Abstract Desorption of labeled nonionic and hydrolyzed polyacrylamide from kaolinite in NaCl solutions is obtained using sodium metaphosphate as well as unlabeled polyacrylamide, whereas mere dilution with NaCl solution produced no measurable desorption. Extent of desorption achieved depends upon the charge characteristics of the polymer and the additives. Most interesting, desorption is found to depend upon the amount of original adsorption. Thus almost no polymer was desorbed at low surface coverages whereas up to 56% of a polyacrylamide polyacrylic acid could be desorbed at saturation surface coverage using sodium tripolyphosphate. Sodium metaphosphate desorbed less of the hydrolyzed polymer than the tripolyphosphate but both phosphates performed on an equal basis in the case of nonionic polyacrylamide. Results are discussed in terms of the configuration of the adsorbed polymer, detachment of individual segments of a polymer molecule from the mineral surface, and competition by the additives for the vacated sites and the contribution of the anionic species of the additives to the electrostatic repulsion between similarly charged polymers and mineral surface.