Ran out of pbw can I use one step to remove bottle labels

[rave808]

Ammonia I tell ya... if I have a lot of labels to remove, ammonia works the best. If there are only a few then my standard home made PBW works.

What's your home made pbw consist of


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[DrunkleJon]

If all else fails use WD-40. That stuff will stip pretty much any adhesive. Just put enough on to soak the label, peel then wipe down with a paper towel.

 

[atoughram]

What's your home made pbw consist of


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three pounds of a six pound bucket of Sun Oxygen Cleaner from Walmart mixed with one pound of Red Devil TSP-90. I throw it all into a plastic fermenter bucket, roll it around on the floor for a bit, and poor it back into the Sun bucket. It works well for me.

 

[hausofstrauss]

I just soak them in plain water over night and the labels are easy to peel off. It varies from beer to beer though. Tossing in some oxyclean makes them come off quite a bit easier.

Agreed. Never used the oxyclean on them, however I don't disagree on his point in using it.

I just fill my utility tub with hot water and then dunk all of the bottles in and let them soak while I'm doing something else (generally on brew day). Just make sure you get enough water in the bottles to keep them submerged.

It could be as little as 15 minutes, but usually I don't get back to it until 30 minutes to an hour and most of the labels are falling off by themselves. Then use a credit card or similar plastic scraper to get the labels off. If there is still some glue residue, I use a Scotch-Brite type pad to scrub it off.

If I still have stubborn labels, it's not worth my time and effort. I just chuck those in recycling.

No chemicals needed. Keep it simple.

 

[rave808]

I'm going to make some home made pbw thanx everyone for the tips


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[jrgtr42]

Call me crazy, but why bother taking the labels off in the first place (other than submitting for competitions and so forth)
I just keep my homebrew in it's own box, and use a sharpie to indicate what's inside.
Over time most labels will wear off just by washing and sanitizing.