Bottles.....

[rexmor]

OK, maybe this topic is misplaced, but I couldn't find anything elsewhere on bottles. How manyof you recycle bottles versus buying new ones? If you recycle, how the H. do you get the labels off? I've not done extensive experimentation, but the couple of bottles I've soaked overnight did not want to give up the existing label.....I'm not exactly dying to spending all my spare time the next few months scrubbing off old labels.

 

[DrtDoctor]

I recycle all my bottles. Got this from another forum I think. Fill the bottles with hot water and place in a cooler. Fill the cooler with hot water and Cascade dishwashing detergent. Close and let it set a day or a couple days. Most labels will be on the bottom of the cooler.

I also use a flat razor that mechanics use for scraping inspection stickers off windshields. Works great and can be found in most auto parts stores.

DrtDoctor

 

[Waldo]

There are about as many delabeling tricks as there members of the forum but thus far, the best thing that has worked for me is:

Edited by: Waldo

 

[masta]

I use all recycled bottles and the flat scraper razors working horizontally across the bottle under hot water takes most labels off quickly.A quick scrub with an SOS pad usually cleans off the glue residue. There are some bottles with glue that is very difficult to removeand then I break out the GOOF OFF. As always use these solvent removers carefully with proper ventilation and PPE (personal protective equipment) and take care not to get it inside the bottle!


Also use care with the razor and change the blades often as they dull fairly quickly.

 

[Pepere]

I pale to think of all the bottles that passed through this house before I started making my own wine.

Recycle my friend. Using Cascade and the cooler works very well the technique is on this forum somewhere. Waldo's brush and drill work real nice too. Be careful using a razor blade ( see AAASTINKE's post) When reduced to razor blades I hold the bottle by the neck and scrape away but accidents can still happen and a fresh blade cuts so clean you'll be tinting the water red before you even know your cut.


If you recycle you get to use some pretty unique bottles as well again see some of AAASTINKIE's posts he's got some beauties.

 

[pkcook]

Soaking bottles in One Step, Easy Step, Straight A, or any of the oxygen based cleanser solutions on the market will cause most of the labels to fall off. I use a little Soft Scrub and a scrubby pad for the really stubborn ones.

 

[Brandst]

Right now I'm doing a little of both. Buy 2 boxes for the kits then recycle 6 bottles to finish off, I'll probably continue to due that for the next couple of kits and then switch to recycled only as I build up my stash.
To get lables off I just fill with hot water then let sit in hot water for an hour or so, most come off easily then. If they are still a bit stubborn I use a razor blade and then a scrubby to finish it off.

Steve

 

[poppysue]

Is there a brand of wine with labels that come off easily? I'm hopingto get theboyz down at the recycling place to save me bottles.

 

[maize]

I have found that European wines tend to have labels with glue that just melts off- especially the Italian wines. California can be hit and miss - some easy, others very difficult.

 

[PolishWineP]

We soak in plastic tubs with B-Brite, often over night or longer. That will bring off many labels. Then we scrub, rinse thoroughly with cold water, rinse with a sanitizing solution, drain and store upside down in cardboard bottle boxes.


We never use any chemicalsthatare not made for wine making. Please be very careful with the Cascade. It is not made for hand use and can damage skin.


We have worked up a good enough bottle inventory that we are wild some days and toss bottles with really tough labels! It's the high life here in Minnesota!

 

[stormbringer]

rexmor:


Ijust posted a reply in the "removing adhesives from bottles" forum that you may find useful.

 

[OldWino1]

Hey That my drill. Hey thats a new idea with my drill. I use my drill for starting stirring the benite and sugar and nutrient and gostex. and for degassing. I might have to try a wire wheel. I wonder how it would work on soaped soaked bottles. I like soaking inhot soapy water them to get the old lees out of there for the first cleaning. But the wire looks quicker that the knife and bar keepers friend and brush on the hard labels. I usally set of for at least a couple of cases when I get them. Used bottles that is.

 

[Danny]

I've just soaked for a number of hours, then scrapped with a medium size putty knife. Occasionally have a difficult one. Did a number over the weekend and only had trouble with a Chilean bottle. Got the label, but still has some glue on it.

 

[Curt]

Filled with hot water in a laundry sink full of hot water and the nasty ones go to recycle. The only consistently ugly one that I've run into is LaJoya wines, but that doesn't bother me much because they're those horrible tapered bottles anyway.

 

[jobe05]

I get all my bottles from a local winery that does a lot of wine tastings. My wife and I have spent every weekend for the last few months soaking, scrapping and cleaning glue off the bottles (zippo lighter fluid worked good). This past weekend we had 37 cases to do. We soaked, scrapped and deglued 10 cases on Saturday. Sunday we were in the Garage were we store thes and started peeling them off by hand, for some reason that thought never occurred to us...... ya know what, they come right off, with out soaking, scrapping and lighter fluid! 85% of the labels came off 100%, others left bits and peices that we will soak and clean with a green scubby pad (is there a name for these thing?). Works like a charm! We finished all remaining 27 cases on Sunday in just a few hours.


Then Monday came and I had to do another pick up.......

 

[rexmor]

After starting tosoak my first batch of recycled bottles, I have discovered that if ease of label removing were the only criteria for commercial wine purchase, then Italian wines would be the ONLY option. Man, everyone of them came off in the first ten minutes!

 

[peterCooper]

The name for those green scrubby pads is.... green crubby pads.

 

[peterCooper]

The name for those green scrubby pads is.... green scrubby pads.