# Hardest labels to clean off?



## g8keeper (Apr 2, 2012)

Just figured i'd start kind of a fun thread. I know most of us have or do do this. When we go to bottle, we have commercial wine bottles we recycle, so just out of curiosity, what are some of the brands wjose labels you have had the hardest time cleaning off your bottles? I would have to say the hardest ones I've come across so far are Jacob's Creek, and Yellow Tail. Especially with the Jacob"s, it seems like the front part of the paper label floats off relatively easily after a good soak in a hot B-brite bath, but the underlying paper, and of course the adhesive layer, seem to probably be the most stuuborn to remove. so once again, what are some the worst commercial labels you've ever had to remove?


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## Rocky (Apr 2, 2012)

Ken, I can't name the brands, but _in general_ I have found that the Australian wine labels are the toughest to remove. It has caused me to wonder what they use to make glue...Koalas, Kanagroos? It can really be difficult to remove every last vestige of the glue. As you say, sometimes it is easy to get the label off, but the glue remains on the bottle and has to be removed in a second operation. 

On the other hand, I have found that Italian labels come off very easily. I think they just spit on them and slap them on.


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## g8keeper (Apr 2, 2012)

Rocky said:


> Ken, I can't name the brands, but _in general_ I have found that the Australian wine labels are the toughest to remove. It has caused me to wonder what they use to make glue...Koalas, Kanagroos? It can really be difficult to remove every last vestige of the glue. As you say, sometimes it is easy to get the label off, but the glue remains on the bottle and has to be removed in a second operation.
> 
> On the other hand, I have found that Italian labels come off very easily. I think they just spit on them and slap them on.


 
yeah....i would agree, rocky, the aussie labels are extremely tough, and if i'm not mistaken, yellow tail is an aussie brand....lol...


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## ibglowin (Apr 2, 2012)

The hardest label to remove are those you can't! Like those that are painted on...... One of my all time favs is the CC H3 labeled wines. Most of them are 90pt in Wine Spectator and they are usually $10.99 at Costco.








I think the worst I have ever had to remove were several Jumilla wines I had from Spain. Those took a soaking in oxyclean followed by a soaking in Goo Gone but they did finally came free.  Not sure if it was worth it but I wasn't gonna let that bottle beat me by the end if you know what I mean!

I think Yellow Tail is a piece o' cake in comparison!


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## TouronVineyards (Apr 2, 2012)

I recycle a lot of bottles, and for me, no matter how long I soak them, is "Becker winery" from here in Texas. I swear that they put their labels on with JB Weld. I always find myself using a razor blade on them. Good wine though so it kind of evens out


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## g8keeper (Apr 2, 2012)

now i think you can see why i started this thread....lol....like i said, just kind of a fun thread....hope others chime in...lol...


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## jswordy (Apr 2, 2012)

Clean petroleum-based adhesives off with a rag soaked in lighter fluid or VM&P thinner bought from a home supply house. (HD, Lowes, etc.) Cheap and effective. There are many brands, now that I have found a used bottle honey-hole, that have these plastic decal-looking labels and the petroleum-based adhesive. Only thing I've found to take those decals off is a razor blade, followed by the thinner.


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## phat (Apr 3, 2012)

Some Australian wines are nasty.. Older bottles of D'Arenberg were particularly resilient.. Now they're not but they've gone screw top!  I've had a few chilean brands that were just freaking nasty. I forget which kind, but the adhesive was defineately petroleum based and impossible to get off even with a wire brush and an overnight soak. In the end I set ones like this aside and put them in a little varsol in the garage, that tends to loosen them up and get the stuff off, followed by a good washing and they are fine. 

Once I get them delabelled I'm fine but I *HATE* delabelling with a passion. My commercial wine I will do a bottle or two at a time in the kitchen sink and I'm ok with it. If I have to do a couple of cases of them I get kinda twichy.. 

I was really tenative on the Avery 8164 label idea - but now having tried them they at least come off trivially..


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## Arne (Apr 3, 2012)

ibglowin said:


> The hardest label to remove are those you can't! Like those that are painted on...... One of my all time favs is the CC H3 labeled wines. Most of them are 90pt in Wine Spectator and they are usually $10.99 at Costco.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Mike, try soaking the painted ones in vinegar for an hour or two. Hit em witha scotchbrite pad and they come clean. Some don't but most of the painted bottles I have tried clean right up. Arne.


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## ibglowin (Apr 3, 2012)

I tried Acetone as well as Ethanol and Methanol might as well try Acetic acid (vinegar) Phosphoric acid, Sulfuric acid, Hydrochloric acid..........


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## g8keeper (Apr 3, 2012)

ibglowin said:


> I tried Acetone as well as Ethanol and Methanol might as well try Acetic acid (vinegar) Phosphoric acid, Sulfuric acid, Hydrochloric acid..........


 
lol....somehow i think somehow the actual soul of this liht-hearted thread got lost....lol....was just wondering what were some of the hardest labels anyone has ever had to clean off of recycled bottles, not a tutorial of how to take them off....lol...oh well....lol...


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