The Cleaning Product You Don’t Have—But Should
For more than seven years, in my late teens and early 20s, I worked at an independent gift store that was known not only for its variety of presents, but also for its beautiful wrapping.
As part of my training, I learned to tie ribbons that would sit perfectly flat on tables and make knots without the assistance of someone else’s fingers. I learned to curl four ribbons at once and properly fold and fluff tissue paper. I learned to make clean seams in wrapping paper. I also learned of the miracle that is Goo Gone ($7; amazon.com).
At each cash register, we had commercial-sized bottles of the vaguely citrus-scented yellow goo to remove the price tags off of everything from beautiful MacKenzie-Childs platters to Diptyque candles. The customers loved that we took this extra step to completely remove a price tag, rather than color it over with a Sharpie or peel the sticker halfway.
I never thought of Goo Gone again, until I was getting ready to move out of my first apartment and was staring at a wall covered in the blue sticky adhesive I had used to hang a collection of art and photos. No matter how much I scratched, I couldn’t get the stuff off. Fearing my landlord would take a whack at my security deposit, I went out to buy the yellow goo I’d used for many years in the gift store. One swipe with a corner of a paper towel dabbled with goo, and the blue gunk came off easily.
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Over time, I’ve learned that you can use Goo Gone all over the house. I used it to remove wax from my wood coffee table and to unstick wads of gum from my shoes and floor. I don’t have children, but there are countless reviews touting Goo Gone’s ability to remove crayon from a wall. You can even use it on carpet and fabric. And when I was making a home with my fiancé and we were surrounded by new plates, bowls, cups, and wine glasses covered in stubborn stickers, I knew exactly what to reach for.
