How do you go about cleaning bottles?

[jswordy]

Got the idea to ask this from another thread. It seems some of us take a really long time to get our used commercial bottles cleaned, and others can whip them out in no time.

So how do you do yours?

Here's my procedure, which fits nicely in a two-day routine:

Day 1

While watching TV in the evening, I use a single edge razor blade to scrape off the labels.

Next, I use lighter fluid on a paper towel to remove any adhesive. I have found this easier than anything else to remove chemical adhesives used commercially.

Day 2

I wash with a nonfoaming cleaner and bottle brush.

I stick the drained but wet bottles upside down in a cardboard wine case, where they dry and are stored until they get sanitized just before filling.

Bottling Day

Bottles are sanitized and racked for use.

I affix my plain paper labels with milk as an adhesive (learned that trick here), so all future uses require just a light rinse of the label with warm water to make it deteriorate and easily get rubbed off into the trash.

OK, your turn! I'm lazy, and so always looking for a way to make it even easier.

 

[TouronVineyards]

My local home brew store sells a powder (can't remember the name, maybe pbr or prb??), but I put that in a large plastic tote with water and my bottles. Let it soak for a day at most and come back and halt the labels have fallen off and the other half peal right off. Stuff is only about $2.00 a pack and works great. I'll then take a scrubbing pad with some dish soap and clean what little glue is left on it, throw bottles on my tree, and done. When I first started I was using a blade and hating every second of it. This powder is right up there with the invention of sliced bread! Lol

 

[KenS]

I use unscented oxyclean and hot water, and soak them for about 2 hours. The labels peel off easily (if they haven't fallen off), and then I use a scotchbrite pad for any residual. Rinse them all with hot water, and dry on the bottle tree.

I think I've heard somewhere on this forum that if you let them soak too long in oxyclean, they may get a bit of a haze on them, so I only do 2 hours.

 

[SLOweather]

Next, I use lighter fluid on a paper towel to remove any adhesive. I have found this easier than anything else to remove chemical adhesives used commercially.

FWIW, wick lighter fluid like Ronsonol is the same as VM&P Naphtha (Varnish Makers and Painters Naphtha ) available in the paint aisle at the hardware, home improvement, or paint store, and it's a lot cheaper in the larger cans. I keep several Ronsonol cans around and just refill them. The tops pry off.

 

[wyntheef]

if i have just a bottle or two, after emptying them i get the tap water real hot and moisten the labels. then fill the bottle higher than the labels with the hot water and
let them sit for a few minutes. i have found that most labels will peel off nicely with no leftover glue this way. very easy method. those that don't come off cleanly this
way are put in boxes to undergo the more common and laborious methods.

another trick. to remove stubborn glue residue after soaking and scraping, try using 'drywall cloth'. it's an abrasive mesh material used for sanding drywall. use a
bit of soap with one of these cloths and you will be surprised how nicely it removes whatever glue is left.

 

[TJsBasement]

Touron, do you mean PBW or powder brew wash.

I have only removed labels from around 20 bottles so this will change but I used a razor blade clamped in a vise grip to remove all paper/plasticky stuff then I used a stainless steal pot scrubber to remove the remaining adhesive, not a SoS pad but them cheap thick ones from the dollar store.

For cleaning inside I used PBW and a bottle bush rinse then put them on the bottle tree then sanitize all of them the next day right before bottling.

 

[TouronVineyards]

Yes, pbw works great to clean the outside labels off. I then use one step to clean and sanitize the inside before bottling. Stuff works great!

 

[TouronVineyards]

Yes, pbw works great to clean the outside labels off. I then use one step to clean and sanitize the inside before bottling. Stuff works great!

Stuff works great. Then I use dish soap and a cheap scratch pad to get the glue residue off

 

[Runningwolf]

if i have just a bottle or two, after emptying them i get the tap water real hot and moisten the labels. then fill the bottle higher than the labels with the hot water and
let them sit for a few minutes. i have found that most labels will peel off nicely with no leftover glue this way. very easy method. those that don't come off cleanly this
way are put in boxes to undergo the more common and laborious methods.

another trick. to remove stubborn glue residue after soaking and scraping, try using 'drywall cloth'. it's an abrasive mesh material used for sanding drywall. use a
bit of soap with one of these cloths and you will be surprised how nicely it removes whatever glue is left.

Steve good to see you back. Don't stay away so long.

I use unscented oxyclean and hot water, and soak them for about 2 hours. The labels peel off easily (if they haven't fallen off), and then I use a scotchbrite pad for any residual. Rinse them all with hot water, and dry on the bottle tree.

I think I've heard somewhere on this forum that if you let them soak too long in oxyclean, they may get a bit of a haze on them, so I only do 2 hours.

