# Removing Bottle Labels Experiment (with photos)



## idzy (13/11/13)

Hi All,

I am new to brewing and have been reading a stack of different posts related to how to remove bottle labels and thought I would share some of my findings.

*Experiment*
The purpose of the experiment was the uncover the absolute best way to remove labels from a range of different bottle brands and sizes. Factors considered were elapsed time, actual effort, and cost.

*Equipment and Methods*
The equipment and methods that were on trial were:

Soak in water
Bleach + water
Paint scrapper
Dishwasher (without soap)
Caustic soda (a.k.a. Drain cleaner)
Eucalyptus oil
*Method*
The method I used was to basically work my way down the list, from top to bottom. Although inherently this method has flaws. After now having finished, I feel the results would be the same even if you were to run experiments in parallel, etc.


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## idzy (13/11/13)

*Trial*
*Soak in water*
First thing I did was soak all the bottles in the kitchen sink. For a number of bottles, this was enough and removed the labels without too many issues. However there was residual glue stuck where the bottle labels had been, ie. Stone and Wood plastic labels and Coopers Pale Ale paper variety.

*Paint scrapper*
The next trial was to use a paint scrapper, as has been mentioned. This method was okay, but really was a lot of hard work, time consuming and really just spread the mess out, rather than removing it.

*Dishwasher (without soap)*
After having almost all labels removed and now dealing with residual glue, I configured the dishwater to allow bottles to be stacked top and bottom drawer (with these little levers on the sides of the drawer). I proceeded to stack about 30 bottles into the dishwasher and ran the heavy cycle for 2 washes, totaling 260 minutes. I opened the dishwasher to find that the bottles were basically in the same state as when I had put them in, however the glue was now converted to a honey-like consistency and it became a real pain to handle the bottles as they would stick to your hands, etc.

It was time to call in the calvalry, so I went down Woolworths and buy some equipment.

I came back with:

White King (Bleach)
Mechanix (Caustic Soda)
Eucalyptus Oil
Gloves
Scrubbing Pads
*Bleach and Water*
This method did work okay (read: better than just water), however still did require some scrubbing and elbow grease.


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## idzy (13/11/13)

*Caustic Soda*
I decided against my better judgement and risk averse personality to give this a shot. Well the instructions were "2 teaspoons (20g) with 1 litre of water and tip down the drain" which was no help. I had read many people say 5% solution and such things and I believe 20g was a 2% solution for 1 litre. I decided if I was to use 5% theory, that would be 500g, which was the entire tub of Caustic Soda and I am too cheap to do something like that. I decided the magic number was 80g, based on the amount of water I had squirted out of the hose to cover the bottles in the plastic tub (I had no idea how much water there was).

Well after doing some bottling using other bottles, I came back after about 40 minutes and the glue was gone on most and where it wasn't on others it just needed to be wiped off the bottle.

I wiped all the bottles, tipped the solution down the outside drain (hopefully help some blockages and then filled again to the top to dilute the residual caustic solution.

There were 4 bottles of the lot that did not have their glue removed. I was quite shocked by this and cannot think of any reason for this.


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## idzy (13/11/13)

*Eucalyptus Oil*
This was saved for last as it was my least preferred method for a number of reasons.

The bottles need to be dry
The bottles need eucalyptus oil applied individually
The bottles then need to be rubbed with a cotton ball (or my wife's makeup pads).
The results initially seemed really good and the sticky residual glue came off with a bit of rubbing. However, after rinsing the bottles under hot water and trying to remove the oil from the bottle (read: pain in the bum), I noticed that the bottles still had some sort of coating on them. It is hard to explain, but it was as though the glue was not completely removed, they felt a little waxy.


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## idzy (13/11/13)

*Findings and conclusion*
It was clear that there isn't a one size fits all method for cleaning bottles and it has proven to be a time consuming and painful task.

There is no doubt that a combination of soaking in water to remove labels and then Caustic Soda solution to remove glue are the best methods for a broad percentage of bottles. Or at least in my mind.

The Caustic Soda was easily the best and most effective method. It really did counter the adhesive qualities of the glue and made it just wipe straight off. Combined with soaking the bottles to remove labels first. This will be my method in the future. I will never go near the dishwasher will labelled bottles and consider this method the most time consuming and a red herring.

I hope someone finds my fumbling around with these methods helpful!


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## TSMill (13/11/13)

I find a long soak in starsan/water mix, and an old credit card as a scraper works best.


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## Wortgames (13/11/13)

Here is the absolute best way to do it, bar none:

1. Get yourself a plastic dustbin and plonk it somewhere.

2. Fill it with a weak bleach solution.

3. Rinse your empties and put them in the bin.

4. Empty the bin on brewday when you need your clean bottles. The labels will all have slipped off and can be collected up and thrown away.

