How to Remove Window Tint Using Heat Gun?

Why Do You Need to Remove your Window Tint?

You might want your windows tinted for some reason! Window tints can get you that much-needed privacy from prying eyes in the outside world. They are also a great measure to block out harmful UV rays from the sun. However, in many places, they are not allowed!

Apart from this, you might also want to give your car windows an update. In case it’s been more than 2 years, you might need to renew your tint anyways! However, it depends on the kind and quality that you opt for. Some last for more than 5 years while others can manage 10 or more.

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At the end of the day, you will get to figure out whether it is time to remove the tint. If you want an easy way to figure it out, look for bubbles appearing under the film. It might show signs of discoloration as well. Whether you see bubbles are forming or the color is changing, you’ll need a reliable method to remove window tints.

The best and most effective way in our opinion is to use a heat gun. Today’s article has all the insights you will need to learn how to remove window tint using a heat gun! Before we learn more about window tint removal, let’s figure out what a heat gun is!

What is a Heat Gun?

Heat guns are hand-held devices that can produce a flow of hot air at extremely high temperatures to melt and wipe away all sorts of materials. They mostly work at high temperatures between 100 °C and 550 °C. however, heavy-duty industrial models also work as high as 760 °C.

Read More : How to Use a Heat Gun to Remove Wallpaper?

There are many ways to utilize a heat gun. However, it is one of the best methods to remove window tint primarily if it is colder outside. A simple hair dry hack might not work in that situation. The reason why this is so effective is that they can stream out extremely high heat levels to peel the tint off with ease.

Should you Remove the Window Tint by Yourself?

Yes, there are tons of ways you can remove window tint by yourself. If your window tint is almost ready to come off on its own, you can employ some DIY methods that need no fancy tools. Before we head over to figure out how to remove window tint using a heat gun, let’s look over some easier methods briefly.

1. Use Soap and a Knife

As far as methods to remove window tint from your windows come, this might be the easiest one. However, it is grueling work, so we suggest you only opt for it if you don’t shy away from some hard work! we recommend using this option for smaller tinted windows and certainly not larger ones as these can be too tiring.

The reason behind this is that you’ll need to scrub a lot so you can get tired quite easily! it does offer advantages however especially since the soapy water is super easy to apply. you don’t need any fancy tools!

To achieve this method, you will need a glass cleaner, a good amount of water, paper towels, water with soap mixed in it, a Razor blade or knife, and a spray bottle.

• Your first step is to pry off one side of the tint from your window. you can accomplish this via your fingers or by using a knife blade to get a corner off. then, proceed to slowly lift it down.
• Make sure that you lift down a good portion of the tint film from the window before you start the peeling process. you need to be extremely careful however, it won’t get damaged even if it tears off! it just has something to do with the overall cleanliness of your work.
• You can repeat this process all over the window and then try to peel it off in one complete go. however, we recommend that you take it slowly and repeat the peeling step slowly till you can remove all of the tints.
• Finally, you will make a soapy mixture using dish soap and water. Add this to a spray bottle and add it all over the window. it can help get rid of any remaining adhesive left behind.

2. Use a Hairdryer

Using a hairdryer to remove window tint using a heat gun, is one of the simplest and most common methods. It is perfect for the home user who prefers to use DIY processes instead of spending copious amounts of money to take it to a professional.

The dryer creates the perfect amount of heat to soften and melt the adhesive from your window so that eventually, the peel comes off the tint. It can get a little messy, however, since the heat isn’t always even.

The things you’ll need to achieve this include a piece of cloth, a spray bottle, a hairdryer, a razor blade, Adhesive remover, window cleaner, and gloves!

• The first step is to make sure your hair dryer is at the hottest setting. However, since hair dryers aren’t as dangerous or hot as heat guns, you can directly heat the inside of the window. Still, it is wise to keep it at a safe distance from the tint so it doesn’t burn off either.
• Your aim should be to remove one corner first and work your way to the other side. our recommendation is to hold the hairdryer at least 3-inches from the window for about 30 to 40 seconds. then, you can attempt to peel the tint off.
• Then once all edges of the window are adequately heated, you may move on peeling it all off. once you are finished with this process, you should see the residue of the window tint adhesive remaining on the window. for this, spray-on adhesive remover and leave it on for at least 10 minutes.
• you can then simply wipe it off and for any stubborn bits, you can use the razor blade to get rid of glue that is left on the window. use a window cleaner to clean the excess off and that’s all!

How to Remove Window Tint Using Heat Gun – Step by Step:

To remove window tint using a heat gun, here is what you will need: A heat gun, razor blades, paper towels, Steel wool pads, window cleaner, cotton cloth, Adhesive remover. Once you have these items on hand, here are the next steps to follow:

1. Your first step is to warm up the tint and adhesive on your window using the heat gun. Make sure you apply the heat to the outside as doing this on the inside can melt the tint onto the window itself. Keep the heat gun away from the window so it doesn’t damage the glass but do so till it is warmer.
2. Once you have started heating the outside, we suggest you work on all the edges slowly. Once when a corner is heated, you can peel the tint from inside the window. There is no doubt that this will be a slower process since doing it fast can cause the tint to tear off.
3. You will have to keep reheating the window from the outside to get the desired results. The goal is to keep the adhesive on the tint gooey enough to remove.
4. This is when you will take out the razor blade to remove the tint. Angle your razor in a way that the sharper edge of the blade touches the glass.
5. For the next step, you will add the adhesive remover to the window but make sure that the tint is completely removed first. You will spray this adhesive on all corners of the window without missing any key spots. Wait for the adhesive remover to settle for at least 10 minutes.
6. After this time has passed, you can use the steel wool along with the razor to properly scrub the tint adhesive off from the window. We recommend you work and wipe as you go along so it becomes easier to manage and maintain!
7. Reapply adhesive remover and scrape again, if needed, until all traces of adhesive are gone.
8. Finally, now that the window tint and tint adhesive are completely removed, you can proceed to give your window a nice scrub with paper towels and window cleaner. It will get rid of any remaining adhesive and you’re done!

In the end, no matter what method you employ, you will get the best results as long as you follow the guides given in this article. We now know that the best way on how to remove window tint is by using a heat gun! With that, we hope our readers know more about the topic on hand via our insightful guide.

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