How to: Remove old wine labels

[Fordguy]

I did a search for this, couldn't find one and I hope this is in the correct forum location.

When you get an empty wine bottle and wish to re-use it, after ensuring the inside is clean, you will want to remove the old label.

Here is what I have found to be about as easy as possible.

Fill the bottle with hot tap water, (this warms up the glue on the label), run some of the hot water on the outside of the bottle or let the bottle soak in a larger container ensuring that you soak the whole label.
Wait a few minutes, then remove the bottle from the water, begin to slowly peel the label trying to get the glue to come off with the label, some labels are easier to remove than others. This isn't 100% effective, but seems to work most of the time.
You will probably have some residual glue that remains stuck to the bottle,
I use an SOS pad with warm/hot water and this seems to result in a cleaned bottle and after you dry the outside off, it is ready for a new label.

Someone on here may have a better way of doing this so please feel free to add your ideas.

 

[Boatboy24]

I follow a similar path. I fill them with hot water, and soak in a sink with hot water and oxy-clean. Then peel and scrub if necessary with a sponge or scotch-brite pad.

 

[barefoot]

If you have remaining glue, the best stuff to remove this glue is lighter fuel on a rag.

 

[Thig]

I use a similar method, for stubborn glue I use WD40 sprayed on the bottle and let it soak in for a minute.

 

[Fordguy]

I haven't tried the lighter fluid, I have tried WD-40 and that works good, it just seems its kind of hard to get the WD-40 completely removed from the bottle after all the glue is gone.

 

[Thig]

I haven't tried the lighter fluid, I have tried WD-40 and that works good, it just seems its kind of hard to get the WD-40 completely removed from the bottle after all the glue is gone.

I agree, I wash it good with hot soapy water to get the WD40 off. Of course I am careful not to get any of this stuff IN the bottle.

 

[JerryF]

I agree, I wash it good with hot soapy water to get the WD40 off. Of course I am careful not to get any of this stuff IN the bottle.

The last time I did this I used some stuff called "Goo Gone" which I picked up at Canadian Tire. Same stuff under a different name is "Goof Off". Must be something similar (if not identical) available in the States. Otherwise, followed pretty much the same procedure with the hot water and only needed the goo gone for any that had residual glue. Seems to wash off easier than the WD40 (tried previously).

 

[TahunaJR]

Nothing removes residual glue better than acetone. Lots of negatives, but I'm just saying...

Joe

 

[jimmyjames23]

I just let them soak in hot water overnight. The labels virtually fall off with no residue.

 

[GreginND]

I look for french or italian empties. The labels usually come off much easier. Anything that takes scrubbing and elbow grease I send back to the recycling bin.

 

[Stefani]

I first remove the plastic or aluminum collar by cutting a slit on the bottom and then pealing it away

I soak the bottles in hot soapy water for a few hours.

Then I use a trick of a slightly bent razor that is bent to the same arc as the bottles to scrape the labels and most of the glue off.

Warning: Be careful because if the razor slips in your soapy hands you may cut yourself.

I typically let the bottles soak for a few more minutes to soften any residual adhesive and then I take a 3M Scotch Bright sponge and give it a quick scrub then rinse well.

If after the rinse I see any residual adhesive I then would use Goo Gone

 

[JetJockey]

First I try a hair dryer to warm the dry label and sometimes they peel off.
2) If that doesn't work easily, i then soak in oxyclean for 1/2 hour and use a plastic scraper or paint scraper to take the label/glue off.
3) I just stated using Krud Kutter http://www.krudkutter.com/ that I get from Wally World. It's biodegradable and works well at getting the goo off.
4) any real tough spots or leftover glue comes off with Brillo pad or Scotch Brite pad.

 

[ruggierm1]

I have a trashcan that I bought specifically for soaking bottles. I fill it up with water and oxyclean. As I finish a bottle, I take off the foil from around the neck, rinse out, fill with some water, and drop it into the trashcan. When the trashcan fills up, I take out the ones where the label falls off, and the ones that don't I use a razor blade to scrape off. then I take the bottles and give them a good rinse with hot water to eliminate any oxyclean residue.

 

[JohnnyRico]

I just let them soak in hot water overnight. The labels virtually fall off with no residue.

This is exactly what I do, the day or two prior to bottling.

 

[shoebiedoo]

I just got in the habit of scraping every label with a razor prior to soaking. the glues comes right off.

 

[olusteebus]

I soak about 50 at a time in a plastic storage bin with warm oxy overnight attack the label hard with a short piece of 1x2 board, slit the collar and hit it with a scotch pad. I do notice that I don't always get the glue off so I scub it again.

I clean the inside with a bottle brush in an electric drill.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

I soak mine in B-brite for a couple of hours and the labels come off pretty easily. For some of the tougher commercial labels, they require a little scraping with a widget razor scraper.

 

[Ernest T Bass]

One of the post mentioned getting the aluminum collar off. I was visiting a winery in South Dakota two years ago. They had made some wine that something was wrong with it and they were emptying all the bottles in a vat, probably a hundred cases. I have cut myself a few times getting the collar off, never again. What they do is, with a big knife, like a hunting knife, hold the bottle in one hand at the base and the neck pointed slightly down and put the blade of the knife at the base of the aluminum and give it a quick sharp cut, like you were whittling a piece of wood. I've cut em off of a bunch of em and only ringed one bottle. Try it, it takes about a half a second and you won't cut yourself.
Semper Fi

 

[dburling]

Haven't tried this on wine bottles yet. Just got started in winemaking. However, in my beer brewing days, I would soak bottles in hot water with some soda ash mixed in. After a couple hours all of the labels fell off.

 

[wineon4]

I soak in hot soapy water for a couple hours or overnight in the kitchen sink. Cut of the neck capsul and scrape the label off with a pairing knife. Rinse under hot water and scrub with an SOS pad glue residue and bits of label come off easy. Rewash and sanitize before filling. I have about 600 used bottles cleaned and filled.