# Removing lables



## Old Philosopher (Jan 1, 2011)

Sorry if this is an old topic. 
I was given a case of wine bottles. Does anyone have an efficient method of removing the old labels? I was planning on standing them in a sink full of hot water (duh...) to soak them off, but was wondering if there might be a better way.


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## Runningwolf (Jan 1, 2011)

Old Philosopher said:


> Sorry if this is an old topic.
> I was given a case of wine bottles. Does anyone have an efficient method of removing the old labels? I was planning on standing them in a sink full of hot water (duh...) to soak them off, but was wondering if there might be a better way.



Thats what I do. Fill them with Hot water then fill sink with hot water and three scoops of oxy clean. Wade scrapes the labels off dry and it seems to work pretty well for him.


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## Tom (Jan 1, 2011)

Yep soak in HOt water. What I also do is use a paint scraper to "shave" the label off.


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## djrockinsteve (Jan 1, 2011)

Good really warm, maybe not hot water and some laundry detergent, wait a short amount of time then remove the outter label, the printed part. Later on the adhesive part scrapes off easy. 

I've found that the outer label shields the adhesive part from the water/soap. This works better and faster than an overnight soaking.


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## Old Philosopher (Jan 1, 2011)

djrockinsteve said:


> Good really warm, maybe not hot water and some laundry detergent, wait a short amount of time then remove the outter label, the printed part. Later on the adhesive part scrapes off easy.
> 
> I've found that the outer label shields the adhesive part from the water/soap. This works better and faster than an overnight soaking.


Good to know. I wasn't looking forward to using Goo Gone on all the bottles after soaking off the labels.


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## Runningwolf (Jan 1, 2011)

Steve is exactly right. There is no need to use any other chemicals. When it comes time for second scraping with razer Tom is talking about don't worry about getting the glue off. Just loosen it from the bottle, Let it soak another half hour and then the glue just rinses off.


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## Old Philosopher (Jan 1, 2011)

Getting started on them now. The foil peels off the necks easily, and leaves no adhesive. The labels appear to be metallic also. Guess I'll find out if they're "waterproof".


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## Runningwolf (Jan 1, 2011)

Some labels have what seems like a plastic covering on them If this is what you have you should be able to peel that off as it water proofs the label.


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## Old Philosopher (Jan 1, 2011)

Yep! A 10 minute soak and the glue released and the labels peeled off without leaving any residue behind! Leave it to me to make things more complicated than they are! 

Thanks for the advice!


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## Runningwolf (Jan 1, 2011)

Old Philosopher said:


> Yep! A 10 minute soak and the glue released and the labels peeled off without leaving any residue behind! Leave it to me to make things more complicated than they are!
> 
> Thanks for the advice!



Don't kid yourself. You just got lucky on those. Some do and then there are the others.


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## winemaker_3352 (Jan 1, 2011)

Runningwolf said:


> Don't kid yourself. You just got lucky on those. Some do and then there are the others.



Yeah - the ones where you soak, scrap, scrub, and use goo b gone


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## CrashPat (Jan 9, 2011)

Most of the labels I've found can be removed by razor blade. I use a utility laid against the bottle and slice off what I can. What I cannot remove I use a stainless dish scrub to clean. They are basically a stainless shaving that is wound into a ball, and they cost a buck or two. Coarse steel wool also works, but not as well. Do not put the bottle in water first, I've found that hot water melts the glue which makes it worse, only use water if you know the label comes off that way, or you want to save the label for some reason.

If the razor approach does not work, throw the bottle away (recycle if you can), write a letter the the winery, and don't drink that wine anymore until they change the glue.


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## Runningwolf (Jan 9, 2011)

By looking at your pictures I think you dog had its own idea on removing labels


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## Redtrk (Jan 9, 2011)

We have a little steamer we use for cleaning around the house. When you steam the bottle labels they peel of real easy.


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## Wade E (Jan 9, 2011)

Redtrk said:


> We have a little steamer we use for cleaning around the house. When you steam the bottle labels they peel of real easy.



