How To Remove Frosting From a Glass Door


I have beautiful French entry doors that I frosted using frosted glass spray.  In a previous post, I discussed my frustrations in trying to clean my frosted glass doors.  I used Windex once directly on the frosted glass, and it faded the frosting by half! As a result, I did an experiment on what to use to clean frosted doors.  I used my kids’ bathroom door, which had nine panels I could play with.  I tried different things, from lemon/lime juice, to Dawn dish-washing liquid to vinegar.  My adventure with each you can read about here.

Because of that experiment, I’ve found a couple different methods you can use to actually remove frosting from glass.

Why would you want to remove the frosting from your glass door?  Maybe you made a design for a specific holiday and are ready to decorate for another one.  Also, your tastes can change, which may make you want to revamp your doors.  Or, if you have a little child like I do, who loves to scratch at the frosting, you may have bits and pieces missing from your original decoration.  Whatever your reason for changing your mind, how do you actually go about removing your frosted decoration?  I will discuss the following methods:

1) Windex, a Magic Eraser and steel wool;

2) Dish-washing liquid, water and a scraper;

3) Rubbing alcohol or Dish-washing liquid in water, an Xacto knife or a really sharp knife, and plastic

Before I delve into these methods, it is important to note that there are different types of frosting: frosting spray, which I used on my doors; and frosted window film, which you can get pretty much anywhere today.  The film comes in both the adhesive type and the static cling type.  We use different removal methods for the spray and film.

1.  Windex, a Magic Eraser and Steel Wool

First of all,  we use this method only for spray-on frosted glass removal.  Does it sound way too easy?  It’s not really! Granted, you only need three items, but it does require a little elbow grease.  Remember I said that I sprayed Windex directly on the frosting on the door to clean it?  It made me think: if half of the frosting came out the first time, how many times do I have to spray Windex for all the frosting to come off?  Twice is enough.  If you have just any old window cleaner spray you can use that as well.  And, believe it or not, a generic brand of the magic eraser will work too!

  1. Spray on a generous amount of window cleaner directly on the frosted part of the glass.
  2. Wait 2-3 minutes for the cleaner to penetrate into the frosting spray.
  3. Start rubbing the frosting off with the Magic Eraser.
  4. Wipe off excess with a paper towel to check for areas that need to be redone.
  5. Repeat Step 1-4 a second time until most of the frosting is off.
  6. Dry the glass, then rub steel wool over glass to ensure everything is off and to polish glass.
  7. Lastly, clean the glass with window cleaner.

2.  Water and a Scraper

We use this second method also for spray-on frosted glass and it is pretty easy as well.  Similarly to the first method, all you need are two things: a glass scraper (which can be bought at Walmart for very little money) and approximately 1 tsp of dish-washing liquid in a 1/2 liter of water.

  1. Using a spray bottle, spray a generous amount of water on the glass.  I know you may read on other websites that you can scrape the frosting off without water.  However, dry glass can be more easily damaged when scraping.  What if you catch a flaw in the glass?  You may end up having to replace an entire glass panel!  When glass is well lubricated, it is easier to run the scraper on it without actually scratching the glass.
  2. Press down firmly on the glass with the scraper to get the frosting spray off.  It should come off much like plastic wrap/parchment paper.  It is amazing how easily this comes off!

3.  Rubbing alcohol or Dish-washing liquid in water, a sharp knife and plastic

We use this last method on frosted window film. Window film removal can be quite frustrating if you just try to scrape it off, even after spraying water.  Depending on how long it has been on the glass and how much sun it has gotten, the bond of the adhesive to the glass can be quite strong.  Do you remember peeling paint off walls when you were young (surprisingly, I was a bit of trouble as a child)? Sometimes, the paint would just peel off in big patches; however, there were times when you would have to really have to scrape and worry the rest of the paint to get it off.  Similarly, if you try to just peel window film from the corner and pull it off, you may find it breaking into many pieces and you’ll spend much time and energy getting it off.

This method is actually the easiest method I have found for removing film.  It takes a little time, but the amount of time you invest is directly proportional to how easy you make it for yourself.

  1. Using a spray bottle, you can mix either of these:
    • 1 tsp of dish-washing liquid to 1 liter of water
    • 1/3 bottle of rubbing alcohol to 1 liter of water
  2. Take the knife, and with just a teeny tiny bit of pressing, run it really lightly down over the film vertically, cutting the window film panel into thirds or even fourths.  Doing this will make it easier to remove later on.  It’s easier to eat an elephant one bite at a time; removing a large panel in smaller pieces is much easier and more efficient.
  3. Next, spray the solution all over the film you want to remove.  Be generous and go over the film multiple times.  You want the solution to really penetrate into the film and dissolve as much of the adhesive as possible.
  4. When the film is good and wet, take either plastic cling-on wrap or bubble wrap and cover over the entire section of glass and film.  Spray the solution over it again.
  5. Here is where you just walk away for a bit.  Simply leave the plastic on the film for at the least 2 hours.  To emphasize, the key is the penetration of the liquid solution into the film.  The longer it stays on, the easier it becomes for you.  After an hour, go ahead and spray the plastic over with liquid and again, just walk away.  Leave it for at least another hour.
  6. Lastly, after 2 hours, remove the plastic and start from a corner of the film.  Pull the film with an even amount of force and you will see for yourself how easily the film just comes right off!

I think it goes without saying that the final step in all these methods is the final step of the first method:  clean your glass!

At this time, I know that I can definitely remove whatever type of frosting I have, on both my front doors and my bathroom door; but the question is whether I will be using one of these methods soon.

I love my front doors, but I can also admit that everything has its season, even art.  Whenever I walk up to my house and see these doors, I remember when I first moved into this home, and the sense of beginning, the sense of something new I had.  In essence, I had a blank canvas to pour my heart and soul into.  But now, when I look at the door, I also see all the places where the frosting was scratched or has pieces missing.  As ugly as these imperfections may seem to someone else, I am reminded of my little boy waiting for me to get home, or so excited I am on my way in, that his hands can’t help themselves.

In any case, these doors definitely have a personality all their own, so maybe I will hold off on the front doors and re-decorate the panels of the bathroom door instead!

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