5. Rinse the bottles in clean water. They are already sanitised and spotless and have no trace of paper or glue on them.

6. Remember to pass this tip on to some other young brewer when you are old and fat and kegging.

:beer:


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## LiquidGold (13/11/13)

Hot water and homebrand napisan left to soak for as long as you want, then a metal scourer to get the glue off. A little bit of elbow grease required but not that much really. i find the metal scourer doesn't scratch the glass unless you really give it a hard rub


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## maldridge (13/11/13)

I'm seconding this method. I've had no label defeat me when up against a good soak with hot water and napisan. Labels slide right off with minimal scrubbing after to remove glue residue.


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## BeerNess (13/11/13)

Thanks for the write up! Very helpful.

I too use hot water + napisan and a paint scraper for good results. I've found doing them in small batches of 4-6 bottles helps my sanity levels lol


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## bradmccoy (13/11/13)

Myt method is:
Soak in water. Remove labels. If labels don't come off easily, throw the bottle away.


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## yum beer (13/11/13)

I soak in hoter water / cheap arse napisan for 24 hours or so.
Most labels have either come off on their own or wash off under the tap, quick rub with a chux and a rinse, all good.
Some labels don't come off first go, but they will after 2 or 3 cycles.

Anybody been able to remove a Corona label........


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## of mice and gods (13/11/13)

You know if you defeat the Coopers glue, they will just make better glue right?

Have you noticed the back labels come off easily with a warm water soak, but the front labels stay on? Surely Coopers do this to retain branding (and therefore free advertising) on their tallies (which as we know are specifically manufactured to support their homebrew products).

Anyway, good write up mate. I found the easiest way to get rid of labels was to give my bottles away and replace them with kegs 

Al


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## GuyQLD (13/11/13)

That would require me to have a corona bottle... And that's not allowed in my house.


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## lael (13/11/13)

hot water, napisan, soak for 24hrs - 48hrs. Scourer. Too much effort = bin


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## of mice and gods (13/11/13)

yum beer said:


> Anybody been able to remove a Corona label........


A sand blaster works nicely if you're into frosted bottles


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## technobabble66 (13/11/13)

Hot water + sodium percarbonate (active ingredient in napisan). 
Soak for 30 mins & labels will generally slip straight off. Quick rub with something - fingers, sponge, the label itself - and the remnant glue also dissolves. 
Hell, a 10 min soak is normally enough. 

Any part of the label with metallic ink on it (eg: front coopers label) will impair the solution from soaking through to affect the glue. Extra time (try 30 mins) is normally enough. Otherwise strip the first layer of paper off after the initial soak then soak again for 10 mins. Remaining thin scraps of paper & glue should rub straight off. 

Added bonus: sod perc will sanitize the bottles simultaneously.

Let the heat & chemicals do the elbow grease stuff. Leaves more time for brewing & drinking!


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## technobabble66 (13/11/13)

Oh, the stone & wood type of plastic labels should peel straight off after some applied heat (ie: soak in hot water).


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## unclebarrel (13/11/13)

mmmm. I like my bottles frosted because they're cold !


Is it considered poor form to not de-label your bottles ?
I used to, but now can't be bothered.
I know what I am drinking after all.


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## of mice and gods (13/11/13)

I wouldn't worry unclebarrel, I don't think the label has an adverse affect on the flavour. I'm sure there are plenty of sinners that are too lazy to de-label. I am one of them. All is well if the label came off while I was washing and rinsing for sanitary purposes, if it didn't, well so be it.


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## hoppy2B (13/11/13)

I've never de-labelled. I like the labels because they remind me what I've had to drink and I don't actually buy much beer, only just to try it out.
You can always fill the bottles with beer and give them away if you don't like the ones with labels you are unable to remove. Its kind of what I'm considering doing because I wouldn't mind having all the same size bottles.


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## MrTwalky (13/11/13)

hot soak in 'pink stain remover' and a gentle scourer with one of those green scrubbers. works a treat.


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## wide eyed and legless (13/11/13)

Vanish, a product from E.E.Muir & Sons removes labels and glue within 30 minutes


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## Ducatiboy stu (13/11/13)

Good old caustic. Just soak your manky bottles for 24hr and they will be nice and clean.


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## jaypes (13/11/13)

MrTwalky said:


> hot soak in 'pink stain remover' and a gentle scourer with one of those green scrubbers. works a treat.


I wash my bottles in PSR before rinsing and sanatising - usually the labels are half off when they come out of the PSR bath

I now have a new method where when I finish consuming a bottle (or 3) I rinse in hot water and take to the green scourer. Beats trying to remove labels off 30 bottles at a time


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## LiquidGold (13/11/13)

I much prefer de-labelling in bigger batches which I find takes less time than doing individually but on the other hand I also usually find myself rinsing each bottle directly after pouring which is sort of contradictory.