Ill have to try that out also as I have the little steamer you talk about and I use that for getting around the bathroom cleaning. Most of the time I just use a windshield razor scraper and it works real fast and I dont have to do any soaking at all. I have done the soak many times and found for me that just too many have left too much goo due to making the glue wet again and then it just smears.


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## Redtrk (Jan 9, 2011)

Wade E said:


> Ill have to try that out also as I have the little steamer you talk about and I use that for getting around the bathroom cleaning. Most of the time I just use a windshield razor scraper and it works real fast and I dont have to do any soaking at all. I have done the soak many times and found for me that just too many have left too much goo due to making the glue wet again and then it just smears.



Yep that's the one and basically what we use it for. Well until now.


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## wjdonahue (Jan 9, 2011)

Just about the best way that I have found to get off commercial labels, the really tenacious ones, is to use PBW (Professional Brewery Wash). PBW is slightly alkaline and given time will pretty much dissolve the glue. I ususally soke mine overnight in a PBW and they peel off really easily the next morning. The PBW will also completely dissolve any organics (dried wine) left on the inside of the bottle. I have also started using PBW on my carboys, about after the third or fourth use. Used to think that my carboys were really clean, but with the PBW, I now know that they weren't


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## almargita (Aug 20, 2011)

Starting to remove the labels from the bottles picked upped yesterday at Dan's.

Experimenting for the best & easiest method. These are a giant label that wraps almost around the whole bottle. Tried the microwave method , & it removed the label in one mostly complete piece. Liked this way. Still left a lot of glue residue on the bottles. Used WD40 on 2 of the bottles & Goof-Off on another 2. Both removed the glue residue & left a nice clean outside. Tried soaking another 2 in Oxiclean alone & it also removed the label by scrapping it ,still left glue residue but made a mess of bits & pieces of label in the water. Some really sticky glue on these babies, Look like I'll be putting a little water in the bottle & microwaving for about 45 sec & the label peels off in one piece. Wash the glue off with the WD-40 or Goof-Off & then soak them in the Oxiclean to remove any of the chemical remains. 

Al


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## Runningwolf (Aug 20, 2011)

Al, Skip the wd-40 and just soak in hot water and oxy-clean. The glue always comes off for me after an hour or so soaking.


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## almargita (Aug 20, 2011)

Dan:

You are right, just using the Oxiclean after removing the label works great. After about 45 min to an hour in the laundry tub, the glue comes right off with a scrubby! Just rinse & place on the bottle dryer. I really like the microwave method of removing the labels, peels off in one piece & just leaves the glue stuff. No need to use the WD-40 or Goof-Off for the glue.

Al


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## PCharles (Aug 25, 2011)

*Microwave Label Removal Technique*

I've got to give this method a try. I understand water is to be added to the bottle before microwaving. The bottle must be left on its side as there isn't room to stand up. 

Should bottles be soaked before hand?

I'm commenting on this thread so I can get back to it later.

Thanks for any additional details.

Paul


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## Sirs (Aug 25, 2011)

well I know in the summertime you can put a wine bottle with a little water in it in the sun on a really hot day and after a bit you can peel the label right off easy as pie, seems the glue will get hot and release, thats basically all the microwave does is heat up the bottle itself


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## PCharles (Aug 25, 2011)

*A Senior Member*

Holy cow, I'm now a senior member. Darn, I don't recall telling anybody my age.

Hey, regarding the mircrowave technique, I just gave it a try and it works very well. Be warned, you fingers are going to get hot. That hot water sitting in those bottles heats the glass up nicely... ouch. Most labels peeled off easlily, leaving some glue. I plan to get some Oxiclean to deal with that. Dawn dishwashing detergent did a good job with much of the loose paper. 

Another benifit of this microwave technique is that mold that might accumulate in bottles from sources that didn't wash them out gets zapped pretty well. Consider this technique for dark green glass if your not sure the glass inside is clean. 

Thanks for the good tip. Hey Sirs, I believe you are correct, the sun would do just about the same thing. 

Have a good one. I'm headed for bed. It's 2:10 AM and I'm ready for some ZZZ's.

Paul


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