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removing bottle labels

D

dannoR

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Apr 20, 2011
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Ludington Michigan
I have used oxyclean in the past and some just float off.  Others need to be scraped.  Should I try amonia or something else.  I try to take them off in one pc.
 
I think hot water and oxygenated cleaners - in combination with a long soak time seems to work best.
 
I use the hot water soak too, also I've found using a razor blade to scrape off the labels helps.
 
I have learned that some commercial bottles are not worth the effort to remove the labels.
Great Lakes Brewing, out of Cleveland, Ohio makes some very good beers (Edmund Fitzgerald Porter is excellent), but they also use a glue on their labels that is nearly impossible to remove.
If someone has had success with removing these labels, their method will work on anything!
 
I've used Oxyclean and it works perfectly! Some labels have the plastic cover that'll have to be peeled off. But, other than that just let them soak for 30 minutes or so in hot water/Oxyclean and use a sponge to wipe the labels and glue off.
 
Thanks much for the suggestion, but I have already tried that.  Great Lakes sure doesn't skimp on the glue.

The labels actually come of with a short soaking in hot water.  It is the heavy residual glue that is the problem.  The only way I have been able to remove the glue is by using WD-40 or some other petroleum solvent, but after using such a solvent I do not want it anywhere near my beer.  I have tried boiling water, dish liquid, Oxyclean, and scrubbing, but the best it does is gum up the glue. 

At this point, I'll just pitch those bottles unless someone can suggest something I haven't tried. 
 
    The Sam Adams Boston Lagers for me are the worst. The easiest way I've done them is soak them in hot water for 20 min,HAVE A HOMEBREW,scrap em with a razor ( like a window scraper) to get the plastic film off, HAVE A HOMBREW, then rub the bottle down with an SOS pad. Works pretty quickly then i rinse em with a sanitizer and store em. Of course somewhere in there I manage a homebrew.
 
Thanks, Shane.

I have emptied and cleaned many Boston Lagers, but Great Lakes uses a glue like no other.  For the most part I like your technique and follow pretty much the same procedure.  However, when it comes to Great Lakes I modify it slightly.

Clean some other brand, Have a Homebrew, throw away a Great Lakes, Have a Homebrew, etc., etc., ......

I have no bottles to clean right now, so I think I will have a Homebrew (Dry Irish Stout), then clean that bottle.  My labels come off easily!

Tim
 
Sorry -I have already said this in another thread:

Don't let them bottles bully you! Show 'em who's boss. Let them know that they can easily be replaced by any of the other billion bottles around. If a label resists; toss it in the recycle bin and move on. It's always fun (and educational) to try out a new style of craft-brew. I found it very liberating to keep only the bottles that loose their labels with a quick soak in Oxyclean hot water. Toss the ones that require work. And never forget: As much money as we spend on this hobby, it is not a sin to just break down and buy a case or two of those factory browns from the home brew shop. ;D

... I'm just sayin' ;)
 
I use Sam Adams bottles all the time and have found that dawn dish soap and a very hot soak the labels come right off using a 4 inch putty knife. The residual glue comes off very easy with a scotch Britte mat and hot rinse. If I leave them soak for about half an hour I don't need the putty knife.  ;D
 
i got a system that works every time, i get the girlfriend to do it.
 
;D  That sounds great, Charlie!  But I don't think my wife would buy into me getting a girl friend to clean beer bottles.    :(
 
I read a Papazian article somewhere where he says to put a trash bag into a bucket or barrel, mix up a generous bleach water solution, submerse your bottles, forget about them for a few days, and then try to clean them.

I tried it and even the most stubborn labels came off with a rag and some elbow grease.

 
Charlie Mops said:
i got a system that works every time, i get the girlfriend to do it.
Click to expand...

+1  ;D

I use PBW because I always have some in a bucket and use mineral spirit on those worth removing weird sticky stuff.  I like the smell of the stuff too.  It is like I am wood working without the sawdust.
 
Here is the best method. Use TSP and bleach in water. Soak for a few hours and the label will come off by themselves. INCLUDING great lakes labels. The hardest ones I have found to remove are shorts brewery labels(from Northern MI). TSP= Trisodium Phosphate. Found this in a homebrew book somewhere.
 
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