• Welcome to the new forum! We upgraded our forum software with a host of new boards, capabilities and features. It is also more secure.
    Jump in and join the conversation! You can learn more about the upgrade and new features here.

Cleaning off bottle labels...How do you do it?

tommiwommi

Master Brewer
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
51
Reaction score
0
Location
West virginia
When I started brewing, I was told that a bathtub full of hot water and bleach would help break labels off beer bottles that soak. I found this to work pretty well.
I was just wondering if anyone else had any "secret" methods that may they might want to share.

      Tom
 
I use amonia and cold water. The labels fall right off after a night.  Then I put then in warm water and lightly scrub the residual glue off with a green scratchpad.  Lastly, a few seconds on the jet bottle washer.  If 1 in 50 still has a fuzzy inside, then the bottle brush, repeat washer.

Before bottling, I soak and airdry in Iodophor solution.

That is it. Never a problem.  After you have clean bottles, make sure to retain them in your "system"

1 more thing is to rinse and swirl after you pour your pint
 
SOGOAK wrote, "1 more thing is to rinse and swirl after you pour your pint"

I do the same but add one step.

I save a couple of gallons of my left over Star San throughout my brewing process.  After I drink my beer, I swirl water through the bottle.  I then soak it in the left over Star San, drain it dry for a day or so then store it.  Of course I will again sanitize it on bottling day when I next use that bottle.
 
I use OxyClean (yellow top not green top). Similar steps, with a side benefit, The bathtub gets a good cleaning also.  ;D

Fill tub with water, add OxyClean, add bottles, Wait overnight, use green scotch pad on any persistent labels then use the jet bottle washer to rinse out the inside. Before Bottling, I usually run the jet washer again, then run them through the dishwasher with no soap on the sanitize wash/heat dry mode.

Cheers
Preston
 
Five-gallon bucket holds about 13 bottles.....siphon in hot water from sink, filling bottles first, then fill bucket, adding some ammonia.  Most labels melt off and ammonia cuts the remaining adhesive fairly well.  Then a few wipes with a green pad.  If the label is tough, I toss that bottle. 
 
Here's what I do..

I use a smaller square bucket for this.  The kind that laundry detergent comes in.  I put a scoop of oxyclean knock off in a bucket.  I start filling the bucket with hot water using my utility sink's hose.  When I add bottles, I fill them with hot water first to avoid the pop up effect.  This way they easily sink.  After 10 minutes or so, the labels are loose.  I pull each bottle out and remove the label.  Then the bottles go back in for an extended soak.  A quick scrub removes all of the glue.  Then I put all of the bottles in the sink and rinse the outside off witht he hose.  Then a quick rinse with my bottle washer and onto the bottle tree they go.

It sounds complicated, but it's a quick job.  I've gone through a lot of trial and error on this process to come up with what works best for me.  I like the smaller square bucket, that makes a big difference.  I also try to get to these before the load gets too big.
 
Skip the bleach for removing labels.  It just seemed to make the labels stay on longer in my experience.  All of the other advice is great too.
 
Back
Top