Removing a toilet rack

Q: Is there something I can use to dissolve the glue holding a towel rack onto our bathroom doors? My husband and I have recently purchased a condo, and the towel racks have to go. But of course, I need to get the job done without damaging the doors.

A: I've never heard of a solvent powerful enough to dissolve an adhesive like you're dealing with, and even if you did find one, you'd probably need to wear an isolation suit and a respirator to survive the experience of using it. A better solution involves the mechanical approach, with perhaps a little remedial repair afterwards. What you need is a tool thin enough to worm underneath the commercial-duty, double-sided tape that's probably holding the offensive towel rack on, while causing as little damage to the door as possible. And for this challenge you're best choice is a putty knife, with the tip filed to a point. The nice thing about a putty knife is its flexibility. You can bend the blade so it’s parallel with the door face during use, making it easier to avoid surface damage. You'll also find that warming the area with a hair dryer softens the adhesive a bit, making success more likely.