A homogeneous, aqueous mold release solution including: 5 to 90 wt % water; 3 to 40 wt % polyvinyl alcohol; 0.01 to 3.2 wt % surfactant; 1 to 20 wt % sugar alcohol; 0.005 to 1.05 wt % defoamer; and up to 50 ppm biocide, where a total of all components adds to 100 wt %. The mold release solutions have a viscosity in a range from 20 to 600 cps when measured at 23 C. In another aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a homogeneous, aqueous mold release solution including: 5 to 85 wt % water; 10.5 to 15 wt % polyvinyl alcohol; 0.56 to 0.8 wt % surfactant; 1 to 8 wt % sugar alcohol; 0.01 to 0.3 wt % defoamer; and up to 50 ppm biocide, wherein a total of all components adds to 100 wt %. Also disclosed are films prepared from the mold release solutions, as well as methods of coating a substrate using such mold release solutions.