removing labels easily

[StephenRiggs]

32 gallons water, 1/2 gallon bleach...soak over night and the labels practically fall off...use window razor blade and snap...no more than 10 second per bottle..Bleach breaks down the glue, use a rag to rub off any residual glue... It also disinfects... Then process bottles as you normally would... I recycled about 100 bottle with about 1 1/2 of work

 

[DoctorCAD]

I've always been told to avoid bleach like the plague in wine making. I use oxyclean.

 

[Julie]

As DoctorCAD said, you should not be using bleach around any winemaking equipment or area. What you really want to do is sanitize not disinfect.

 

[MeadowCreek]

Anyone use k-meta and citric acid blend ?

 

[Runningwolf]

First off as said above DO NOT USE BLEACH unless you like cork taint, it's your choice and risk. Meadowcreek, I use it all the time for sanitizing. Now back to Stephen, I like your style but instead of bleach I would like to suggest using unscented oxy-clean. Works great for me.

 

[StephenRiggs]

Thank you Runningwolf for the advice. I will try the Oxy cleaner next for removing labels...the bottles that I used bleach to remove labels will be cleared again with B-Brite, a rinse free cleaner then sanitized with metabisulfate solution before use. Thoughts?

 

[cedarswamp]

I would rinse the B-brite.

 

[MilesDavis]

I dunno about the whole 'no bleach' thing. When I dug my 5 gal. carboy out of the shed and found that it had been an accidental mouse-trap for ten years, I used bleach on it. A LOT of bleach. Then rinsed it out about 10 times, let it sit in the hot sun all day (sunlight breaks down chlorine compounds, that's why you have to add chlorine preservers to your pool) and then hit it with Star-San. Don't think I would use it for regular sanitation duty or on anything not made of glass.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I know some of us have mentioned oxiclean - that is the one that has the green lid - no perfumes,no dye or chlorine.

The other Oxiclean does have all the things mentioned - I believe that one has a blue lid ? Good for laundry - not wine

Dan I just noticed that you did mention unscented -

 

[jcag]

Ok. My second post. I put this somewhere else then found this thread, so excuse me if this has been discussed before. I have found a very easy way to remove stubborn non-water based glue labels-original or aftermarket. Fill the bottle with nearly boiling water and wait a few minutes. Pull up an edge of the label with a razor blade and pull it slowly with your fingers. The heat softens the glue and the label will peel off cleanly. If any glue remains, i clean it with a small dab of glass stove top cleaner on a blue scotch brite pad.

 

[beggarsu]

Ok. My second post. I put this somewhere else then found this thread, so excuse me if this has been discussed before. I have found a very easy way to remove stubborn non-water based glue labels-original or aftermarket. Fill the bottle with nearly boiling water and wait a few minutes. Pull up an edge of the label with a razor blade and pull it slowly with your fingers. The heat softens the glue and the label will peel off cleanly. If any glue remains, i clean it with a small dab of glass stove top cleaner on a blue scotch brite pad.

For the final gummy stuff I use a little 'recorsol' paint thinner on a cloth and steel wool.
A little dab on the cloth goes a long way - will clean up a case of 12.

Or steel wool the label off too - usually soak in the sink but i will try soaking /filling in the hottest water.
Thanks for the tip

I use bleach. the hot water rinse - then disinfect with sulphide or the pink stuff - then hot water rinse. Hang bottles upside down to drip dry
Then probably use bottle a month later is no bleach left.

I doubt any bleach after effect remains.

Bleach will kill any mould or anything.

I don't use bleach on plastic carboy or anything that will leave bleach residue.

My plastic carboy is never get dirty. I clean it immediate. always stays clean.

As DoctorCAD said, you should not be using bleach around any winemaking equipment or area. What you really want to do is sanitize not disinfect.

depends what's in the bottle or whatever maybe something does need to be killed or disinfected.

