Why do Thais never remove ugly stickers from new fridge, aircon etc?

[nidieunimaitre]

If the appliance is made in China, aren't you worried that it will fall apart soon as you remove the stickers?

Try explaining that to the customers department at Home Pro. Good luck with getting your money back.

[rexaco123]

Probably the same reason why all the ladies in the wife's village still have the power # sticker on their eyeglass lens! drives me crazy...I just wanna peel em off!

Same in my village. And men, too, LOL!

[fred Kubasa]

I spent my first full year removing these stickers and at least 1 hour every week on new arrivals. Tip - first soak in water, then scrape off surface paper and then, my long tested final step, paint thinner to get off &%#^%$^*(^ glue residue !

[chuang]

Why do people remove those stickers from their new fridge.,air-on etc...i wonder...

[Seastallion]

I must be odd then. I did not remove my efficiency rating sticker from my fridge freezer. To be honest, I never saw a problem with it.

Me too; maybe it's a farang OCD thing!

Me three.

And if I ever sell the fridge and washing machine, I'll be able to tell the buyer exactly how efficient they are.

[balo]

5 pages about stickers ? What a waste of time.

I bought a fridge 4 years ago , the 5 year warranty sticker is still there , maybe that's why Thais keep them , just in case....

[Ghostnigel]

This sucker has been on the sink for 6 years, its part of the family now, he ain't going nowhere.

[Ghostnigel]

Cultural conditioning on your part.

Why would you WANT to remove the stickers anyhow?

Because you were TAUGHT to remove them as a child back in limey land.

Question: If you had a 20 year old Rolls Royce in the U.K. would you remove the Rolls insignia from the hood/bonnet.

No, because you were TAUGHT that the insignia has prestige.... so you keep it on.

For many Thais being able to afford a new Fridge or an expensive washing machine also represents status.... to be quietly displayed ..... but not to be directly commented on (to showy if directly displayed).

To have the sticker quietly displayed to be seen, but not to be to showy is the "cool" way of letting it be known you can afford that "Farang" appliance is the correct way of displaying it in your house.

If you had a 20 year old Rolls Royce in the UK, someone would have knicked the badge off it long before that!

[Tchooptip]

This Thai illness unfortunately is contagious and not many in Los are free from it

[DILLIGAD]

Because it give the "impression" its new, a kind of "show off" thingy is my guess.

Correct

[attrayant]

I asked the family and was told "because... beautiful". I suspect that's just a very small part of a larger answer. The rest is pride/face at having a "new-looking" appliance in view of guests, along with inertia (which is a fancy word for laziness). I peeled a few off and nobody seemed to mind.

For me, removing the stickers is part of the ritual of ownership. Once the stickers are gone, the appliance really feels like it's mine. If I leave the stickers on, I feel like it's just on loan from the appliance shop.

Regarding Goo-Gone and other adhesive remedies, the effective denaturing ingredient is petroleum distillates, which are found in a wide range of household products (some of which have been named in this thread). They include mineral spirits (paint thinner), naphtha, toluene, xylene and some turpentine substitutes such as Turpatine. Naphtha, being less oily than other distillates, is a better choice for denaturing adhesives provided you can get it to penetrate the sticker and reach the adhesion layer. They work simply because most common adhesives are polymers which are soluble in them.

Naphtha is commonly available at most mom-n-pop hardware stores under the name Ronsonol Lighter Fluid. Naphtha is also used in medical adhesive remover and to remove spirit gum (stage make up & prosthetic adhesive). Mineral oil also works, but doesn't contain the volatile distillates so it's less penetrating. Mineral oil (or baby oil - same thing) would be good to use on leftover sticky residue that remains after the sticker has been removed.

[nisakiman]

Cultural conditioning on your part.

Why would you WANT to remove the stickers anyhow?

Because you were TAUGHT to remove them as a child back in limey land.

Question: If you had a 20 year old Rolls Royce in the U.K. would you remove the Rolls insignia from the hood/bonnet.

No, because you were TAUGHT that the insignia has prestige.... so you keep it on.