This is also what I do. I leave all bottles standing up and fill with hot water. NO Soap goes into the bottles. I can do about 30 bottles at a time and use 3 scoops of oxy clean in the sink. I scrape the labels off within a few hours before the water cools, otherwise the glue just resets itself (on the bottles that the labels didn't float off).

 

[TJsBasement]

I seen oxi clean mentioned a bunch, are we talkin just regular Billy Mays oxiclean or is this a winemaking item.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I agree with Dan (running wolf) oxy clean non scented seems to work the best.

Thanks Steve
http://allinonewinepump.com/

 

[TJsBasement]

Ok I used the search and see that Oxiclean is just a type of oxy cleaner. "Hunny I need more wine stuff"

 

[Runningwolf]

Ok I used the search and see that Oxiclean is just a type of oxy cleaner. "Hunny I need more wine stuff"

TJ I buy it at Home Depot or Sams Club. I get it in 11 or 13 pound boxes I think it is. Oxyclean is basically the same thing as one step. You do need to rinse it as it'll leave a residue. I use it for cleaning everything including my filters.

 

[jswordy]

Thanks! There are tons and tons of good ideas here for a lazier - I mean, more efficient - way of doing this. Keep 'em coming!

 

[Flem]

BUY NEW ONES. The laziest way I know.

 

[saddlebronze]

Its just the regular unscented oxy clean.
Here's what I do:
1. Tell everyone I want bottes, no one remembers
2.Tell every restaurant I am in I want bottles (embarrasses the heck out of the family. Only one place saves them for me.
3. Buy bottles and drink what is in them.
4. Start sorting all the bottles I have and almost none match
5 Scrape off the labels and rinse old yuck out of them.
6. Soak in sink tub for a few hours with oxy
7 empty and put on tree
8.move to cases because the tree is filled
9. re-fill tree with other mis matched bottles, throw away the screw caps
10.Wonder if I have enough to make a run
11. Try to get bottles that look alike
12 Sanitize, fill and cork.. So easy

 

[jswordy]

BUY NEW ONES. The laziest way I know.

Quite true, but with our one shop closed up as of 3 months ago, that gets very expensive when shipping is added. Even at that shop, a case of bordeaux clears was $20, so a 100-bottle run would be $180 in bottles (9 cases, with some left over). I suppose I could look at a pallet lot from a glassmaker sometime.

I guess it depends on your goals. I'm making wine because I want a cheap, untaxed source of alcohol. There are other bennies like better flavors and fewer preservatives, but the main reason is the cheap(er) buzz. So I like used bottles, and I try to retain as many of them as possible for multiple use.

 

[Affe]

Its just the regular unscented oxy clean.
Here's what I do:
1. Tell everyone I want bottes, no one remembers
2.Tell every restaurant I am in I want bottles (embarrasses the heck out of the family. Only one place saves them for me.
3. Buy bottles and drink what is in them.
4. Start sorting all the bottles I have and almost none match
5 Scrape off the labels and rinse old yuck out of them.
6. Soak in sink tub for a few hours with oxy
7 empty and put on tree
8.move to cases because the tree is filled
9. re-fill tree with other mis matched bottles, throw away the screw caps
10.Wonder if I have enough to make a run
11. Try to get bottles that look alike
12 Sanitize, fill and cork.. So easy

Are there any local bars that do wine tastings? I just recently found a bar near me that does wine tastings, and also discovered a wine bar that's apparently right across the street from my new home.

I'm going to stop by there tonight to see if they will begin saving their bottles for me. I'll pick them up on a daily basis if need be!

 

[Leeboy]

My local wine maker told me i could stand them upside down in the dishwasher and cycle them through with the heat dry cycle on. How bad is this? Even know i bottled a batch and drank half of it already

 

[Neviawen]

Cleaning labels off bottles with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

I got my bottles second hand from a restaurant so I had a variety of different types of labels and adhesives to remove. I was able to clean all 80 bottles in about 2-3 hrs.

I filled up the kitchen sink with bottles and hot soapy water and let it soak for about 10-15 minutes, then scraped the labels off (easily) with a butter knife. (You could soak them in a bucket or tub or where ever you want to soak them, I just picked the kitchen sink because It's convenient for me.)
What made getting the adhesive off the bottles so easy was an item I found to be SO useful around the house- a "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser". If you have never bought one and tried it then you must. The glue came off in just a few swipes.
Magic Erasers even clean crayon off big screen TV's, off tile floor, your fridge, walls (we have a 3 year old that loves to color), clean kitchen appliances and range hood like new, removes soap scum off your shower walls effortlessly, and I now have the husband using them on his tools when they need a quick cleaning. They work great on anything. Yes, I sound like a spokes person for them but I love them that much. Just thought I would share!