cleaning bottles

[pizz65]

Hi everyone, A couple of questions on cleaning bottles.

1. what is the easiest way of getting the labels off of used bottles??

2. what is the best way to clean use bottle to get them ready??

3. Can I put them in the dishwasher??

 

[PolishWineP]

Putting bottles in the dishwasher can be hard on the bottles. The detergent can etch the inside of the glass, creating a harborage for ickies. Also, you may not get a thorough rinse. We scrub them with a bottle brush and B-Brite if they're funky. Rinse then rinse with cool water.
When we put on labels we just use good paper and glue sticks. Get them wet and they slide right off. Commercial bottles we usually have to soak and then use a scraper on them. Some bottles just won't give up the label. We either label right over the old label or recyle them.

 

[corn field]

after cleaning and delaboling 12 cases of commercial bottles I concure with P W After scraping if any glue residue is left I use wd40 and a sponge with the scratchey back then thoruly wash with dish soape being careful to not get wd40 on the inside of the bottle The wd40 sugestion came from this forum I just can't rember who

 

[NorthernWinos]

I just soak in plain very hot water....Then scrape the label with a new razor blade in a paint scraper [like Masta says...go around the bottle...NOT...up and down]..usually can get right under the hot glue and many labels will come off whole...Usually do all of this while the bottles are very hot and the glue is soft.

Then use the green or stainless steel scrubby thing on any remaining glue.....Then jet wash with a jet washer on the faucet....use a bottle brush and jet rinse again.....Store up side down in a wine bottle box with paper towel lining the bottom....store with box closed.

When we are ready to bottle do a short soak in One Step, jet wash, sulfite, drain.

 

[fish1onthefly]

I had the very same questions about a month ago on here...I tried several ways to clean labels and the best advice was to just let them soak...for 3-5 days. I used a big pot (crawfish pot) and filled the bottles with water and filled the pot around them. After soaking use a scraper to go sideways around the bottle not up and down. Most labels came right off. Th others I used a small scrubber oad and the glue had soaked long enough that it came right off.

 

[onin24eagle]

I did 30 bottles today. Just put them all in my kitchen sink. Soaked them while I was de-labeling. The labels I've put on my first few batches fell off on their own, but the commercial bottles area bit more stubborn. I just used a cheese spreader knife thingy I found in the kitchen and a sponge with one ruff side. Didn't take long at all and much easier than I expected it to be. I then sanitized with a vinatore and bottled my MM All Juice Merlot.

 

[Wade E]

I have discovered NOT to let them accumulate. If you get a few cases then by all means go for the soak method. If you just get a few then i just use a scraper on them dry as they scrape everything right off to the point where a sponge with scrubby and a little hot water and soap will take the rest off in a second. Every time I go to the dump I get 4 or 5 and I just do it that way. There are the few commercial bottles that the label falls right off but most are a pain and getting them dry is easier in my opinion as the gue is dry and scrapes right off instead of getting all gooey. Everyone has there own way they prefer but I myself now prefer the dry way scraping the label off up and down and then just hit it with the sponge. Less hot water which means less oil used for the furnace or electric or gas. Just my $.02.

Edited by: wade

 

[hannabarn]

IMHO that is the best way. It is less messy. I just finished 40 bottles that way. Hands are a little cramped but less of a mess to clean up afterward. Keeps me out of the doghouse!!!

 

[onin24eagle]

I'v only done it once and that is all it tookfor me to realize from now on I will clean them as I drink them. Much easier to do one than 30.

 

[smokegrub]

Inside of bottles get etched inside a dishwasher! How? I always use the dishwasher as a final washing step largely because of the sterilizing temperatures. I have never noticed any problems with the wine bottles or any of my wife's dishes, including wine glasses.

 

[hannabarn]

I'v only done it once and that is all it tookfor me to realize from now on I will clean them as I drink them. Much easier to do one than 30.

I'm talking about bottles I got from the recycling center. Some how I can't convince them to delabel them for me

 

[hannabarn]

If you wash your wine glasses enough times in the dishwasher, you will certainly ruin them. I have seen water glasses get very badly etched after repeated washing in the dishwasher.

 

[pizz65]

The etching is from the hardness in your water. If you have a water softener then there is no problem

 

[Wade E]

Most dishwashers unless you have a commercial 1 do not get up to sterilizing temps.

 

[scubaman2151]

Most dishwashers unless you have a commercial 1 do not get up to sterilizing temps.

Go to a local resturant and borrow thier dishwasher .

 

[joeswine]

heres what i do ,get bottles from winery,have 15 gallon bin,power wash bottles in sink with jet bottle washer,pump b-brite in bottles with bottle rack pump,this now starts the inside,then in the 15 gallon plastic bin place the bottles (half fill of water or so to sink them in the bin which you have half filled with water and a little b-brite 4 tablespoons) walk away come back in a week most labels will fall off,i use a plastic spackle knife to remove the rest, of, add more bottles and walk away see then next time,no rush let nature do its thing,i allow i hour at a time to delabel,try not to make it a chore,turn on the tunes,fo get about it ,just i hour at a time if you have more time ,ok////////////////////////////////this to can be somewhat fun if you let it /ok

 

[PeterZ]

Newer dishwashers have a sterilize setting, aimed mostly at new moms who want everything Junior touches sterilized. Automatic dishwashing detergent has abrasivesto scrub dried food off of plates. Over time this will etch glass, but it takes hundreds of washings to do this. I use the DW for my wine bottles. Just be sure to get the bottles as vertical as possible. I also bottle blast them with hot waterimmediately before bottling. Edited by: PeterZ

 

[smokegrub]

I expect abrasives from dishwashing detergents could possibly etch glass but I expect it would entail a huge number of washings or everyone would be complaining about their glassware being damaged. I also do not believe that hardness can, in any way, be harmful to glassware except by cosmetically staining with residue. As to sterilizing temperatures in a dishwasher, if you have and use the drying cycle and open the door prior to completion of the cycle you will encounter lots of steam which is indicative of temperatures high enough to boil water and, thus, at sterilizing levels. Of course each of us has to do what we are comfortable with. As for me, my dishwasher is going to remain an ally in bottle cleaning.

 

[PolishWineP]

Most dishwashers these days have a water heater in them and will get the water up to temp. It helps the detergent do it's job. We have hard water here and while some glasses are just fine in there others are wrecked after just 1 washing.

Our cheap wine glasses do just fine in the dishwasher!

 

[smokegrub]

Is it possible that what you are seeing is calcium precipatates on the glass? Try rinsing one of those glasses in vinegar and see if the cloudy/etched appearance of the glass disappears.