Hey Guys
I recycle the 500ml bottles i buy to keep for homebrew, i was bottling a batch last night and was a few short so had to delabel some of them, do you have a foolproof successful technique for making this task easier?
Was thinking of buying an Oxy Cleaner and soaking the bottles in this with warm water.
Any other tips?
Bottles in the basin, fill with warm water and a squirt of fairy liquid then leave to soak for a while
Depends on the label material (plastic or paper) and the adhesive used. If the labels are plastic, like porterhouse bottles are, forget soaking. Peel off when dry.
every bottle is different i use grolsh bottles and the need a 10 minute soak and can pull off the little label
Also have some russian and polish bottles that i realy need to soak and then i use a plastic handbrush and rubbing off the label goes quite good and it also removes the left over glue..
but most of the labels just need a long soak and the labels float around :)..
i use a brush like this with quite hard hairs
(http://www.defysiomarkt.nl/sites/default/files/imagecache/product_full/nagelborstel.jpg)
Personally I find the dishwasher is a great way to remove labels. I would advise you to remove the bottles straight away after the cycle finishes as the bottles will be still warm (roasting actually ;-). If you leave them to cool the glue from the labels can re-harden making them even harder to remove. All bottles are not equal also. O'Hara bottles in particular I prize highly over others because the glue holding the labels melts right off.
Shanna
Peel off slowly. If lots of glue left on bottle, wash off with cooking oil, then wash cooking oil off with fairy liquid.
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Lately I've been using Shannas method. If they don't come off easy I recycle them.
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On bottles that are well stuck or plastic labels I use a Stanley Knife and whittle off the label in strips. Works a treat even on the glue.
For the ones with the really sticky labels I use some white spirits. Works a treat but of course you then have to wash the bottles again and the missus might freak out a but with the smell.
Be
I have also tried the oxy & water soak but some labels just would not come off. They were left to soak for 12 -24 hrs in about 20L water to 1.5 scoops of Lidl w5 oxy. I had a batch of 15 bottles or so.
I had particular trouble taking the labels off of bottles by Fyne Ales. I ended up attacking it with a filling knife/paint scraper and no way could I get the label to peel off & after was left with a lot of sticky stuff. Maybe I can try the white spirits method.
I also saw a post on JBK where they cap the bottle and clean the outside with carb cleaner - probably a good idea to do same when using white spirits
http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=66558
If you can get some isopropanol it's a pretty good solvent for some of the glues. Just make sure to wear rubber gloves as it will dry out your hands.
Only buy Hooker and Carlow bottles- The labels float right off ^-^
I only keep o'hara's bottles theses days as the labels come off after a few min soak in warm water. I'd be more inclined to buy their beers over others when running low on bottles.
@Sub82 what common shop products have isopropanol?
I also just keep OHaras and recycle the rest. Too much like hard work getting the other labels off
Bo bristle have them plastic labels that come off in one, the worst are Mountain Man for leaving glue residue and Blacks for disintegrating after soaking and leaving residue, lucky that the beers are crackin' ...!! ;-) took the plunge for some flip tops this week....
Those German flip tops you can get are great and the labels come off so easy too. I quite like the dopplebock.
Are you using hot water? Cold water won't work
Nail polish remover or 2 propanol
Tyskie bottles are pretty good - brown glass and the labels come off very easy. It's cheap too which is a bonus.
Life's too short, and bottles too plentiful to waste time trying to take off really tough labels.