Cleanin' Dem Bottles!

[saintdog327]

So I guess this isn't the most interesting picture...lol Yet because it's the first time i'm doing it for my first batch (5 gallons of Imperial Pale Ale) I thought it was worth sharing!

FYI - The photo is hazy because I used steaming water with some detergent.

 

[minihaha]

We soak ours in ammonia ...labels peel right off. Then run through dishwasher without detergent to rinse off any residue.

 

[minihaha]

Not straight ammonia, I believe the mix is one cup per 5 gal. water

 

[saintdog327]

Haha i was scared for a second on that first post. Straight Ammonia?!?! lol But yea good suggestion. I'll try that out if this is too much of a PTA when I go and remove the labels in a few minutes.

 

[cincydave]

Oxi-clean and hot water solution works very too. Labels fall right off after a few hours

 

[minihaha]

Have you had any issues with oxy clean leaving any residue?

 

[cincydave]

Never had any residue issues with oxyclean. I have a little cooler which holds about 13 bottles. I'll put a few inches of hot water in and disolve a scoop of oxy in it. Then fill bottles with hot water, so they don't float and fill cooler with bottles.Then fill cooler with hot water to top of upper label, but not over top of bottle, so the oxy doesn't actaually get inside the bottles. Put lid on cooler for 3-4 hours and labels fall right off.

 

[Tharderocker]

I have a batch of bottles that have risidual oxy-clean. I filled them up with water and just let them sink to the bottom of the bucket. I have tried washing them with a bottle washer but to no avail un able to get the oxy out. I keg everything so I'm not yo worried, but now I know not to sink the bottles.

 

[Diver165]

+1 for Oxyclean. (Oxyclean Free) Hot water and a scoop of oxy and the labels will fall off. A light scrub with a brush to remove glue residue and thorough rinse. I've never had residue issues. As with whatever you choose to use to remove your labels a thorough rise is always a must.

 

[emjay]

I have a batch of bottles that have risidual oxy-clean. I filled them up with water and just let them sink to the bottom of the bucket. I have tried washing them with a bottle washer but to no avail un able to get the oxy out. I keg everything so I'm not yo worried, but now I know not to sink the bottles.

This usually happens with hard water and too long a soak. The "residue" (more like scale) can be removed with the help of an acid - CLR, muriatic acid, vinegar, or even a decent-strength Star San solution should be able to do the trick (although if you leave Star San or any phosphoric acid solution too long, it can do the exact same thing.)

 

[saintdog327]

Just finished cleaning all the bottles but noticed a lot of them had glue that was extremely difficult to remove. So i just ended up using about half of what I originally watered/soaped. I'm going to try oxyclean for the remaining half.

 

[jmdrpi]

I had read about using some baking soda in the water, that seemed to work for me.

Although I discovered that not all brewery's bottle labels are created equal. Some just fell off - Victory, Yards, Southern Tier.

And others had to be scrubbed - the worse were Great Divide and Smuttynose.

 

[BrewerinBR]

I use oxy-clean inside with a bottle brush and outside with a scrubby (a 3 hour soak will remove most labels). Rinse in cold water to remove soap inside and out, then rinse in very hot water inside and out. Then a trip through dishwasher without soap and high heat dry on.

 

[Mugsfull]

I use oxyclean and hot water in a Cooler overnight. It removes all the labels (except Heinekin) and if there was any nasties in the bottles, those float out too.

Now, I have a water softner. My neighbor does not. He did the same thing and his bottles came out coated in some kind of white residue. It was strange. I'm guessing it was the hard water.

 

[emjay]

I use oxyclean and hot water in a Cooler overnight. It removes all the labels (except Heinekin) and if there was any nasties in the bottles, those float out too.

Now, I have a water softner. My neighbor does not. He did the same thing and his bottles came out coated in some kind of white residue. It was strange. I'm guessing it was the hard water.

Yes, that happens if you leave it too long in a hard water oxyclean solution. It can be removed with most acids - vinegar, CLR, muriatic acid, and even Star San - though Star San can also cause the same thing to happen because the phosphoric acid precipitates calcium.

 

[KingHippo]

Gotta love that Notch. Welcome local Brewer!