It’s much more than that, chemically. It’s a solvent, mostly, and contains (amongst other things) purified mineral spirits, temporary lubricants, etc. It’s got a whole lot of uses, and if you’re not going to spend time learning and stocking special-use chemicals (who actually does this but nerds, I sure don’t 😳), WD-40 is pretty versatile.

Oh, I didn’t know about cooking oil, that’s awesome.

Alcohol works, but it will destroy many finishes (painted or stained furniture, coated paper, some coated metals, some plastics and rubbers, etc), whereas WD-40 is safe for most finishes.

Sounds like cooking oil may be as well – gonna have to try that, thanks!

Hand sanitizer frequently works too.

I came here to mention Goo Gone. Used it a lot.

Goo Gone is what I've used for years. It's quite effective at the getting rid of the super stubborn ones.

This is largely because people misuse WD-40. It’s a solvent. It was made to displace water, which is why it’s slick; It slips into wet joints, and sticks to everything it can so the water is repelled. But the chemical properties of this make it amazing at dissolving things that water won’t. It dissolves rust, which allows it to bust up seized joints. It dissolves oils, which makes it good for cleaning machine parts. It dissolves adhesives, which is why it’s so good at helping scrape them up.

It’s not a good lubricant, because that’s not what it’s made to do. After you dissolve all of the rust, you need to apply a fresh coat of oil, or else the part will just seize up again after the WD-40 evaporates. Because the WD-40 didn’t just dissolve the rust; It also dissolved the oil that was lubricating it and protecting it from further oxidation.

Oddly enough, some people swear by it as an arthritis treatment. Have some stubborn arthritis pain that painkillers or meds won’t touch? Try rubbing some WD-40 on the joint like lotion. Apparently it works when nothing else will.

Thanks, this exactly. Each material has its own ideal product or method, but a light rub with WD-40 works on nearly anything (but not what you’re thinking – it’s never lube. It’s poisonous.).

It actually has interesting chemical properties.

Came to say this. It works well for displacing things, not lubrication.

WD-40 and 3-in1 Oil, the olive oil and vinegar of the handyman world.

It’s actually a solvent, not a lubricant. It can unseize things, but you need to apply proper lubricant if you don’t want them to seize again.

Yeah, isopropyl alcohol is probably the best because it doesn't leave any residue behind like oil, wd40, and other adhesive removers do.

I sometimes use both WD40 and alcohol, the former to losen the sticker, the latter to remove leftover residue

More sticky children hacks, please. :)

Yeah, the fog is caused by oxidizing plastic. In order to actually fix the issue, you need to apply some sort of protectant finish to prevent oxidation in the future.

A thin dusting of clear coat spray paint typically works fine, but will obviously take nicks and dings as you drive.

Mine is either Isopropanol alcohol and/or hot water (only with glass) + a lint free rag

The hot water get's inside the container to heat up the glue.
The isopropanol is to get rid of the glue.

That’s not really a bonus. WD-40 will likely also get you high in close quarters – it’s probably more expensive than weed, though, and likely kills more of your brain than is worth it.

I recommend a high THC, mushrooms, or LSD instead. Combustible inhalants are a worse high that will probably give you a headache and then cancer. No bueno.

True, but lighter fluid can ruin many surfaces. WD-40 is weirdly gentle on most surfaces (though it doesn’t seem like it would be).

They often fuck up plastic, rubber, fake leather, definitely paper, and painted or finished surfaces. WD-40 is usually safe on those surfaces (or as others have said, Zippo lighter fluid and possibly cooking oil).

Alcohol removes adhesive, but is likely to ruin the surface too.

That doesn’t always work. Some of these adhesives are stupidly sticky, and some leave all of their paper rather than giving up.

If it’s a weak adhesive, that method is fine. This tip is for strong or obnoxiously sticky adhesives, and especially on surfaces that don’t want to give up or that could be damaged easily.