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## unclebarrel (13/11/13)

True. 

I do see the value in nice clean bottles without other beers labels on them, really I do.
I just got lazy !! 


Sent from my iPhone using Aussie Home Brewer


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## Kak (13/11/13)

My method is..................nah its bullshit, I dont have one. Im hoping an act of god will make them one day disappear!


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## Glot (13/11/13)

Washing jars and bottles with labels attached in a dishwasher gunks up the dishwasher.
Wet the end of your finger with a drop on Euclyptus oil and wipe it along the top of the label. Leave standing vertically for 24 hours then peel the label off.


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## of mice and gods (14/11/13)

To classically lead the thread slightly astray. I was thinking more about the frosted bottle idea. I wonder if you put a cloudy heff in a frosted bottle and gave it some kind of name alluding to summer if the megacrowd would buy it.


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## Mattwa (14/11/13)

I've found after a hot water soak most labels come off easily. Some have some really savage glue, and the best way I found was olive oil and a paper towel. You need a good glob of oil to dissolve the glue into, but it worked a treat. just work it around and wash off with soapy water.


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## adamh (14/11/13)

i use sodium perc and a window scraper knife thing like this






If there's glue left I use this


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## DJ_L3ThAL (14/11/13)

+24 hot water, no need to soak for more than 30 mins, best to do while water is still very hot (with gloves!!) and this way I find most labels simples just wipe off into the water maybe a couple more rubs for any residual glue. Only problem is it's tedious getting labels out without a modern drain/sieve type tub plug!


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## technobabble66 (14/11/13)

I should probably add my comments related mainly to beer bottles. 
Some jars do have that really persistent glue. For that, I'd do as per Mattwa. Soak & rub off the paper, then rub in a bit of olive oil while still hot. This loosens/dilutes the glue, then rub with a paper towel & wash with detergent. 

I've found after a hot water soak most labels come off easily. Some have some really savage glue, and the best way I found was olive oil and a paper towel. You need a good glob of oil to dissolve the glue into, but it worked a treat. just work it around and wash off with soapy water.


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## Spiesy (14/11/13)

Piece of piss. Boil the kettle. Fill the bottle. Pour over the outside of the bottle. Let sit for a couple of minutes. Pour a little more over the label - remove, and scrub any remaining residue with a standard scrubbing brush. Rinse.


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## pilgrimspiss (14/11/13)

I take out the cutlery tray in the dishwasher and stack it full of bottles, facing down, they sit quite nicely on all the little pegs. You can cram about 4 cartons of stubbies or 3 (nearly 4!) cartons of king browns. Whack in a dish washing tablet (i've been chucking 1/4 of a cup of no rinse sanitizer in the bottom!) and put it on the hottest cycle. The steam at the end lifts the labels off and they sit in the strainer off the dishwasher. Come out crystal clear everytime for me. No problems with sanitizing either. Usually whack them on while i'm brewing then they are ready to go at the end straight out of the dishwasher.


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## Rocker1986 (14/11/13)

I just soak mine in napisan and water in the laundry tub over night, most labels come off pretty easy and if there's any residual glue I just remove it with a brush. If it's that bloody annoying shit glue that is used on those "imported by..." stickers on some of the English beers, then I use something like that glue remover in a previous post. Piece of piss and cleans the insides as well.


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/11/13)

Dishwasher tabs in a tub of hot water is good and cheap


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## punkin (14/11/13)

idzy said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I am new to brewing and have been reading a stack of different posts related to how to remove bottle labels and thought I would share some of my findings.
> 
> ...



Typical forum behavoir eh? The OP said he had already read a myriad of posts and got all these opinions so did an experiment and documented it. (although he did leave out the sodium percarbonate that works very well)

Then there's pages of replies that ignore the experiment and repost all the methods that he's read already 

Thanks Op for the effort involved in doing the experiment and documenting the process. Also for your foresite in making the thread title searchable and easily selected in a search. :super:

Would be nice if you posted a follow up experiment with a couple more of the methods posted here as i know from experience there are some good suggestions. B)


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## Edak (14/11/13)

What I would like to point out is that all of those who soak to remove labels and glue fail to realise that the dissolved glue goes into the bottles and how do you get that out confidently?


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## technobabble66 (14/11/13)

Ummm .... rinse with more of the stuff (read: Sod perc) that dissolved it in the first place h34r: :lol:
Then a quick rinse with boiled & hot water.