Nothing wrong with bleach so long as all trace is gone when the process is over. the way i do it no trace of vleach is left.is left.
__________________

 

[kevinlfifer]

The fear of using bleach is getting rid of all the hypochlorite. If you rinse diligently and give time for all the chlorine to dissipate you should be OK. But, why risk it. I use Sun Oxygen cleaner (6lbs for $5.57 WalMart) very liberally and soak overnight 12-18 hrs. Most lables fall off, the rest require light scraping. If there is any residual goo I use charcoal lighter fluid which has very little odor or an orange based solvent such as Goo Gone

 

[beggarsu]

The fear of using bleach is getting rid of all the hypochlorite. If you rinse diligently and give time for all the chlorine to dissipate you should be OK. But, why risk it. I use Sun Oxygen cleaner (6lbs for $5.57 WalMart) very liberally and soak overnight 12-18 hrs. Most lables fall off, the rest require light scraping. If there is any residual goo I use charcoal lighter fluid which has very little odor or an orange based solvent such as Goo Gone

That's for cleaning - but I use the bleach to kill any bad guys inside the bottle - these are the ones after i get them from the recycling depot and might have stuff growing for months. I clean them all when I collect them and store them in sequence - they don't get used for a while.
The ones I got , I keep them clean - after I use mine or re-use , I clean them just with disinfectant.

 

[dessertmaker]

That's for cleaning - but I use the bleach to kill any bad guys inside the bottle - these are the ones after i get them from the recycling depot and might have stuff growing for months. I clean them all when I collect them and store them in sequence - they don't get used for a while. The ones I got , I keep them clean - after I use mine or re-use , I clean them just with disinfectant.

There's an easier way to sanitize. After you clean them make a solution of kmeta and water, spray some in the bottom of the bottles on bottling day and let it drip out of them before you add the wine.

Or my preferred method: clean em, spray a little Kmeta/water in the bottom, pop a used cork in the top and store them that way. If you smell the burn on bottling day,they're sanitized.

 

[Elmer]

I know some of us have mentioned oxiclean - that is the one that has the green lid - no perfumes,no dye or chlorine.

The other Oxiclean does have all the things mentioned - I believe that one has a blue lid ? Good for laundry - not wine

Dan I just noticed that you did mention unscented -

ooops!

I think I have used the one that has a yellow top. that said "chlorine free"

I only used it in my fermenting bucket, and I rinsed and rinsed some more before letting it air out for a few weeks.
I followed that by some more rinsing and then a shot of One Step!

 

[beggarsu]

There's an easier way to sanitize. After you clean them make a solution of kmeta and water, spray some in the bottom of the bottles on bottling day and let it drip out of them before you add the wine.

I don that, its not enough - I need to kill not sanitize... kill kill KILL

Sometimes there is a dark spot of mold - the pink stuff doesn't get rid of it - but bleach does
Bleach is the Terminator.

Or my preferred method: clean em, spray a little Kmeta/water in the bottom, pop a used cork in the top and store them that way. If you smell the burn on bottling day,they're sanitized.

That's a good tip

 

[jkuf]

I put my bottles in the oven. 350* for 7 mins, and the labels peel right off.

 

[Elmer]

I spent all weekend cleaning and de-labeling darn near 40 bottles!
I usually fill my sink and and a 5 gallon bucket with hot water, soap and soak.

Some labels peeled off nice and easy.
Some labels just separated from their glue backing.

These are the ones that have always caused me the most trouble.
They leave a glue residue, which becomes impossible to remove.
I soaked with goo be gone and scrapped and wiped.
After hours, most of it was gone, but there is always some speck left!

Sometimes, after hours of trying to clean glue off a bottle I start to think that $15 for 12 bottles may not bee a bad deal!

 

[jamesngalveston]

after the paper lable comes off and the glue backing is left, soak again, then use a brillo pad, and the glue comes right off.
i had the same problem...i was getting the top part off and then scraping like heck to get the glue off...i had to go somewhere one day and put the bottles back in the soapy water, next day it came right off with little effort with a small brillo pad....try it...you will like it...

 

[Enologo]

I have had success using a little Goof Off on a paper towel for the glue residue. Just my 2 cents.