Been saving the bottles of my store-bought beer, rinsing them immediately after emptying. Going to bottle a batch of my own this weekend. Soaking them in OxiClean now...about how long will be long enough?
Thanks
Thanks
How long in OxiClean to take labels off?
- Thread starter MrBJones
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depends on the brand... some slide off after just a minute or two... some take a lot longer. Some never really come off easily and require some scrapping.
I generally just put 'em in a bucket overnight.
If they don't come off easy after that, I just toss 'em. Not worth the hassle.
I generally just put 'em in a bucket overnight.
If they don't come off easy after that, I just toss 'em. Not worth the hassle.
FloppyKnockers
Well-Known Member
That's exactly what I was going to say so I'll say it anyway.
depends on the brand... some slide off after just a minute or two... some take a lot longer. Some never really come off easily and require some scrapping.
I generally just put 'em in a bucket overnight.
If they don't come off easy after that, I just toss 'em. Not worth the hassle.
depends on the brand... some slide off after just a minute or two... some take a lot longer. Some never really come off easily and require some scrapping.
I generally just put 'em in a bucket overnight.
If they don't come off easy after that, I just toss 'em. Not worth the hassle.
Murphys_Law
Well-Known Member
What they said!
hockeybrewer
Well-Known Member
Aaawww just dunk em till the night before you bottle and 99% of will fall off, make sure you rinse well and then I throw my all my bottles I'm using in the dish washer. Cheers!!
DaNewf
Well-Known Member
Personally I find it depends on the brand
. Some slide right off in a minute or two and some take forever and an act of God.
Seriously though. I fill a large tub with the hottest water my tap will put out and add about a scoop of Wal-Mart (Great Value) brand oxygen cleaner per gallon of water. If the labels haven't come off by the time the water is down to ambient temperature then you either scrape or scrap them. Rotating the bottles while the water is still hot might help a little (if they are laying down) and make sure each bottle has a little personal space (if they are standing up).
. Some slide right off in a minute or two and some take forever and an act of God.Seriously though. I fill a large tub with the hottest water my tap will put out and add about a scoop of Wal-Mart (Great Value) brand oxygen cleaner per gallon of water. If the labels haven't come off by the time the water is down to ambient temperature then you either scrape or scrap them. Rotating the bottles while the water is still hot might help a little (if they are laying down) and make sure each bottle has a little personal space (if they are standing up).
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TasunkaWitko
Well-Known Member
I can squeeze 20 bottles into a 5-gallon bucket. If there's a way to get more in, someone please let me know!
Anyway, hot water - a scoop of OxyClean, 24 hours, very thorough rinse. If this doesn't get the label off, I'll give the stubborn bottles to my dad, who doesn't care about such things.
On a side note: Can anyone tell me if there is an un-scented OxyClean out there?
Anyway, hot water - a scoop of OxyClean, 24 hours, very thorough rinse. If this doesn't get the label off, I'll give the stubborn bottles to my dad, who doesn't care about such things.
On a side note: Can anyone tell me if there is an un-scented OxyClean out there?
FloppyKnockers
Well-Known Member
A hammer.
brew_darrymore
Well-Known Member
Yes, there is, it's called Oxiclean Free (scent-free), the one with the green lid:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oxi-Clean-Versatile-Free-Stain-Remover-3-lb/19406202
My rule of thumb has been 48 hours. If they aren't coming off by then, send it to recycling.
I usually keep a bucket of PBW around and as I get bottles put them in. Then when I get around to it, or get a full bucket, I pull them out of the bucket. That's anywhere from a day to a week, but almost all labels have either fallen off by themselves or come off very easily.
popsicleian
Well-Known Member
For those labels that won't come off after a soak in Oxyclean, I find that a quick pass with a stainless scouring pad pretty much always does the trick. I have one that I keep around just for that purpose--I think it's a Scotch Brite stainless steel scrubbing pad.
william_shakes_beer
Well-Known Member
I never used anything but tap water and 24 hours. The only labels that didn't come off were the Heineken dark. They are plastic labels the water can't soak through to the glue. I just left those on and keep them in the original Heineken case.
Auger
Well-Known Member
Seriously? 24-48 hours? Ain't no one got time for that. Most bottles with paper labels, a la Sam Adams, I find come loose with 5-10 min in a hot PBW or oxyclean soak. Labels slide off, rinse under hot water and give a wipe with a sponge to get any glue residue off. I can do two cases of bottles in one session before the solution gets cold. Any labels that take longer than that, I don't bother with the bottles.
jamina1
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I only ever used the Oxiclean Free but I've noticed it's more expensive. Is there any harm to using the "normal" stuff?
They only difference is that the "normal" Oxiclean is scented. I use the normal stuff and it doesn't seem to make any difference to me. I think the "free" i.e. free of scents is more about deep cleaning kegs, fermenters, etc.
brew_darrymore
Well-Known Member
The normal oxiclean is scented, and while the scent is very nice to soak your laundry in, I don't want my next batch to smell like soap. I do an overnight soak of my used glass carboys, bottling bucket and empty bottles and I don't want the oxi scent to transfer to them. That's the only reason why I use the Oxiclean Free. Otherwise, I think they are the same product but one is unscented.
Here in Canada both oxiclean free and the scented version cost the same. I'm surprised to hear you pay more for the unscented one.
UndeadFred
Well-Known Member
No one really mentioned that for 90% of the labels out there, just hot water (130-150F) will take them off in 10-15 minutes. The hot water is really the majority of the mechanism that does most of the work. If you want to PBW or Oxy them, it's not a bad idea to clean them either and it will maybe get you to 95% of the bottles out there. For the rest I will scrape with the back of a steak knife and then use a 3M green pad or steel wool. Or throw the damned bottle out at that point.
Brownalemikie
Well-Known Member
I just finished using OxiClean to remove labels on 24 Sam Adams bottles. The labels slid right off after about 15 minutes.
Maybe a little off-topic, but how many times can bottles be re-capped before you have to replace them? Thanks!
Auger
Well-Known Member
As long as you are careful, many many times. I usually end up tossing them once they start showing small chips from being knocked around.
I would say forever, unless chipped like Auger said....
I have only retired Sam Adams bottles from my collection and that is because I am replacing them with bottles that don't have the molded in logo.
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