Bottle Question: I've been saving bottles, find it hard to remove lables

Some beers are easier to remove than others. I soak my bottles in warm soapy water some slide off some I have to scrape off. Has anyone found an easy way to remove lables?

Mix up Oxyclean and warm water. Let them sit.

Oxyclean Free. Soak your bottles in water and Qxyclean for a couple of hours and the labels will float off.

I knew you guys would have the answer!

24 hours of soaking minimum for me. still have to use a green scrubby on the glue.

Don't be surprised if it doesn't work on all the labels. Some brands of beer, the labels float right off. Other brands, the labels laugh at your oxyclean and make you pick and scrub them off even after 24 hours of soaking.

I use a strong bleach solution (25%) and it lifts most non-metallic labels off by itself after an O/N soak. Any glue residue can be wiped away with the soft side of a sponge with a single pass.

I filled my kitchen sink up with water/bleach, fill the bottles with the mixture that have labels on, soak them for 24 hours and maybe use a plastic knife to scrape off the harder ones. You never know what people put in the bottles, and the bleach takes care of that.

For any residue that remains I use a flat painter's razor to scrape it off - a couple of bucks at home depot.

I find that when I leave the bottles in Oxy they tend to get a white film on them. I usually only soak for half an hour. That usually takes the labels off. I like the stubby Sierra Nevada bottles.

escalante88 said:

For any residue that remains I use a flat painter's razor to scrape it off - a couple of bucks at home depot.

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+1 for a flat painter's razor for the residue. I use Sun Oxygen Cleaner(5 lb bucket for $5 at Dollar General) and the majority slide right off after an overnight soak. But some stingy ones, like the foil on Unibroue caps need some extra help.

eanmcnulty said:

I find that when I leave the bottles in Oxy they tend to get a white film on them. I usually only soak for half an hour. That usually takes the labels off. I like the stubby Sierra Nevada bottles.

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Oxyclean for 30 min in hot, hot water and most come clean off. Sierra Nevada bottles are great, great lakes brewing co bottles are the devil. I rinse all my bottles that i soak in oxyclean in a mild vinegar solution to get rid of the oxyclean residue. Any acidic solution will work, such as starsan.

And make sure to rinse thoroughly if you use an oxy product.

if you dont have oxiclean (Or even if you do) try using a butter knife after soaking. if nothing else, it makes it easier on your scrubie and helps remove stubborn labels.

bierhaus15 said:

Oxyclean for 30 min in hot, hot water and most come clean off. Sierra Nevada bottles are great, great lakes brewing co bottles are the devil. I rinse all my bottles that i soak in oxyclean in a mild vinegar solution to get rid of the oxyclean residue. Any acidic solution will work, such as starsan.

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Leave Great Lake bottles in overnight and you will be happy with the results. 24 hours in hot water (at least starts out hot) and a scoop of oxyclean and you will be g2g.

eanmcnulty said:

I find that when I leave the bottles in Oxy they tend to get a white film on them. I usually only soak for half an hour. That usually takes the labels off. I like the stubby Sierra Nevada bottles.

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I like the SN bottles, too, but I find the labels some of the most difficult to remove. Well, the labels usually come right off, but leave whiteish/blueish/glue substance behind that I have to scrub off.

kanderna said:

I like the SN bottles, too, but I find the labels some of the most difficult to remove. Well, the labels usually come right off, but leave whiteish/blueish/glue substance behind that I have to scrub off.

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Yeah, I usually rub the glue off with my thumb, then scrub with a 3M pad. Sometimes I add dish soap. I'm going to try the vinegar next time.

I soak mine overnight in some soapy water, then use the back of a knife to scrape the glue off the SN bottles. Rub any excess off with a wash rag. Works like a charm. The Euro bottle labels slip right off, but the SN have thick glue.

I use 1/2 Cup of baking soda in 4 or 5 gallons of water and soak for 30 mins. and I get all labels off. Even Sierra Nevada. The glue is left on some bottles but you can use a green scrub brush and it comes right off. For about .88¢ for a box of soda I think its a deal. You can even get them 2 for a dollar at most dollar stores.

I leave the labels on. Maybe it's tacky, but that the way I roll for now. The beer gets poured out into glasses anyway...

When I was still taking them off, Sierra Nevada were the easiest by far, so +1 to that!

I found Great Lakes so difficult to clean I ended up pitching them in the recycle bin. Red hook bottles seem to clean pretty easy. I have a bunch of sierra nevada bottles that will need cleaned next.

+1 for oxyclean free.

full sail and ninkasi 22oz labels are stickers that peel off without any soaking.

Use Guinness bottles. cut the label with a razor from top to bottom and the label comes right off. No soaking. Plus, the shape is sexy.

eddie said:

Use Guinness bottles. cut the label with a razor from top to bottom and the label comes right off. No soaking. Plus, the shape is sexy.

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I've always tossed them because I was unsure about the "thingy" in the bottle. You just leave it in I assume?

kanderna said:

I've always tossed them because I was unsure about the "thingy" in the bottle. You just leave it in I assume?

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The widget? I take it out with some needle-nose pliers.

eddie said:

The widget? I take it out with some needle-nose pliers.

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Huh. For some reason I thought it was too big to fit through the opening. (That's what she said.)

JLW said:

I found Great Lakes so difficult to clean I ended up pitching them in the recycle bin. Red hook bottles seem to clean pretty easy. I have a bunch of sierra nevada bottles that will need cleaned next.

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Send them to me. I will gladly take them off your hands.

Nope. Just grab a hold of it with the pliers and it slides right out.

kanderna said:

Huh. For some reason I thought it was too big to fit through the opening. (That's what she said.)

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haha so what did you think? they created the bottle AROUND the widget?

Pivot said:

haha so what did you think? they created the bottle AROUND the widget?

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This made me chuckle a little.

Pivot said:

haha so what did you think? they created the bottle AROUND the widget?

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Fair question. Never tried very hard to get it out... could never get it to fall out on its own, so assumed it wasn't happening. Assumed it was the same method they use to get that ship into the bottle.

Life got easier for me when I had the revelation that there really was no need to remove the labels. I pour the beer into glasses and drink. For company or gifts, I suppose it is tacky to serve beer from bottles that still have someone else's label, so I save the naked bottles for guests.

Now, I soak the bottles in Oxyclean/hot water for an hour, peel off the labels that come off easily, leave those that don't, sterilize, and bottle. I don't worry.

If they don't come off, they don't come off. If the label goes and the glue stays, no big deal.

My new motto is bottle in bombers.

Goo gone or goof off for them stuborn labels. I also use copper scouring pads too!

Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams. Harpoon IPA are all Oxy warm water friendly.

New Belgium labels also come off easily after a short soak in hot water.

I think using oxyclean to remove labels is a waste of oxyclean.
A soak in hot water then some elbow grease with a metal scrubbing
pad is all you really need for most labels. You need something to
dissolve the glue for the tough labels, like 70% isopropyl alcohol.
Kerosene is probably best but you don't want to set yourself on fire.

Ray