[HobsonDrake]

Why bother removing labels? I used to spend all that time removing labels and just decided to go and buy stickers from office supply store. Print out some information on it like name (or what your brewery would be called ) and brew then past over the top of the commercial label.
The only time I remove labels now is if for some reason I have to soak a bottle because it will not clean up from a hot pressure rinse.
 

[Slowbrew]

I've been know to use a razor blade on really stubborn labels.  Like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-1-1-2-in-Razor-Scraper-28-500/202262010

Just be sure to push away from yourself at all times. I can showy ou some scars that prove it is a valid rule.   

Most labels came off with a good OxyClean, PBW or Straight-A soak.  User as hot of water you can get out of the tap and let them sit for a day or two.  Leinenkugel bottles were the worst for me.  Most of the craft brewers labels would just fall off.

For already used bottles I'm in the rinse well after pouring and eye ball the inside for gunk camp.

Paul

[klickitat jim]

One man's boring pain is another man's therapy. I currently have 6 csses of empty 12s ready to go. But when I run low I start stocking up. Then I dedicate a crappy weather day to the process. I have a couple bus boy tubs that fit a half case each. Hot oxy soak takes the labels and glue off. Quick inside scrub with a bottle brush. Hot water soak/rinse. Starsan dip. Then drip dry on a bottle tree. Box upside down in plastic coated cardboard cases for storage. In a day I can do 6 or 8 cases which is plenty for my needs.

[Stevie]

I scored a half dozen cases of 22's from a brewery that appeared to use a wax based glue. It was nice in that the label came off with just a hot soak, but the wax itself was a total PIA.

[Iliff Ave]

Cleaning - rinse well after drinking. short dishwasher cycle with 1 oz of starsan in the detergent reservoir

Labels - soak bottles in warm ammonia & water mixture overnight. stubborn labels may need to scrub with iron wool

[coolman26]

When I first started I had a friend that drank tons of Stone IPA.  I Have 15 cases of those I think.  I haven't bottled in a while, but the kegs are almost full.  I found Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, and Victory labels were easy.  3 Floyds not a chance.  Some just are not worth the trouble.  I haven't bought small bottles in a long time.  I buy bombers mostly now.  I never drink just one, so bombers are perfect for me.  Get them clean, store upside down, Vinator before filling.

[ScottBeh]

You can get the ink labels off those Stones, if you want to,  by soaking in a bucket of old StarSan.  A few days or a week and the ink comes off with no scrubbing.

[morticaixavier]

You can get the ink labels off those Stones, if you want to,  by soaking in a bucket of old StarSan.  A few days or a week and the ink comes off with no scrubbing.

mmmm cadmium kolsch.

I don't know if that is still true but there was some cadmium in the paint they used on their bottles for a while. I don't know that I would want to risk it for the $1.50 you save over buying new

[ScottBeh]

Ive seen that argument against before.  My experience is that 99% of the ink stays on the bottle, the soaking just loosens the bond  to the point it comes off with a wipe of your hand while washing off and rinsing out in the sink.  Any cadmium in the bucket should be heavier than water and sink to the bottom of the bucket.  And, glass should be inert and not reabsorb any cadmium from the water...at least not any more than has been  absorbed since Stone applied the label and you drank the original product.  Ive been doing it for quite a while....doing OK except for that annoying tick and green fingernails.

[coolman26]

I had never heard this before.  I never removed the ink.  It was easy to not have paper labels.  I just marked the cap with a printed round label that was the size of the cap.

[homoeccentricus]

OK, so far the two things I have read that seem to optimize this nasty process is sterilizing bottles in the oven, and using a Fastrack. Though I'm not really sure  about the second one. Can anyone confirm? Not sure whether they can be found in Europe...

[coolman26]

I've never used the oven.  I remove the labels with an OxiClean soak.  I then have a tub of Starsan and drop them in.  My dishwasher has a high temp dry setting.  I take them out of the Starsan and run them through one cycle in the dishwasher.  I then turn upside down in cases until I'm ready to use.  I do a few pumps of Starsan with my Vinator and bottle.  I made a homemade bottle tree to let them drip when bottling.  The FastRack looks nice, but really not necessary IMO. Once I pour them to drink, I rinse them with hot tap very well and turn upside down in the case.  Repeat the process.

[homoeccentricus]

OK, let me try it another way (and let's disregard labels for now). What if I want to skip the oxi clean step? Rinse the bottle well after drinking it, obviously, then what? Sterilize in oven. Anything else?

[blackislandbrewer]

I'm with Jim on this one, bottle management is therapeutic to me. But I still like to keep it simple, so I have some simple steps:
1) if it's a new bottle, it gets soaked in oxiclean until the label floats off. If the label stays stuck (like those plastic ones from Elysian) it gets tossed. Then any remaining glue gets scrubbed, and the inside gets scrubbed with a brush and blasted with a jet bottle washer. From there it goes back into the case, NECK DOWN. This cues me that it is ready for bottling.
2) if it's a refilled bottle, it gets thoroughly rinsed with hot water immediately after emptying, and put back into a case NECK DOWN.
3) On bottling day, I grab two cases of bottles that are NECK DOWN. I spray my bottle tree with starsan, squirt the inside of each bottle using a Vinator filled with starsan, dip the neck in the Vinator's starsan, and set on the tree. This is a two hand operation, one hand operating the pump, the other removing bottles from the box and then putting them on the tree, both hands working at the same time. Goes pretty fast.

[erockrph]

OK, let me try it another way (and let's disregard labels for now). What if I want to skip the oxi clean step? Rinse the bottle well after drinking it, obviously, then what? Sterilize in oven. Anything else?

Other options are using the "Sanitize" setting on your dishwasher, or spraying with a no-rinse sanitizer like Star-San.