Bottle Question: I've been saving bottles, find it hard to remove lables | HomeBrewTalk.com - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Community.

Homebrew Talk

Help Support Homebrew Talk by donating:

  1. Dismiss Notice
  2. We have a new forum and it needs your help! Homebrewing Deals is a forum to post whatever deals and specials you find that other homebrewers might value! Includes coupon layering, Craigslist finds, eBay finds, Amazon specials, etc.
    Dismiss Notice

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

Discussion in 'Beginners Beer Brewing Forum' started by JLW, Jun 19, 2010.

 

  1. #1
    JLW

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    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?
     
  2. #2
    TRainH2o

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    Mix up Oxyclean and warm water. Let them sit.
     
  3. #3
    aerod1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    Oxyclean Free. Soak your bottles in water and Qxyclean for a couple of hours and the labels will float off.
     
  4. #4
    JLW

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    I knew you guys would have the answer!:mug:
     
  5. #5
    JNye

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    24 hours of soaking minimum for me. still have to use a green scrubby on the glue.
     
  6. #6
    ChshreCat

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    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.
     
  7. #7
    musick

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    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.
     
  8. #8
    avidhomebrewer

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    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.
     
  9. #9
    escalante88

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    For any residue that remains I use a flat painter's razor to scrape it off - a couple of bucks at home depot.
     
  10. #10
    eanmcnulty

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    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.
     
  11. #11
    haplo

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    +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.
     
  12. #12
    bierhaus15

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    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.
     
  13. #13
    haplo

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    And make sure to rinse thoroughly if you use an oxy product.
     
  14. #14
    Mista_Sparkle

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    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.
     
  15. #15
    Breck09

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    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.
     
  16. #16
    kanderna

    Well-Known Member  

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    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.
     
  17. #17
    eanmcnulty

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2010
    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.
     
  18. #18
    uhcougar

    Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    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.
     
  19. #19
    socrates6

    Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    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.
     
  20. #20
    artguy

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    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!
     
  21. #21
    JLW

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    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.
     
  22. #22
    alexdagrate

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    +1 for oxyclean free.

    full sail and ninkasi 22oz labels are stickers that peel off without any soaking.
     
  23. #23
    eddie

    Well-Known Member  

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    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. ;)
     
  24. #24
    kanderna

    Well-Known Member  

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    I've always tossed them because I was unsure about the "thingy" in the bottle. You just leave it in I assume?
     
  25. #25
    eddie

    Well-Known Member  

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    The widget? I take it out with some needle-nose pliers.
     
  26. #26
    kanderna

    Well-Known Member  

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    Huh. For some reason I thought it was too big to fit through the opening. (That's what she said.)
     
  27. #27
    Breck09

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    Send them to me. I will gladly take them off your hands.
     
  28. #28
    eddie

    Well-Known Member  

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    Nope. Just grab a hold of it with the pliers and it slides right out.
     
  29. #29
    Pivot

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    haha so what did you think? they created the bottle AROUND the widget?
     
  30. #30
    Breck09

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    This made me chuckle a little.
     
  31. #31
    kanderna

    Well-Known Member  

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    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. :D
     
  32. #32
    DoctorHops

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    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.
     
  33. #33
    deathtractor

    Active Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    Goo gone or goof off for them stuborn labels. I also use copper scouring pads too!
     
  34. #34
    Bubba

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams. Harpoon IPA are all Oxy warm water friendly.
     
  35. #35
    Searching4Hoppiness

    Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    New Belgium labels also come off easily after a short soak in hot water.
     
  36. #36
    rayg

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2010
    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
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page

Group Builder