how to: remove rub-on decals from furniture

Hi, folks! Once we returned from vacation and moved into my parents'

house (where we'll be staying for the duration of our sabbatical), one of the

first things that happened was my son permanantly applying a rub-on

decal to the kitchen table. Aack! As you can see from the photo above,

he did a bit of scraping before I caught wind of the event. This thing was

not going to budge. I managed to stop him before he started whipping out

metal-tipped instruments to gauge out the top layer of wood on my mom's table.

Then I did some research. Here's what I found:

To remove rub-on decals from furniture, first apply white vinegar.

Use a blowdrier to warm the decal. The heat should be set on high

so that it warms up quickly. You'll notice the vinegar puddle shrinking.

Scrape the edges of the decal with a credit card or driver's license.

This may scratch a bit, but it is more gentle than any pointy object.

Dab, heat, and scrape repeatedly until the decal is removed.

You'll notice that I moved to the corner of my card to aim at the last stubborn bits.

Use a dry paper towel to wipe off any remaining adhesive.

Buff the surface to smooth out any scratch marks.

And there you go! I can still see the spot because it's a bit more

scratchy than before (and because I know about it).

It's similar to other parts of the table, though. And way better than

if we'd gone at it with nail polish remover or a scrubby sponge!