Re-Using Bottles

[klemsontigers7]

I have tons of bottles that I want to reuse. Has anyone had success reusing them without stripping the labels? I HATE stripping the labels.

 

[dralarms]

Nope,

Don't want someone thinking it something its not.

 

[FABulousWines]

I hate removing labels too! I only worry about labels on give-aways. All the wine we drink at home (non-commercial) is label-less. I use the capsule color to help me remember what's in it. No real need to remove the label per se; I suppose you could put a label over the existing one. I prefer a cleaner look.

Just make sure the bottles are clean inside (bottle brush and good cleaner like Star San or One Step) and are sanitized and you are good to go. Labeling is just an appearance thing.

 

[klemsontigers7]

I will probably try and sanitize from the neck up as well on the outside to make sure it's clean when bottling. I have a 50 gallon batch going now, I probably have enough bottles to bottle it, but most have labels.

 

[bkisel]

I have a friend who doesn't bother stripping labels. Ed just uses gummed mailing labels, writes what he wants on them and sticks them on the old bottle. These are of course bottles that have been sanitized.

 

[RCGoodin]

lazy, lazy, lazy...............I'm cleaning labels today. You have to get your bottles clean, then label, cork and foil your new batch. You'll feel a great pride when you do. Go ahead, let the wine age in the carboy and bottle when you are ready.

 

[ShelleyDickison]

I give my oldest granddaughter .50 per bottle for helping me clean labels, plus usually a new outfit, toy and movie and supper. Thinking it might be cheaper just to buy new bottles. I do love the look when properly finished though.

 

[wineforfun]

I too, join the tedious task of bottle de-labeling but have recently thought like bkisel's friend............just clean the bottles and leave the labels alone. I am making wine to drink, not designing bottles for the art fair.
But the OCD in me probably won't let me do that, so I wll keep on de-labeling for now.

 

[bkisel]

I also de-label but have only labeled and foiled the few bottles that leave the house.

 

[Ernest T Bass]

I got 4 or 500 bottles from a winery a couple of years ago, the only condition was that I remove the labels. He had tasted my wine, that should tell me something.
Semper Fi

 

[FTC Wines]

I like, bkesil, only label bottles that leave the house/winery. Home use bottles are stored on wine racks that are labeled/inventoried per 25 bottles. Saves a lot of time de-labeling. Roy

 

[pjd]

Come on, It's not that tough! I can do 3 cases in less than an hour and if I do this every week soon all are de-labeled and sanitized. If you have time to make wine but have no time to properly clean and remove labels form used bottles, maybe you should just go buy new ones! I would NEVER put my wine into a bottle with someone else's label!

 

[Enologo]

I've been doing it as they come in. One or two from my neighbor, two or three from my daughter. Rinse em let em soak in a pot or a bucket overnight scrub em up the next day either before or after work, store em on the shelf awaiting the magic elixir. This way it doesn't build up to a time consuming chore.

 

[Tess]

I hate hate hate label removing. I also only label what I serve guest of give away. Most stay unlabeled

 

[Runningwolf]

Come on, It's not that tough! I can do 3 cases in less than an hour and if I do this every week soon all are de-labeled and sanitized. If you have time to make wine but have no time to properly clean and remove labels form used bottles, maybe you should just go buy new ones! I would NEVER put my wine into a bottle with someone else's label!

Well said Phil.

 

[Boatboy24]

I give my oldest granddaughter .50 per bottle for helping me clean labels, plus usually a new outfit, toy and movie and supper. Thinking it might be cheaper just to buy new bottles. I do love the look when properly finished though.

Not bad for a day's work. I may be heading to Carolina soon.

I certainly don't enjoy the task, but keep my batches small and I don't get too annoyed that way. When I finish a bottle, it gets rinsed well and put on the bottle tree to dry. Then it'll go into a case for storage. When I fill a case, I bring them to the sink for label removal. They soak in hot water and Oxy Clean for 15-30 minutes, then the labels come off pretty easily. The ones that don't get hit with a paint scraper tool and that's the end. I can do a case in 15 or 20 minutes. 15-20 minutes once or twice a month is pretty easy to tolerate, and by not doing too many at once, I don't dread the task.

 

[kryptonitewine]

I hate cleaning labels. I get bottles from a local restaurant. Hot water and oxyclean don't work on this brand I'm going to put them in the oven next to see if that works.

 

[jamesngalveston]

removing labels is not fun for sure...but to be honest....
my wine is better then most that had the label..i will not associate my wine, with something that tasted like crap...jmo

 

[derunner]

Some of you must be much better at de-labeling than me. I do 48 bottles and it takes 2 nights, 4 or 5 hours total. I was so glad to be done with 700 bottles.

 

[ffemt128]

I soak them for a couple hours in either dish detergent or oxyclean in hot water. Most labels come right off. The stubborn ones, I toss if I think they will be too much work. I then scrub the outside with a sponge and rinse in and out with hot water before being sanitized. My stationary tub will hold about 30 bottles and they only take about 45 minutes after soaking.