Best label removal hack EVER

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I mostly use boiling water. Pour it in the bottle and wait a few minutes. Temperature sensitive labels peel off cleanly, and the hot water cleans the inside of the bottle. Remaining glue residue comes off with Goo Gone.
 
I started out, as many do, with a supply of used bottles from a local winery. Eventually, all those labels (a thousand or so) were removed - mostly with a hot water soak. I have made only kits and 99.9% of those have been Winexpert bought from Labelpeelers along with labels. The labels they sell are either 100% vinyl that you can simply peel off by hand leaving no residue or they're a paper based label that comes off super easy with a little hot water and a razor blade scraper.
 
I mostly use boiling water. Pour it in the bottle and wait a few minutes. Temperature sensitive labels peel off cleanly, and the hot water cleans the inside of the bottle. Remaining glue residue comes off with Goo Gone.
I place the bottles in a 200 degree oven for 20 minutes, most labels will peel off easily
 
Were you also on the "Party line" for your house phone ? I believe we had 5-6 neighbors that all shared 1 line (back in my younger days). And of course neighbors would NEVER pick up the phone to listen to your conversation. :D
Yes, party lines I remember well.! When I first moved to Ohio from Pasadena, CA (where I had a personal line), I learned party lines ONLY were offered. I became upset, voiced a strong concern to the phone company, and believe it or not, they installed the first private line on my road. The squeaky wheel does get the grease!...................................Dizzy
 
I've tried

I've tried soaking in OxyClean but with many wine brands I still end up having to scrape with a razor blade and put in a lot of elbow grease. The oven method has worked so much better for me. I was afraid that it would be harder to clean the inside after baking but it was actually easier. I soak them in water for a several minutes and I'm done. Occasionally I'll have a really dirty bottle and I just soak it in OxyClean for a while or use my drill powered bottle brush.

As for my own bottles, I use a gelatin based homemade glue so the labels slip right off in hot water!
Val, would you be willing to share the receipe for your homemade glue?..................................Dizzy
 
Were you also on the "Party line" for your house phone ? I believe we had 5-6 neighbors that all shared 1 line (back in my younger days). And of course neighbors would NEVER pick up the phone to listen to your conversation. :D
Yep ... party line with the old black table top phone with the fabric covered cord, fuses instead of those new falootin' circuit breakers, the wringer washing machine, the coal fired furnace, the push reel lawnmower, oleo in the cellophane bag with the little yellow ball that you had to squash and mash up to make it yellow like butter, no tv, not even with tubes. And ... no flu, no Lyme Disease.
 
Have to apologize to @Val-the-Brew-Gal, sorry Val. I started this (but it is fun, right?) by saying I used to use a computer monitor to help remove labels (although they were floppy disk labels, the same rules apply). All these people talking about computers and 8-tracks... sheesh! This is supposed to be about CRT monitors.

Seriously, though, I have been trying very hard not to feed this frenzy. It’s just really difficult for us old farts, I mean geezers, not to share our 5-mile trek, through the snow, to school everyday when we were tots, and it was uphill both ways! Right guys?
Right! Not only uphill both ways in The snow, but below zero with a 20 mph wind driving that icy snow into you face and down your neck.
 
Yep ... party line with the old black table top phone with the fabric covered cord, fuses instead of those new falootin' circuit breakers, the wringer washing machine, the coal fired furnace, the push reel lawnmower, oleo in the cellophane bag with the little yellow ball that you had to squash and mash up to make it yellow like butter, no tv, not even with tubes. And ... no flu, no Lyme Disease.
sandals or sneakers, uh,,, just wondering what jesus wore when you babysat him, :i,, lol,,
Dawg
 
Val, would you be willing to share the receipe for your homemade glue?..................................Dizzy

Sure!

Basic Waterproof Glue

* 6 tbsp water
* 2 packets unflavored gelatin (1/2 oz.)
* 2 tbsp white vinegar
* 2 tsp glycerine

Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until it is dissolved. Add vinegar and glycerin and stir well. Let the mixture cool slightly and pour into a jar and seal tightly. To Use: This glue needs to be applied while warm. Apply to surfaces using a brush.

I make a double batch and put it in a glass jar with a lid. When I'm ready to label my wine, I put the jar in a bowl of hot water and wait until the glue becomes liquid. I brush it on the back of my label and affix it to the bottle. You have a good 15-30 seconds to move it around and get it in the right spot before the glue starts to cool too much.

To remove labels later, just place the bottle in hot water for a few moments. Depending on the paper you use, they will either slip off or can be easily removed with your fingernail.
 
Yep ... party line with the old black table top phone with the fabric covered cord, fuses instead of those new falootin' circuit breakers, the wringer washing machine, the coal fired furnace, the push reel lawnmower, oleo in the cellophane bag with the little yellow ball that you had to squash and mash up to make it yellow like butter, no tv, not even with tubes. And ... no flu, no Lyme Disease.
I can't believe there is another living human being that remembers the oleo bag with the yellow/orange button in the middle!! It was MY job to squish it all together so that it looked like real butter. To this day I will not eat margarine,( or in the old days called oleomargarin). Our first TV was 13" with a magnifying glass in front of it. We used to put cards in the window saying, ICE, COAL, etc., and yes, we had an iceman who had a huge claw that latched onto a hunk of ice and put it in the top of our "icebox". It was also my job to empty the bottom tray of water as the ice melted......................and we still had the Milkman who delivered in an aluminum box at our back door................I remember the rollers of the wringer machines how everything came out flat-as-a-pancake, many times breaking buttons on shirts/blouses................................Those were the "good old days". You and I must be the same age to remember those things...............................Dizzy
 
Sure!

Basic Waterproof Glue

* 6 tbsp water
* 2 packets unflavored gelatin (1/2 oz.)
* 2 tbsp white vinegar
* 2 tsp glycerine

Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until it is dissolved. Add vinegar and glycerin and stir well. Let the mixture cool slightly and pour into a jar and seal tightly. To Use: This glue needs to be applied while warm. Apply to surfaces using a brush.

I make a double batch and put it in a glass jar with a lid. When I'm ready to label my wine, I put the jar in a bowl of hot water and wait until the glue becomes liquid. I brush it on the back of my label and affix it to the bottle. You have a good 15-30 seconds to move it around and get it in the right spot before the glue starts to cool too much.

To remove labels later, just place the bottle in hot water for a few moments. Depending on the paper you use, they will either slip off or can be easily removed with your fingernail.
Thanks Val, you are a peach.......................................................Dizzy
 
I can't believe there is another living human being that remembers the oleo bag with the yellow/orange button in the middle!! It was MY job to squish it all together so that it looked like real butter. To this day I will not eat margarine,( or in the old days called oleomargarin). Our first TV was 13" with a magnifying glass in front of it. We used to put cards in the window saying, ICE, COAL, etc., and yes, we had an iceman who had a huge claw that latched onto a hunk of ice and put it in the top of our "icebox". It was also my job to empty the bottom tray of water as the ice melted......................and we still had the Milkman who delivered in an aluminum box at our back door................I remember the rollers of the wringer machines how everything came out flat-as-a-pancake, many times breaking buttons on shirts/blouses................................Those were the "good old days". You and I must be the same age to remember those things...............................Dizzy
i remember the milkman, and milk in jars with the cardboard pull tabs on the milk, but yawl got me beat,
Dawg
 

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