# Problem Cleaning Bottles



## Rocky (Nov 26, 2011)

I have no idea what happened here, but today I got some bottles from my Daughter and I brought them down to my basement to de-label them and clean them. As I always do, I filled my sink with hot water and some OxyClean and made sure all the bottles were submerged. 

I wnet down about a half hour ago (they had been sitting in the water for about 5 hours) and I reached for a bottle to start the delabeling process. The bottle felt rough, not glossly smooth as they normally do. I thought, 'Well, this is a new brand and they use a different type of bottle.' Then I grabbed a second bottle and a third and had the same thing happen. There was some type of matte coating on the bottles, which I could remove with the gritty side of a "spongee" but I have no idea what is doing on inside the bottle. I put my little finger into a few bottles as far as I could and the inside of the neck was rough, also. 

I am going to pitch the bottles in any case because it is not worth the risk. Does anyone have an idea of what happened? Has this ever happened to anyone out there? Thanks.


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## Runningwolf (Nov 26, 2011)

Yes Rocky. It is the Oxy Clean being left on too long. I don't soak the inside of me bottles with it. I stand all the bottles upright and fell them with hot water. Then I fell the sink up with oxy clean water just an or so above the labels. I always make sure I rinse the bottles well as the oxy clean can leave a ring around the bottle.


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## Rocky (Nov 26, 2011)

Thanks, Dan. I was afraid that was what it was. I am glad it was a small batch and most were 1500 ml, which I don't use a lot. In the past, I ususally got right to the bottles and the did not sit for 5 hours. I like your way of doing it and that is what I will do next time.

Never too old to learn.


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## wvbrewer (Nov 27, 2011)

I use One Step cleaner sanitizer after rinsing out any wine residue with very hot water.


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## Dugger (Nov 27, 2011)

If you have only a few bottles to delabel/clean, you can put them in a bucket, rather than the sink, to soak - takes much less water and leaves the sink free for use if you need it. I picked up a frosting bucket at a local bakery and it's short and wide, perfect for this.


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## Rocky (Nov 27, 2011)

Good idea, Dugger. I have a number of 6 gallon buckets around the basement that I use for waste baskets, "scrap" pieces of wood in my shop & dog food. In my garage, I use them for tool carriers, fertilizers & patio paver base. Never thought of using them for soaking!


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## Minnesotamaker (Nov 27, 2011)

I had the same thing happen when I left a batch to soak overnight. BUT, I've had other batches soaking that it didn't happen to. I'm not sure that the residue was, but it sounds the same as yours. My thought is it had something to do with the labels or the adhesive. I soak the insides of bottles for days at a time sometimes with oxyclean and it doesn't happen then; it only happened with label soak. I ended up tossing the bottles because, like you said, I could get the outer residue off, but the inside stuff was too much trouble to remove.


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## shoebiedoo (Nov 27, 2011)

GREAT!!!! I've been letting them soak overnight (sometimes for another day or so) to make the label come off easy. I've on;y reciently started using oxyclea on the INSIDE as well. i've never noticed any residue. I normally run them through the dishwasher after de-labeling them. They get a good inside rinse with K-meta prior to bottling. I won't remember whichbottles had Oxyclean on the inside too. Rocky, could you SEE the residue as well as feel it? Hopefully a good inspection will discover anything.


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## Rocky (Nov 27, 2011)

Steve, I could see it on the surface of the bottle. It made the bottle look as though it were frosted. Like I said, I could clean the outside of the bottle, but was unsure of the inside. I pitched all the bottles.


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## Larryh86GT (Nov 28, 2011)

I just fill the bottles I am delabeling (is that a real word?) with hot or warm water just to keep them sunk in the bucket of water. No oxyclean or soap added to the water. Usually an overnight soak works enough to get the label off unless it is one of those $%#% glues that is not water soluable - if so then a little WD40 removes the glue residue (the WD40 only touches the outside of the bottle and gets washed off).


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## UBB (Nov 28, 2011)

I would recommend, if you go the OxyClean route, to use the fragrance free stuff. Comes in the green tub I believe.


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## GrandpasFootsteps (Nov 30, 2011)

I soak my bottles for removing labels in OxyFree also. I've left them in the water for 3-4 days before. No problems. I don't use 5 scoops of the stuff. I drop a little powder inside each bottle, fill them up, put some in the plastic tub, then fill it up. From the hose. 5 to 24 hours later the labels come right off. I use a drill mounted bottle brush to clean the inside of the bottles. It's a wand with those shami type things. I use a razor blade to scrape the labels off. Most of them come off super easy. The ones that don't and leave an adhesive residue - I wipe them with Goof Off (only on the outside) and then wash that off with soap.

I love removing labels from bottles I have bottled. My own labels float off in the soak. Professional labels suck.

I have never noticed damaged / frosted bottles. Maybe it has to do with the detergent? I only use the OxyClean Free with no fragrance, dyes, etc.


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