There's a tool called Paper Tiger. It's basically a hand held round thing with wheels on one side that have teeth. You rub this all over the wallpaper, then spray it with soapy water. The soapy water sinks into the holes the teeth make and after you let it sit and work it should peel right off.

Some people do use these tools as olldbob has suggested and I normally agree with her, but not in this instance. These make tiny holes all over the wall and then the wall must be fully skim coated with sheetrock compound to fill in all the holes before anything can be done. It is not an optimal solution. We use soapy water and/or a steam unit to get the wallpaper off.

Deborah, really? I never knew that, thanks for letting me know!....olldbob

Yes. I've been out in classes for awhile and haven't been as active on Houzz. What is going on with all the name changes?

Well, we found out that Houzz links to the San Francisco Chronicle and other publications. We found one of our OLLD threads on sfgate.com and it didn't feel good to see our names out there in public, so we changed them. It still feels weird, tho, not sure I like it at all. But I'm glad my name isn't Buttercup or I'd be olldbutt!

Yeah, me either!

HI -- I have never used one of those prickly rollers because they cause damage if you press too hard and you don't need one anyway. If the wallpaper has a layer you can pull off first or not -I have always used fabric softner in very warm water and then soak the paper with a sponge or spray it on - let sit for a few and then the paper should just scrape off with a plastic scraper or spatula . Then wash the remaining glue off with some more clean warm fabric softner water. It breaks down and releases the glue.

Good one, lefty47. Makes you wonder what the heck we were thinking when we did all that wallpaper in the 80's, no?

You can get it off with a mixture of warm water and fabric softener. Sponge the mixture on let it set a couple of minutes, then have a spray bottle handy with nothing but hot/warm water in it that you squirt while peeling it off. I am amazed at how easily it peels off with this, but the trick is in the warm water.

creeser, what if it's vinyl? Will that still work?

Yep, it sure does olldbob. Just make sure you get that one corner or edge up so the mixture can start getting in behind the wallpaper. It doesn't have to be much and you can start working up more from there. Once started, I think the vinyl wallpaper comes off easier than the other. It stays in one piece instead of peeling off in strips.

creeser, thanks, that makes sense! I would never have thought of it. That's why I love Houzz, learn something new everyday!

Thanks for the info. We can share it with clients. People are taking a lot of wallpaper down!