Removing commercial brewery labels(my suggestion and yours)

[Alehouserock]

This has been a thorn in my side. I have been soaking bottles in a bucket and them scraping/scrubbing them off with the backside of a sponge.

I took other posters advice about cleaning equipment with Oxyclean free(thank you guys for this). I noticed one bottle had some weird haze in it, so I filled a bucket full of Oxyclean and water and put in a little more Oxyclean in the hazey bottle.

For the hell of it , I threw unch of labeled bottles in the bucket and went to retrieve them and the labels were practically falling off. Even a good part of the glue was gone, I literally had to lightly wipe the glue off. The Oxyclean is also a great label remover!


I can't think of an easier way...but since everyone is so helpful here...How do you get the labels off of bottles?

 

[Stoopidwon]

^^^^Same same^^^^

 

[COLObrewer]

Oxy clean works on most, pbw is good too but more expensive. There still seems to be the one stubborn foreign bottle that takes days and numerous scraping, scratching, and grinding techniques.

 

[Alehouserock]

Oxy clean works on most, pbw is good too but more expensive. There still seems to be the one stubborn foreign bottle that takes days and numerous scraping, scratching, and grinding techniques.

Yeah for me, it's Firestone-Walker Labels. It's like they use cement on those. I haven't tried Oxyclean on them yet.

 

[malkore]

star-san does a good job too

 

[IXVolt]

I would have switched to kegging 100% of the time if it wasn't for Oxyclean

 

[Oscbert]

SOS pads for scrubbing the really hard glue off.

 

[RichBrewer]

Oxyclean works great. I have also found that ammonia works quite well for removing labels. A few hour soak and most labels are setting at the bottom of the tub.

 

[Guinness]

Oxyclean works very well, but don't leave them to soak too long - I forgot a bucket full of them over a week-end, and the Oxyclean had crystallized to the bottles, and had to be scrubbed off. I'm concerned about the inside of those bottles.

It doesn't work for plastic labels. One that comes to mind is an apple cider, called Cracked Apple I believe? They're impossible to get off.

 

[carnevoodoo]

star-san does a good job too

Star San will even take the screening off of most bottles. I've done it with Alesmith and Stone and stuff comes right off.

 

[erik559]

Yeah for me, it's Firestone-Walker Labels. It's like they use cement on those. I haven't tried Oxyclean on them yet.

Thats good to know. I was planning on using those bottles.

 

[sketerbuck]

Am I the only one that just leaves the labels on

 

[avibayer]

I am starting to leave the labels on, since i am brewing faster than i can bottle, with regards to taking labels off and having enough bottles.

But i was using oxyclean, and found that over the summer when i had tons of time, i could just let the bottles soak until the labels fell off. then all i had to do was rinse. I like the idea of star san, since i have so much of it, and recently ran out of oxyclean.

over the summer though, having a bucket of still water created the perfect breading grounds for what looked like little worms. I am from new york, and after a few weeks, saw the craziest worm looking things in the water. I had too many bottles in the bucket to get rid of them. I am a bio student, and took some of the worms to the lab to look at them under the microscope. turns out they were mosquito larva. I scrubbed them good, and dumped the water. from then on i cover the bucket with a sheet, so the little buggers cant get in there.

 

[TipsyDragon]

i soak my bottles in warm water for a while. some labels come right off and just need to wipe off the glue. apparently some commercial beer makers use water soluble glue. others on the other hand do not. i have soaked and tried to peel the labels off and just get shreds and the bottle still needs to be scrubbed with a green scrubby. but i do have to admit the glue and paper back does come off easier.

 

[smizak]

Oxyclean for paper labels

Starsan for silk screen printed. Two day soak and minor scrubbing.

Stainless scrubbie and aggravation for sticker labels, i.e. the newer Southern Tier bottles.

 

[avibayer]

I also wanted to mention my hatred for heineken labels. never stop scrubbing

 

[PuNk]

PBW works wanders! I guess starting using it! Let them soak for 15-30 mins, peel the label and brush off the glue. No remaining glue.

 

[Brewin06111]

I also wanted to mention my hatred for heineken

Fixed that for you

 

[Guinness]

Silk Screen Printed = the ones that appear to be painted on the bottle?

 

[Brewin06111]

Silk Screen Printed = the ones that appear to be painted on the bottle?

Yes.. IE: Stone

 

[Shoemaker]

WD-40...comes right off

 

[Want2Brew]

Use a hair dryer to heat the sticker type labels and they should peal off pretty easy then you can use a little lighter fluid to remove any glue residue that is left. Just be carfule not to get lighter fluid in the bottles.

 

[mchatel]

I just use bleach and water. Let them soak overnight. The next morning, the labels are either floating on the surface of the water, or they just fall off the bottles. Bleach is cheap.

 

[Alehouserock]

Thats good to know. I was planning on using those bottles.

The Oxyclean worked like a charm. The Firestone Labels pretty much fell off.

 

[apologeticus]

The Oxyclean worked like a charm. The Firestone Labels pretty much fell off.

for me too. used oxiclean for the first time tonight and it was amazing.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

oxyclean soak......scrape anything stuck with a knife and cameo on a cloth for any glue residue and they are smooth as a spanked babys butt.