Removing Bottle Labels Experiment (with photos)

[hoppy2B]

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.

 

[MrTwalky]

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

 

[wide eyed and legless]

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

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

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

 

[jaypes]

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

 

[LiquidGold]

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.

 

[unclebarrel]

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

 

[Kak]

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

 

[Glot]

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.

 

[of mice and gods]

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.

 

[Mattwa]

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.

 

[adamh]

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

If there's glue left I use this

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

+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!

 

[technobabble66]

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.

 

[Spiesy]

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.

 

[pilgrimspiss]

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.

 

[Rocker1986]

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 **** 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.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

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

 

[punkin]

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.

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)

 

[Edak]

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?