Getting Melted Duct / Duck Tape Goo Off of Trailer, Car, Garage Doors, and Windows

I have a trailer which I use once or twice a year for family camping reunions. I have only used it once a year for the past three years as my children haven't been around for our annual Easter Camping but the rest of the year, it is stored on a sidelot at my sisters home. 

Her teen son was hitting golf balls in the back yard with a friend and hit the back window of the trailer with a golf ball and it broke the lower back window on the trailer.

I don't know if he didn't tell them right away or if he told them and they felt bad and didn't want to tell me but for some reason, instead of letting me know so I could get right on fixing it, they put a piece of cardboard over the area and used duct tape to hold it onto the upper window and trailer side. I really don't have an issue that the window was broken as accidents happen but worrying about spiders getting in or water damage, I would have fixed it right away. 

I guess they forgot about the window as when I called to talk about taking it camping over Easter possibly, my sister told me about it. I told her I could just take care of it and she told me they would do it.

I figured they wanted to do it so I didn't worry about it but when I was headed to go over and help them with their daughters wedding reception a few months later, I guess it reminded them it wasn't done. I took some stuff over to put in the trailer and her husband had me help him put the window in.

I was in the trailer and he was outside in the back. I didn't go to the back of the trailer and look so it wasn't until he was kind enough to drop it to my home for our August lake reunion that I saw the back of the trailer.

I noticed the back had melted duct / duck tape on the metal painted section and on the upper glass of the window.

I had cleaned the trailer and waxed it using teak oil a few years back and to clean it before using the teak oil, I used mineral spirits to clean it. I use mineral spirits / turpentine in the kitchen all the time to remove sticky labels, Sharpie, gum, stickers on fabric etc.

I figured it would work on the sticky mess melted on the side of the trailer left by the duct tape having been on there for months. It worked like a charm softening the hardened goo on the trailer. It seemed to work better by getting it softened and then scraping it off using a fingernail verses wiping lots as it tends to smear the goo around using more of the turpentine verses getting it soft, scraping it off gently and then wiping a bit more to clean.


The trailer had some leaking issues around the awning so I used some gorilla caulk on it and will have to let you know how it works next time I take the trailer out. 

Have a Blessed Day!