Label Removal

sudsmonkey · 01-16-2006, 02:00 AM

This probably won't be the first time that I discovered something that already existed, but here goes...
My daughter and I were scraping off labels tonight. I soaked the bottles in warm water first, then we attacked with X-acto knives. There were still lines of glue on the bottles. Rubbing them with a wet dish cloth only did so much. Ditto for the cotton ball soaked in alcohol. We ran out to the shed for some steel wool. Dipped in a saucer of rubbing alcohol, steel wool will clean all traces of glue from the most stubborn bottle. Hope this helps someone.

homebrewer_99 · 01-16-2006, 02:18 AM

I just let mine soak in hot water. Any residue is scrubbed off with a sponge with the green scouring pad on one side. Removes all traces of glue.

**ajf** · 01-16-2006, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sudsmonkey

This probably won't be the first time that I discovered something that already existed, but here goes...

I'd be sceptical if you had discovered something that didn't exist

I find some labels come off easily. Others take some extra measures. I'll give your suggestion a try next time I have a "permanent" label.

Thanks

-a.

Kaiser · 01-16-2006, 04:02 AM

Add baking soda to the soaking water and they all come off easily. The residue can then be removed with a normal scrubby pad.

Kai

bikebryan · 01-16-2006, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sudsmonkey

This probably won't be the first time that I discovered something that already existed, but here goes...
My daughter and I were scraping off labels tonight. I soaked the bottles in warm water first, then we attacked with X-acto knives. There were still lines of glue on the bottles. Rubbing them with a wet dish cloth only did so much. Ditto for the cotton ball soaked in alcohol. We ran out to the shed for some steel wool. Dipped in a saucer of rubbing alcohol, steel wool will clean all traces of glue from the most stubborn bottle. Hope this helps someone.

I soak my bottles in a tub with a scoop of Oxyclean for 20 to 30 minutes. The labels can mostly be peeled off at that point; any residue that is left I then scrub off with a green scratch pad (that process only takes maybe 20 to 30 seconds at most). Afterwards, I give the bottles a good rinse and set them aside to dry before boxing them up.

**woodstone** · 01-16-2006, 08:31 PM

Use a cup of ammonia in 5G of water and soak bottles overnight or more...most labels will literally fall off...some, like Sam Adams, will peel off easy and then a quick scrub of the glue with a scuff pad should do the trick. Cheers.

kaptain_karma · 01-16-2006, 08:52 PM

Any labels I can't get off with just hot water and scrubbing, I attack with Goo-Gone. That stuff will dissolve pretty much anything. I've also learned the value of buying beers with easy to remove labels.

dancingbarefoot · 01-16-2006, 09:10 PM

Ammonia's great, and so's just plain soaking.

For really stubborn glue and sticky label residue, lighter fluid works wonders! At a shop I worked for a hundred years ago, we used a tiny dab of that to remove stubborn labels. Piece of cake! Watch out for fumes, though.

El Pistolero · 01-16-2006, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaptain_karma

I've also learned the value of buying beers with easy to remove labels.

That kind of limits you a bit bit doesn't it? I've had some pretty good brews (Avery's, Franziskaner 16 oz. bottles) that had labels that were tough to remove.

And on an entirely different note...how do you get to be a captain of karma? I've got a lot of buds that are captains, in the sense that they have a USCG six-pack license, but I'm unfamiliar with the requirements for a karma kaptain's licence. Does it take a lot of time to become a karma kaptain?