Decal care and removal

The first wash

Avery Dennison tells owners of its films not to clean or wash them within the first 48 hours after application, and it says so in both its European and its Asia Pacific care bulletins. 3M's maintenance bulletin gives no waiting period at all. The 48 hours is Avery Dennison's figure for Avery Dennison film. Waiting the same two days after you put on one of our decals costs you nothing, and it is the cautious choice.

If the decal went on in cool weather, the first days count for even more. ORAFOL asks you to avoid a significant drop in temperature in the first 24 hours, and 3M notes that a graphic applied near its minimum temperature and put straight into winter weather may not reach full adhesion.

Washing by hand

A hand wash is the gentlest method in every bulletin we read. Rinse loose grit off first with a low-pressure hose. Avery Dennison points out that loose particles scratch the surface once a brush or sponge drags them across it. Then wash with a mild liquid detergent and water and a soft brush, rag or sponge, as 3M describes, and do not scrub more than the dirt needs.

Pick a car soap without added waxes or polishes, which is how Avery Dennison describes the detergent it wants. Rinse the whole area with clean water. 3M lets the graphic dry on its own, and Avery Dennison suggests dabbing it dry with a chamois or a soft towel, careful not to lift the film's edges. Dab, do not rub.

When you are done, walk along every edge with your eyes. 3M asks for exactly that after each wash: look for edge lifting, and repair, remove or replace a graphic that has been damaged.

Pressure washers and self-serve wands

A pressure washer is allowed, within limits. 3M allows power washing and warns that aggressive washing damages a graphic and that too much pressure forces water underneath it. Here are the limits as each bulletin prints them. Where they disagree, as they do on distance, the most cautious figure satisfies all three.

Conversions marked "about" are ours. Each bulletin speaks for its own maker's films.

In practice, that means the widest fan tip on the wand, water no hotter than 60°C (about 140°F), the nozzle 75 cm (30 in) or more from the glass, and the jet pointed straight at the decal rather than skimming across it. Avery Dennison explains why the angle matters: a sharp angle or an intense jet from a narrow nozzle can lift an edge, curl it or start the film coming away.

Brush car washes

Automatic washes with spinning brushes are where both makers draw a line. 3M says brushes can catch a loose edge of a graphic and cause further damage, and can dull its finish. Avery Dennison goes further and does not recommend automatic brush car washes, because the brush will often catch the edges of the graphic.

3M raises one more point about automatic washes, in its surface-preparation bulletin: the chemicals used in some automated washing equipment may interfere with adhesion. None of the documents we read rates a brushless or touch-free wash, so we will not tell you one is safe for a decal.

Solvents, steam and strong cleaners

Keep solvents and abrasive cleaners off the decal. Avery Dennison says both may damage a decal, graphic or wrap, and asks that hard solvents such as isopropyl alcohol not be used directly on the film's surface after application. That is the same alcohol you cleaned the glass with before the decal went on. It belongs under the decal, not on top of it.

3M's test for any cleaner is that it should be wet, non-abrasive, free of strong solvents, and between pH 3 and 11. Avery Dennison also rules out high-pressure steam cleaning, since the heat can interfere with the bond between the film and the surface.

How long a decal lasts outside

Our product data rates our decals for up to six years outdoors. It does not say on what surface or in what climate, so read that figure next to the way a film maker rates its own vinyl. ORAFOL rates ORACAL 651, a common calendered cut film, at up to 6 years for colors on a vertical surface in a temperate climate.

ORAFOL also says how fast that figure shrinks. In a hot, dry climate, and it names the desert regions of the Southwest US, the figure for a vertical surface drops by 4 years. In a humid, warm climate such as the Southeast US, it drops by 2 years. A horizontal surface in a temperate climate gets half the vertical figure. A decal on upright glass and one on a flat, sun-baked hood do not age at the same pace, and the bulletins say so plainly.

Taking a decal off

Warmth does most of the work. 3M says heating a graphic eases the removal of almost any film, because heat softens the adhesive and lowers the force needed to pull it, and that a spell in the sun may be enough, since it warms the film evenly. ORAFOL suggests a hot-air gun used while you pull. On glass, 3M adds, no added heat is needed if the glass is warmer than 16°C (about 60°F).

Cold works against you. Below 10°C (about 50°F), 3M says, film turns brittle and breaks into small pieces as you pull, and ORAFOL wants the air and the surface at 20°C (about 68°F) or more before removal. Lift one corner carefully, then peel slowly, keeping the film low and folded back on itself rather than pulling it straight out. On a rear window, lift that corner with a plastic tool and keep any blade away from the heater lines.

Our product data says the decals are made to come off without residue. ORAFOL notes that very old film can still leave a small amount of adhesive behind. For that case, 3M's method is an adhesive remover used as its maker directs and tested first on a hidden spot, a plastic applicator to scrape away the softened adhesive, and a wash with detergent and water to finish.

One more note from the film makers: films made with a permanent adhesive are not intended for removal, and 3M says such films come off only with great difficulty and likely damage to the surface. If a decal from somewhere else has been on your car for years and you do not know what it is, start warm, start at a corner, and go slowly.

Every design in the Ranger Pro lineup is the same one-color die-cut vinyl, so the same care applies to all of them. If a decal is about to go on, start with how to apply a vinyl decal, and if you are still choosing, the funny sayings and car culture shelves are a good place to begin.