How to Secretly Open a Sealed Envelope
Place a tea kettle on the stove., Place the envelope seal in the steam., Use an envelope opener to lift the flap., Let the envelope dry., Reseal the envelope.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Place a tea kettle on the stove.
Boil water in a tea kettle until steam begins to shoot through the spout.
The steam is what you'll use to loosen the glue in the envelope you want to open.
Keep in mind that the steam method can get a little messy and potentially warp the paper, so if it's imperative that the envelope looks fresh and new, you might want to just use a new envelope instead.
If the steam is coming out in a strong, steady stream, stick a spoon in the spout to diffuse it.
That way it won't be as likely to warp the paper with a thick stream of moist heat.
If you don't have a tea kettle, simply boil a small pot of water until it produces steam. -
Step 2: Place the envelope seal in the steam.
Steam is hot, so you'll probably want to use a pair of tongs or an oven mitt to hold the seal of the envelope under the steam so your hand doesn't get burned.
Hold the envelope there for about 20 seconds to give the steam time to loosen the glue.If your envelope is a long business-sized envelope, run the entire thing over the stream of steam to make sure each portion of the glue gets loosened.
Don't hold the envelope in the steam for more than 20 seconds, or the paper will begin to warp. , Lay the envelope on a table and carefully run an envelope opener under the flap to loosen it.
Open the flap so that you can remove the contents of the envelope.
You want to open the envelope slowly enough that you don't accidentally rip it, but quickly enough that the glue doesn't begin to reseal.
If the flap doesn't seem to be giving, and it tears slightly instead of easily lifting, place it back under the steam so you don't end up ripping it. , After you've finished removing and replacing the contents of the envelope, let the envelope get completely dry before you seal it back up.
In order to prevent wrinkling, lay a sheet of waxed paper over the envelope and put a heavy book on top.
Pressing the envelope flat while it dries will keep it looking fresh.
You could also iron the envelope flat to prevent it from wrinkling.
If you choose to do this, be sure not to leave the iron on the paper for more than a few seconds, since the concentrated heat can cause the paper to turn yellow or burn if you're not careful. , The glue will have lost its tackiness after coming into contact with the steam, so you'll have to use a different method to reseal the envelope.
To reseal the envelope so that it looks as though it was never opened in the first place, try one of the following techniques:
Use a gluestick.
Since the glue in a gluestick is relatively dry, you can use it to reseal the envelope quite discreetly.
Apply glue to the edge of the flap and close the envelope.
Good as new.
Use a wet glue.
White school glue, superglue, or another type of wet glue is fine to use if you don't have a gluestick.
Just make sure you use as little as possible, so the envelope doesn't get wrinkled with moisture. -
Step 3: Use an envelope opener to lift the flap.
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Step 4: Let the envelope dry.
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Step 5: Reseal the envelope.
Detailed Guide
Boil water in a tea kettle until steam begins to shoot through the spout.
The steam is what you'll use to loosen the glue in the envelope you want to open.
Keep in mind that the steam method can get a little messy and potentially warp the paper, so if it's imperative that the envelope looks fresh and new, you might want to just use a new envelope instead.
If the steam is coming out in a strong, steady stream, stick a spoon in the spout to diffuse it.
That way it won't be as likely to warp the paper with a thick stream of moist heat.
If you don't have a tea kettle, simply boil a small pot of water until it produces steam.
Steam is hot, so you'll probably want to use a pair of tongs or an oven mitt to hold the seal of the envelope under the steam so your hand doesn't get burned.
Hold the envelope there for about 20 seconds to give the steam time to loosen the glue.If your envelope is a long business-sized envelope, run the entire thing over the stream of steam to make sure each portion of the glue gets loosened.
Don't hold the envelope in the steam for more than 20 seconds, or the paper will begin to warp. , Lay the envelope on a table and carefully run an envelope opener under the flap to loosen it.
Open the flap so that you can remove the contents of the envelope.
You want to open the envelope slowly enough that you don't accidentally rip it, but quickly enough that the glue doesn't begin to reseal.
If the flap doesn't seem to be giving, and it tears slightly instead of easily lifting, place it back under the steam so you don't end up ripping it. , After you've finished removing and replacing the contents of the envelope, let the envelope get completely dry before you seal it back up.
In order to prevent wrinkling, lay a sheet of waxed paper over the envelope and put a heavy book on top.
Pressing the envelope flat while it dries will keep it looking fresh.
You could also iron the envelope flat to prevent it from wrinkling.
If you choose to do this, be sure not to leave the iron on the paper for more than a few seconds, since the concentrated heat can cause the paper to turn yellow or burn if you're not careful. , The glue will have lost its tackiness after coming into contact with the steam, so you'll have to use a different method to reseal the envelope.
To reseal the envelope so that it looks as though it was never opened in the first place, try one of the following techniques:
Use a gluestick.
Since the glue in a gluestick is relatively dry, you can use it to reseal the envelope quite discreetly.
Apply glue to the edge of the flap and close the envelope.
Good as new.
Use a wet glue.
White school glue, superglue, or another type of wet glue is fine to use if you don't have a gluestick.
Just make sure you use as little as possible, so the envelope doesn't get wrinkled with moisture.
About the Author
Diana Hamilton
Specializes in breaking down complex organization topics into simple steps.
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