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It’s happened to all of us. We’re in a hurry, and we need to quickly tape something up, but we can’t seem to get the sticky residue off of our hands. Well, what if I told you that there is a way to remove that sticky residue without having to scrub your skin raw?
As a general rule, the best way to remove the sticky tape residue off of your lacrosse shaft is to use rubbing alcohol. Dab a small amount of alcohol onto a cloth and rub it into the residue. The alcohol will loosen up the adhesive off of the stick and make it easy to wipe away.
Below, I will dive in deeper and share exactly how to use each of the aforementioned items, among others, to remove the sticky tape residue.
How to Clean Sticky Tape Residue Off Of Lacrosse Shaft
Generally speaking, you can remove sticky tape residue off your lacrosse stick by using rubbing alcohol, warm water, polish remover, and cooking oil. The residue is often sticky because the adhesive on the tape is transferred over onto the stick. This can easily be removed with a solvent.
If you notice that your lacrosse shaft is completely ruined, you don’t have to get a completely new lacrosse stick. You can just get a replacement shaft! I recently came across a beautiful-looking Carbon LTX Lacrosse Replacement Shaft that might work for you. You can check it out on Amazon!
The following are all the options that I found work well for removing the tape residue off of my lacrosse stick:
Rubbing Alcohol
To effectively remove the sticky tape residue, I usually get a bottle of 70% rubbing alcohol and pour it onto a cloth rag. I then gently rub the area where the sticky residue is on my lacrosse stick.
Make sure not to use a paper towel since it will easily rip and create a bigger mess.
I usually hold the stick with my non-dominant hand and hold the cloth with the rubbing alcohol or lighter fluid with my dominant hand. I then place the cloth around the stick and rapidly spin the stick within the cloth to get as much friction as I can.
You will start to notice that the sticky tape residue will slowly start to form into small piles of debris and start to fall off of your lacrosse stick.
Use warm water and soap
Warm water and soap can also be used to remove the adhesive. Wet a cloth with warm water and add a small amount of soap. Rub the cloth onto the sticky residue until it is gone.
I would use the same method of spinning the lacrosse stick and rubbing it with the cloth no matter what liquid I’m using to get the residue off of my stick.
Use polish remover
Polish remover, such as nail polish remover, is another option for removing the adhesive.
Soak a cotton ball in polish remover and dab it onto the residue. Let the cotton ball sit on the adhesive for a few minutes, then wipe it away.
Cooking oil
A mixture of cooking oil and baking soda can also be used to remove the adhesive. Rub the oil and baking soda mixture into the residue and let it sit for a few minutes. Wipe it away with a cloth.
The best part of this method is that you don’t have to vigorously rub your lacrosse stick for a long time to get off the residue.
You can just place this concoction onto the stick and wait for it to loosen up the tape residue.
*Side Note: I recently wrote an article about How To Properly Store A Lacrosse Stick To Make It Last. This article talks about the right way to store your lacrosse stick to prolong its life span. You can check out this article here!
How Do You Get Old Tape Off A Lacrosse Stick?
Start by removing the old tape by hand. If that doesn’t work, you can use a solvent such as rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover. I often find rubbing alcohol to be the most effective. Apply it to a cloth and rub it into the tape edges. The adhesive will loosen and the residue will come off easily.
I found this great video that shows exactly how to do this first hand:
*Side Note: I recently wrote an article about How Often You Should Replace Your Lacrosse Stick. This article talks about when you should replace your lacrosse stick and head. You can check out this article here!
I also suggest heating the old tape with a blow dryer on the hot setting to loosen up the old, stubborn tape stuck on the stick!
Once that is done, slowly remove the tape in place while spinning the stick equally on its axis. If there is any leftover, warm some water and use detergent to wash the area.
You can also try a mixture of cooking oil and baking soda. Rub it into the residue and let it sit for a few minutes before wiping it away with a cloth.
How Do You Get Sticky Tape Residue Off Without Alcohol?
If you don’t have rubbing alcohol to remove your tape residue, try using warm water with soap, polish remover, or a mixture of cooking oil and baking soda. While not as effective as alcohol, using these items will loosen up the grip of tape residue that doesn’t come off of your lacrosse stick.
While rubbing alcohol might be the fastest way to effectively remove tape residue, some people might not have some laying around.
That’s why it’s always a relief to know that you can use several other items to remove the residue.
Just be sure to rub the item into the residue and let it sit for a few minutes before wiping it away. You should be able to get the residue off with little effort.
*By the way, I recently wrote an article about How Often You Should Restring Your Lacrosse Head. This article talks about why you should restring your lacrosse stick and how often. You can check out this article here!
Why Is There A Roll Of Tape On My Lacrosse Stick?
A roll of tape is added to a lacrosse stick to provide extra grip, reduce head rattle, and secure the mesh to the head. The adhesive cloth tape will give the shaft extra texture so that your hand will not slip off the stick. It is also used to fill in the gap between a lacrosse shaft and head.
It is usually a good idea to add some tape before each game. The type of tape you use is up to you, but I usually use adhesive cloth tape that is purposefully made for games like lacrosse.
Using the right type of tape on your lacrosse stick could mean the difference between winning or losing a game. That’s why I recommend getting the TOBWOLF Adhesive Cloth Tape that provides the extra texture needed for a good grip on your lacrosse stick. You can check out this cloth tape on Amazon!
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article has helped you remove the sticky tape residue from your lacrosse stick. Be sure to try a few of the methods to see which one works best for you.