For many Thais being able to afford a new Fridge or an expensive washing machine also represents status.... to be quietly displayed ..... but not to be directly commented on (to showy if directly displayed).

To have the sticker quietly displayed to be seen, but not to be to showy is the "cool" way of letting it be known you can afford that "Farang" appliance is the correct way of displaying it in your house.

Sorry, but have to disagree. There's a big difference between an insignia or brand name plate that is an integral part of the product and (usually) easily-removed stickers which are placed only to promote a product's features and benefits so that potential buyers can compare similar ones side by side in a sales showroom. There are also clear plastic protective (against scratches or dust) peel-off stickers. All are intended by the manufacturer to be removed by the purchaser. Displaying them indefinitely is due either to ignorance or a cultural thing (status, face) but it's more common in 'developing countries' – and not just Thailand.

The in-laws have stickers still on just about everything. They looked quite shocked last year when they got a new dishwasher and I took all the advertising labels off. They didn't complain though. My impression was not that they wanted to impress, but simply that it never occurred to them that the labels are supposed to be removed - probably because everywhere they go, the labels are still on everything!

I always remove them, not only because they are ugly, but also they degrade over time, look tatty, and provide a fertile breeding ground for all sorts of germs. I've never had a problem peeling them off large items like fridges, washing machines etc. They nearly always come off very easily and without leaving a mark. The longer they're left on, the harder they are to remove. White goods are rarely attractive items, but having bright yellow advertising stickers all over them makes them even less so.

[Lozza]

Refrigerators, TVs, air cons and fans, sinks and toilets … the seeking of Face is a never ending quest.

Not to mention winnie the poo stickers on my fridge and washing machine bought new..for the fridge I put fridge magnets over the ugly star rating sticker worked a treat. I can live with winnie being in another room.

[SoiBiker]

If you remove your stickers, why not give them to a Thai neighbour so they can pretend they have a new fridge?

[ravip]

If you remove your stickers, why not give them to a Thai neighbour so they can pretend they have a new fridge?

How many have you given out to your Thai friends, as of today?

[Banzai99]

The arrogance of Farangs knows no limits.

[SoiBiker]

If you remove your stickers, why not give them to a Thai neighbour so they can pretend they have a new fridge?

How many have you given out to your Thai friends, as of today?

Mine are still proudly in place, as part of my drive to achieve ultimate thainess.

[surangw]

if they pull off the stickers, the devices will stop working, ( like the monk symbols in the head liner in cars)

[mikemac]

5 pages about stickers ? What a waste of time.

I bought a fridge 4 years ago , the 5 year warranty sticker is still there , maybe that's why Thais keep them , just in case....

No balo, it's not about the sticker, the sticker has nothing to do with it.

It could have been any one of a vast number of things that Thais do and Thai bashers pick on.

Who cares what people do with their bloody fridge stickers, and why would you bother starting a topic picking on it ?

I leave mine on the appliances and will continue to do so while it gets up the nose of moaning Thai bashers.

[mikemac]

If you remove your stickers, why not give them to a Thai neighbour so they can pretend they have a new fridge?

How many have you given out to your Thai friends, as of today?

Mine are still proudly in place, as part of my drive to achieve ultimate thainess.

Hey, SB, you may be on to something. There could be a market in fake fridge stickers aimed at people who want to upgrade the doo-yen but cannot afford it.

They are probably selling them now on Khao San Road.

[AleG]

5 pages about stickers ? What a waste of time.

I bought a fridge 4 years ago , the 5 year warranty sticker is still there , maybe that's why Thais keep them , just in case....

No balo, it's not about the sticker, the sticker has nothing to do with it.

It could have been any one of a vast number of things that Thais do and Thai bashers pick on.

Who cares what people do with their bloody fridge stickers, and why would you bother starting a topic picking on it ?

I leave mine on the appliances and will continue to do so while it gets up the nose of moaning Thai bashers.

It's like a Rorschach test, isn't it?

[DILLIGAD]

if they pull off the stickers, the devices will stop working, ( like the monk symbols in the head liner in cars)

Yeah, they really stop accidents, don't they ! HaHa