Dealing with self-adhesive residue -- corn starch, talcum or

I don't know if any study has been conducted on the long-term effects of corn starch or talcum powder on the backs of modern self-adhesives.

I've removed several dozens of modern U.S. self-adhesives using Pure Citrus and I have not needed to use a powder as I have been able to remove all of the adhesive from the stamps.

After separating from the paper, I use the edge of a credit card to scrape away the adhesive.

Next, I put a few more drops of the Pure Citrus on the back of the stamp to dissolve any remaining adhesive.

Finally, I wipe away any remaining residue with a tissue.

To be honest I would rather unsoakable self adhesives be left on the paper. To me, they never look as fresh and crisp once removed using all the various methods folks have contrived and many of them end up with minute thins, tears and other faults. The long term impact of the chemicals on the inks and papers are big unknowns.

And the powders? They make a mess of my black stock sheets. Corn starch is a yummy food for pests so that’s not encouraging. Other powders are often scented and trigger my allergies. So this gal definitely MUCH prefers skipping the powders & leaving the darn things as is.

Dang I wish all countries would use the same adhesive with a disolving layer like Japan. They soak beautifully.

Here is the fruit of this mornings labor. Several of these were on cardboard mailers; to speed the process, I remove as much of the cardboard backing as I can before applying the Pure Citrus. Removing SA stamps from the plastic-type backing is often more difficult.

Some very useful information there, previously I have used lighter fluid to remove the GB self adhesives, sometimes successfully and sometimes disastrously. Recently I decided to cut my loses and just leave them neatly trimmed on paper, but I think I will get some of this pure citrus oil/solvent and give that a go, if nothing else at least it will smell better than the lighter fluid.

I've had success sometimes with soaking the adhesive off, but that tends to leave the stamp very thin and curling up. Also, it's not always possible to tell if it will work or not. I don't know if Pure Citrus is available in this part of the world. I have also seen air freshener recommended. When I'm tearing stamps off envelopes, I don't always stop to wonder if they are adhesive or not. I quite often end up with torn stamps or stamps with 'balls' on the back of them. Being a carer for 4 people I don't have time to make stamps perfect for display in a stamp album, so will probably continue as I'm doing.

Gillian