Re: punkin: agree. I'm a big fan of experimental evidence, even if it's our half-arsed backyard version; & especially when it's nicely laid out in easy to search & read format! :super:


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## Josh SA (14/11/13)

When i was bottling & had some v old dirty bottles, soaking in PSR, the labels would fall off over night. maybe small bit of glue left behind.

Most of my bottle collection has labels still on. doesn't bother me.

when ive entered beer into comp, I just remove the label with a razor blade.

After getting into kegging, I always said I would bottle a few litres from each batch but its never happened. bottling was too much effort & is what put me off brewing early on.
removing labels.. Pfft..

Just remembered from when i used to bottle. I would always rinse them with the cheap little Karcher pressure washer & that would blow the labels off after a short soak (old bottles though).


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## idzy (15/11/13)

punkin said:


> Would be nice if you posted a follow up experiment with a couple more of the methods posted here as i know from experience there are some good suggestions. B)


Yeah punkin, I was thinking the same thing. At the time, I tried the most popular methods, but assumed napisan and bleach would be similar. I have just had some Starsan arrive today, so I will definitely do some further tests with both starsan, napisan and also some chlorine based sanitiser.

Thanks everyone for your replies.


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## carniebrew (15/11/13)

Me too on the too lazy to de-label category. What's the point? I pour all my beers into a glass before drinking anyway. And besides, a lot of my bottles these days I'm quite proud to have labels on...Sierra Nevada, Tuatara, Green Flash, Moon Dog etc...they're like little badges of honour...

Excellent work on the experiment though, thanks for taking the time to post on it.


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## poeee (15/11/13)

What ratio of napisan to water should I use? I'm about to use di-san from Aldi to attempt to get the labels off my bottles.


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## punkin (15/11/13)

I'd have a look at the label if it was me doing it.


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## Ducatiboy stu (15/11/13)

You will need about that much napi-san into this much water


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## poeee (15/11/13)

Excellent. About 'that much' it is!


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## Rocker1986 (15/11/13)

If it helps any I just use about half to three quarters of a cap full into a laundry tub. I dunno how much the laundry tub holds though.


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## poeee (16/11/13)

A standard laundry trough is 45L.


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## altpferd (18/11/13)

I'm a professional cleaner. I just soak in really hot water with a bit of dishwashing detergent. Scrape with a plastic scraper (credit card would work well too) then scrub with a nylon scrubbing pad. I only remove the labels that don't have anything to do with what will be in them .. if something says it's a draught beer and I'm using it to bottle draught beer, I will leave the label on. Good to take to places that don't like the idea of home brew in their homes, you know, posh people.


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## carniebrew (18/11/13)

Good thinking, but what's a draught beer?


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## altpferd (19/11/13)

Draft beer may be another way to spell it?
I'm a bit of a newb.


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## barls (19/11/13)

The funny thing is draught beer is beer off tap ie a keg system. So it's kinda a bit stupid that they put it on a bottle. 
It's kinda like when I get people coming in asking for some thing in the pure style. Once again not a real style but marketing


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## jaypes (19/11/13)

altpferd said:


> I'm a professional cleaner. I just soak in really hot water with a bit of dishwashing detergent. Scrape with a plastic scraper (credit card would work well too) then scrub with a nylon scrubbing pad. I only remove the labels that don't have anything to do with what will be in them .. if something says it's a draught beer and I'm using it to bottle draught beer, I will leave the label on. Good to take to places that don't like the idea of home brew in their homes, you know, posh people.


No drams here, I dont know any posh people let alone be friends with any


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## carniebrew (19/11/13)

barls said:


> The funny thing is draught beer is beer off tap ie a keg system. So it's kinda a bit stupid that they put it on a bottle.
> It's kinda like when I get people coming in asking for some thing in the pure style. Once again not a real style but marketing
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Yep, it's a complete oxymoron to have "Draught" (or Draft) written on anything in a bottle. Draft was always meant to indicate beer in a cask or keg. Bloody marketing departments!


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## Mardoo (20/5/15)

OK, my wife is a genius, and WD40 is god. Tonight she was prepping some bottles for a craft project for our daycare and needed to get the glue off and nothing has worked. She's heard WD40 works. FMD, it works a charm! Those goddamn hot euro 750ml bottles I got that I've never been able to get the glue off, no matter the method? WD40 and a scrubby. Came right off!!! So if you have bottles none of the suggestions here will work on, or can't be arsed going to the shops for something you don't have, head out to the shed and grab your red an blue friend. Erm...


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## Feldon (20/5/15)

For Coopers bottles I just fill the bottles and submerge in cold water (no need for hot). Leave for a few hours and labels will all peel straight off. Easy.

To remove the glue lines that remain adhered to the bottles, just lightly rub with steel wool whilst the bottles are still submerged. Done.


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