How to remove labels?

[A1sportsdad]

I put about 2 Tbs of Oxiclean in a 5 gallon bucket with warm to hot water and let 12 or 13 bottles soak a few hours or overnight. The toughest labels for me to get off are my own. Mine leave a lot of adhesive behind that needs to be scraped. It’s just not as water soluble as beer manufacturers labels. Their labels come off easily after the soak. Then I just give them a quick scrub with a scouring sponge to wipe off the adhesive then rinse them well.

 

[z-bob]

I put about 2 Tbs of Oxiclean in a 5 gallon bucket with warm to hot water and let 12 or 13 bottles soak a few hours or overnight. The toughest labels for me to get off are my own. Mine leave a lot of adhesive behind that needs to be scraped. It’s just not as water soluble as beer manufacturers labels. Their labels come off easily after the soak. Then I just give them a quick scrub with a scouring sponge to wipe off the adhesive then rinse them well.

Try using a little charcoal lighter on a paper towel for your homemade labels.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

I use a school glue stick to put on labels, they come right off with warm water.

 

[The Experimenter]

I tried the Oxiclean Free and put 1 full scoop (up to the #4 line on the scoop) dissolved in 5 gallons of warm water. On the beer bottles it worked like a charm!! I had a small bit of trouble with some Saranac bottles whose labels didn't come all the way off and left some residue when I tried to peel them off, but otherwise (for all of the 4 or 5 other brands mixed in) it worked great. Even with the Saranac bottles though, no razor was needed at any point and the residue came off with light scrubbing.

To get rid of the slimy film from the Oxi, I had a second 5 gallon bucket with Star San and the Star San just cut right through the film (didn't even need to scrub it or anything, just swish 'em around for a couple of seconds). I can't remember if the Star San was something someone in this thread mentioned or if it was something I read in a different thread, but it also works like a charm, cutting right through the Oxi film like nothing.

I also tried the Oxi on some 750ml bottles (for my mead) and had mixed results.

• Two bottles had labels that released after half an hour.
• Three had labels that released halfway and then had to be peeled, leaving behind very sticky residue that took some more soaking to get rid of (it came off after soaking overnight).
• After an overnight soak, 2 others appeared to not release at all, but came off easily with light scrubbing.
• The final one had some weird super sticky stretchy white label that looked like it was going to peel off in one piece when you started pulling on it but then would start tearing in a thousand different places creating a patchwork of label fragments and residue all across the bottle (it was simultaneously stretchy and flaky; it was weird and I have no idea what it was made out of)... I considered just giving up on this one, but it was a really beautiful Trip in the Woods bottle by Sierra Nevada (looks like this: https://i2.wp.com/honestboozereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/maplescotch.png?resize=433,650 ) and to me looks like a really old timey sort of bottle you'd find on the table of a medieval alehouse (I think it's called a Belgian Style bottle?)... Just the sort of thing I want to put mead in. I wanted this frickin' bottle! And yes, I know I could order bottles like these, but I already owned this one and didn't want to just throw it out... So I broke out the steel wool and went at it and after about 25 minutes of scrubbing I had a perfectly clean, and very beautiful, bottle (and a very sore arm).

 

[ajm163]

back when i bottled. save up the bottles until you have a case or two. fill the bathtub with hot water and oxiclean let the bottles sit overnight. most of the labels will be floating on top of the water in the morning. probably a handful will use some stupid glue that wont dissolve. you can ether work to scrape them off or be like me if they didn't come off over night they got recycled

 

[BrewZer]

Quick question... I've been saving commercial pop top beer bottles for bottling my brews and they have worked great. However, I was wondering if there was a common method for quickly and easily removing the labels? I just want plain, clean, unmarked brown bottles without needing to buy a bunch of empty bottles on Amazon. Of course this is not a dire need; the stuff tastes the same either way, but I just think they'd look nicer.

Most of the ones I encounter are paper labels that tend to tear into tiny scraps if you try to dry peel them off the bottles. I was thinking of soaking them in warm water for a few hours, scrubbing with some steel wool, and then removing any excess glue residue with a solvent (on bottles in which the label does easily peel off, I've used a cloth lightly dampened with Zippo fluid which tends to easily dissolve most if not all of the glue residue... just need a well ventilated area and some gloves).

Would this soak and scrub method work well enough, OR do you suggest a different method? Should I add anything to the water I soak them in? Or should I not soak them? Maybe I should just put hot water in the bottles (keeping the outside dry) so as to heat up and loosen the glue and making them easier to peel?...

Any thoughts on good methods for removing glued on paper labels from beer bottles?

Hot soak for a couple of hours, followed by a couple of scrapes with a razor blade.

 

[hotbeer]

I've never had a problem getting the labels off the store/bar bought beer I buy. Many times the sweat condensation loosens the label completely in the humidity we have here in the south. Any remaining goo comes off with a wet rag if you get it before it dries.

For other bottles that present issues because of the adhesive used, I many times just add some household ammonia to warm water and let them soak a couple hours..... somewhere in a room with exhaust fan.

Failing that, either WD-40, rubbing alcohol or acetone along with elbow grease.

 

[DuncB]

Child labour works well after the soaking ( of the bottles ).

 

[The Experimenter]

Child labour works well after the soaking ( of the bottles ).

LOL, if you have your own kids I suppose that's true; I don't though. The only children I am frequently around are my students, but I don't think my Principal would appreciate me bringing a bunch of beer bottles to class and forcing the students to scrub/peel them for a grade

 

[DuncB]

Back to the long soak in PBW then and a good scrape. Rehabbing bottles or upcycling is a pain, but once done maintenance and reuse is easy.
If certain bottles have a particularly tenacious label it's better to send them straight to recycle.
A good light to inspect the bottom of the bottles for hidden crud is helpful as well.

 

[rushpapers]

Large breweries tend to use labels that are printed on an offset printer; cut, stacked and then applied by machine with glue.

The glue is water based and those labels will come off with plain water and a long soak. If you've ever been to a BBQ, it happens in a cooler full of icy water by the end of the party.

Small breweries tend to use labels that are stickers and are printed short run digitally On-demand. They hold like like a steel weld.

The sicker is a product of 3M engineering and holds like a steel weld. I don't even bother taking them off. I recycle those bottles..

However, if you are so inclined to try, the best method I've found is to use a razor scraper. Then use a scour pad, and hot soapy water.

 

[DuncB]

Orange solvent helps for that last nighmare residue left by the self adhesive labels, I spray it on then rub with a scotch pad. Pad then has enough residue to be used on next bottle.
But overall I'd suggest recycle those ones and spend the time looking for other bottles.

 

[Ziller]

Some craft brews have labels that are glued on with something that is insoluble in water. The paper labels come off it soaking but the adhesive is all there still. I spray the adhesive with Pam or any oil and after an hour the glue comes right off! WD 40 works as well, but what's in that ****? Nothing I want in or on my bottles. Peanut butter works well too!