let it sit in hot water again just to make sure. Thanks for the help and advice!

 

[The Snark]

I don't think it was a regular glue Im use to,

It's not. Polymers are weird. A two stage aggravation. They consist of sub molecules that have an affinity for any surface that has micro pits or pockets which is just about everything. In turn these sub molecules just love to hug to each other. Then they are specially formulated to be extremely flexible and highly resistant to stresses. This is why you can scrape and scrape the goo off with a razor blade and the stuff is still there, firmly adhering into the tiniest pores of the substance it is sitting on. Chemicals won't remove the stuff because molecularly they can't adhere to it to break it apart.

 

[The Snark]

A certain car manufacturer could take a page from those dang labels. Saw a near new Peugeot Metro yesterday where the glue failed turning itself into a PE G O ME O

 

[Polenth]

So my next plan is to soak the entire area in WD-40 for several minutes, but Im worried as Im not very experienced with WD-40 other then for squeeky doors. I don't think it's safe to use I may be wrong, but if I do choose to use it as its my only option other then to wait to rehome my animal's what can I use to clean the surface properly? What can I do to properly ensure there is no chemical left overs but get this done asap? If there's any other suddgestions Im open to it! Thanks for reading and for your help in advance.

I've used WD-40 to clean off sticky residues that nothing else would remove. Especially on plastic, where it's not possible to scrape it without damaging the plastic. I've never had a mystery death from putting plants and animals in a tank cleaned that way (the animals include fish, cockroaches, woodlice and millipedes). In theory, some plastics shouldn't have WD-40 used on them, but I've never had issues with the hard plastics used for animal tanks. It's fine for glass, but avoid getting any on the seals at the corners of glass tanks.

I put the WD-40 onto tissue, rather than spraying it directly on the thing. Then rub the sticky residue until it's all no longer attached. I use clean tissue to wipe off as much WD-40 as possible, trying not to spread it around. There should be no sticky residue at this point, only the oil from the WD-40.

Next step, I put biodegradable washing up liquid (dish soap) on the patch and wipe that off with tissue. Then another layer of washing up liquid and wash it off with water. I repeat the washing up liquid and water step until it only smells of the washing up liquid, not the WD-40.

Last step is rinsing with plain water until it doesn't smell of anything. I usually throw the tank in the shower for this step, as it'll need a lot of rinsing.

The active ingredients in WD-40 will evaporate off, so it's mainly the oil you're trying to get off. Any small residue of the washing up liquid will be broken down by bacteria (as long as you're using biodegradable stuff). For something like a fish tank, I'd fill it with water and give it at least a week. But for inverts, I put them straight in usually.

 

[Jayson1974]

Try Zippo lighter fluid, its what we have always used. Just clean with soap and water after.