How to Remove Packing Tape from Board Games

If you've ever purchased a secondhand game from a thrift store, then you've likely come across the box-killing beast that is packing tape. Many thrift stores will wrap and seal every game box in the sticky stuff to keep contents safe during processing and to keep (irritating, germy) hands from scattering pieces while on the shelf. It's a good policy in theory, but there are two big problems: First, you never know what you're getting inside that box. Missing pieces? Torn board? Marker doodlings? Or, in the case of my husband's most recent thrift find, 3 rolls of nickels, which more than paid for the game...a few times over.

The second problem, more to the point of this post, is tape removal. If you're a collector, or ever have a mind to resell the game, packing tape can be a disaster that mars and tears boxes irreversibly.

No worries though. We have a tried and true method for you that will get the tape off with little hassle, minimal risk to the game box, and without asking you to purchase obscure products. Here's what you do:

Materials:
Hair dryer

1. Remove any diffusers or other attachments that are connected to the blower end of your hair dryer. Now plug it in and set it to a warm setting (but not necessarily the hottest setting). Find the end of the packing tape on your box and do your best to carefully pry up a small corner of the tape with your fingernail.

2. Now turn on your hair dryer and run it back and forth over a small section of the packing tape. Start at the end where you peeled up the edge. Use your hand to gauge if you're holding the dryer close enough, if it's warm enough, and if you're moving it around enough.

3. Continue warming the same spot of tape for about 10-20 seconds. In that time, the tape should become loose and very easy to peel up. The whole idea is to warm the tape adhesive and get it melty enough that the tape loses its grip. You'll start to feel when this happens. If you're feeling resistance from the tape, don't pull or tug! Just let the dryer warm it a bit more until it's ready to peel gently.

4. Keep blow-drying the tape, moving across the tape strip and peeling it up as it loosens along the way. Remember to keep taut hold of the tape you've already pulled, lest it re-adhere itself!

If you've done everything correctly, the tape should leave no marks or tears, save for the edges perhaps. In my many tests of this procedure, I found that box edges were the most vulnerable, and even with careful work I'd leave a little edge wear now and then. Oops! Rest assured though that this method is aces and will work great for your board games.

I'd like to thank my assistant Lily for all of her help with this post. It turns out it's not so easy to hold a blow dryer, peel tape, and take a photograph. So some of the above photography (and one of the ones below) was taken by my daughter lugging my giant Nikon around. She also did a nice job of wielding the hair dryer here and there.

Thanks, Lily!