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Author Topic: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?  (Read 11133 times)

Offline dcrawlins

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #15 on: October 14, 2010, 10:55:54 am »
I usually soak the bottles in warm water containing caustic soda.  Liquid Plumber add to warm water works very well. Commercial
Breweries use a caustic solution to remove labels.  Just wear dish washing gloves as caustic ( sodium or potassium hydroxide) will cause skin irritation or burns in high concentration.    just rinse well after soaking overnight and sanitize and you are done.

Offline euge

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #16 on: October 14, 2010, 11:13:48 am »
I usually soak the bottles in warm water containing caustic soda.  Liquid Plumber add to warm water works very well. Commercial
Breweries use a caustic solution to remove labels.  Just wear dish washing gloves as caustic ( sodium or potassium hydroxide) will cause skin irritation or burns in high concentration.    just rinse well after soaking overnight and sanitize and you are done.

I have plenty of sodium hydroxide. Does it eat the labels or just the adhesive?
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Offline wingnut

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #17 on: October 14, 2010, 06:05:50 pm »
Hot PBW in a cooler.. soak an hour, lables fall off... most of them.

The ones that do not, I take the plastic square that came with my pizza stone for cleaning it and scrap the label off. 

My alternate method is to soak as above and take a green scrubbie to the label. (some foil labels require this).
-- Wingnut - Cheers!

Offline Podo

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #18 on: October 16, 2010, 09:03:46 am »
I use hot water and a big scoop of oxyclean, and most labels are off in  an hour.
So good once it hits your lips!

Offline bluedog

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #19 on: October 23, 2010, 12:48:49 pm »
I use the hot water coming out of my immersion chiller for soaking bottles. If the labels don't come off easily after a soak, they go in the recycle bin. By the way, don't use water at those temps for cleaning a carboy...

Offline Tim McManus

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #20 on: October 23, 2010, 01:24:10 pm »
I'm cheap so I soak the bottles in warm, slightly soapy water using dish detergent.  After an hour I take a butter knife or a paint scraper and take the labels off.  Then the bottles go back in the solution for 10 minutes or so.  I get the remaining labels off with a green kitchen scrubby.

So all you need is the detergent, a bucket, a paint scraper, a green scrubby and some time.
Tim McManus
Haskell, NJ

Offline chezteth

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #21 on: October 23, 2010, 01:27:16 pm »
I usually use PBW and hot water.  It will take off most labels after a soak.  If they still don't come off then a scrub pad is in order.

Offline ipaguy

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #22 on: October 24, 2010, 01:58:42 pm »
Hot water & B-Brite does it for me.  My local microbrewer uses  an amount & type of adhesive that's obviously designed to withstand a nuclear attack (I've tried everything).  I've given up trying on these, and turn them is for deposit.
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Offline realbeerguy

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #23 on: October 24, 2010, 04:36:47 pm »
Ammonia & hot water
Member Savannah Brewers League & Lowcountry MALTS

Bluffton SC

Offline sharg54

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #24 on: February 03, 2011, 12:59:38 pm »
I have been looking at all the suggestions and I have found that putting my bottles in the sink with some dawn dish washing liquid and as hot a water as I can stand and a putty knife works just fine. Fill them up with the hot soapy water and let them sit for about 5 minuets than just peal with a 4" putty knife. Use a scrubby to clean off the rest of the glue and rinse with hot water.  It takes me about 15 minuets to clean a case of bottles and I have yet to find a label that won't come off easy. And being as we are on the subject of bottle cleaning try sanitizing in the oven rather than bleach or Starsan. Once they are clean just get them wet and stack them in the oven, mine will hold about 4 cases. Set the oven on 275 and let them set for about an hour and a half. Let cool and bingo sanitized bottles ready for bottling and I have never had a bottle crack or brake doing this.  ;D 
People keep telling me it's not rocket science... I like rockets..

Online hopfenundmalz

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #25 on: February 03, 2011, 01:53:07 pm »
I use hot water and a big scoop of oxyclean, and most labels are off in  an hour.

This is what I do.  If the labels don't come off after an overnight soak, they get returned for deposit or recycled if not from in state.
Jeff Rankert
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Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline bonjour

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #26 on: February 03, 2011, 02:01:53 pm »
goo be gone or some such petroleum based solvent for those that don't come off with some form of water.  This is more of a glue remover than a paper remover,




or just recycle them
Fred Bonjour
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AHA Governing Committee; AHA Conference, Club Support & Web Subcommittees



Everything under 1.100 is a 'session' beer ;)

Offline BrewArk

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Beer...Now there's a temporary solution!

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Offline oscarvan

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #28 on: February 03, 2011, 03:39:52 pm »
I keg....... ;D
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Offline bonjour

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Re: What is the best way to remove stubborn labels from bottles?
« Reply #29 on: February 03, 2011, 03:55:09 pm »
I keg....... ;D
Ok,  I'd like a 6-pack  ;D
Fred Bonjour
Co-Chair Mashing in Michigan 2014 AHA Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan
AHA Governing Committee; AHA Conference, Club Support & Web Subcommittees



Everything under 1.100 is a 'session' beer ;)