How to Remove Adhesive Tape From Your Skin

Overview

Whether you've put a bandage on your scraped knee, or have a piece of medical tape on your hand from an IV, the problem is the same: How do you remove the tape and its adhesive quickly and painlessly? Luckily, you can remove the tape with a few items from around the house.

Step 1

Fill a bowl with warm water and a few tablespoons of salt. Mix thoroughly until the salt has dissolved. Place the area that has tape on it in the mixture for several minutes, until the tape begins to loosen.

Step 2

Saturate a cotton swab with baby oil and gently rub around the edges of the tape. As the baby oil permeates into the tape, the edges will begin to loosen. Continue to push the cotton swab just under the tape until it feels loose.

Step 3

Gently wedge a pair of medical scissors underneath the loosened areas of tape and make small cuts. If you are removing a bandage, completely cut away the padded cotton part of the bandage that is not sticky. Continue rubbing baby oil into the cuts in the tape with the cotton swab until the tape feels loose.

Step 4

Slowly pull in the direction of the hair growth. This will keep you from losing any hair on the area.

Step 5

Gently pull back on the tape until it has been removed from your skin. If it is still too difficult to pull off, repeat the process.