Many experienced shavers use paste on the Linen side so that might not be as bad of an idea as you think. As far as removing it goes, I am not really sure how you would go about it. If I remember correctly, I think that MParker said that he used carberator cleaner to remove the paste on the leather side of his strop. I do not know if this would work on the linen. Maybe Tony Miller could give you some advice, but I have a feeling the it will be fairly difficult to get everything off.