whats the best way to clean the label and glue off of a beer bottle.?
i just bought a couple of home brew kits and i have 15 gallons of beer brewing right now with no bottles to put it in. i figured i would have a party this weekend and supply only beer with bottles like i need. i dont really know how to completely clean the bottle though. any help would be nice.
Fill a 5 gallon bucket (you can probably get a used one at the grocery store bakery for free) with hot soapy water and soak your bottles in that for about an hour. The labels should slide right off…if not, a razor blade will do the trick, then toss them back into the water for a little while longer to help remove the adhesive. A Scotch Brite pad will help get the outside nice and sparkly clean.
Check with your local homebrew store for bottle sanitizing supplies and procedures…this is vitally important if you’re bottling the beer and want it to keep for more than a couple weeks.
Hot water and soap should work for getting the labels off. As for re-using the bottles, make sure you sterilize them in boiling hot water (Similar to when you can things) before filling the bottles.
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Comment by codenamex_47 — November 7, 2009 @ 1:39 am
If the hot water/soap doesn’t work on the labels, try a product like Goo-gone. It is made for removing adhesive.
Wash the bottles with hot soapy water, inside and out. If you don’t have really hot water, wash them and run them through the dishwasher. It won’t wash the inside, but the heat should kill anything.
I am not sure exactly how homebrew works. Is it like a keg you can dispense into cups? Easier than washing a ton of bottles, but if it was that easy, you would have thought of it.
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Comment by suzykew70 — November 7, 2009 @ 2:29 am
Use Windex and a razor blade or scissors…..
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Comment by KC — November 7, 2009 @ 2:51 am
Running hot water over the labels almost always works if you scrub. If that doesn’t work, go to Home Depot and buy some Goo-Gone.
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Comment by Year of the Monkey — November 7, 2009 @ 3:19 am
I’ve done it by putting them thru the dishwasher. As soon as its done the labels will slide off and you can remove what’s left of the glue with a little rubbing and water. The will look brand new when done.
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Comment by SiLKy — November 7, 2009 @ 3:56 am
Soak it in Hot water and use wash cloth to take it off.
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Comment by luvprincess — November 7, 2009 @ 4:41 am
just use ur hairdryer on the labels for a few minutes .if that doesnt work dip the bottles in hot water from sometime .that should solve ur problem,
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Comment by rue manna — November 7, 2009 @ 5:24 am
Another good idea is to use Grolsch beer bottles (beugals, I think they’re called). They have a swing-top cap which makes it easier to reuse.
http://www.grolschlager.com/
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Comment by Nathan H — November 7, 2009 @ 6:09 am
Handiest tool I suggested for my homebrewing friend was a hot-air gun. It’s commonly used by painters to remove wallpaper from a wall. If you plan on making a lot of beer in the future, just pick one of these inexpensive items up and save yourself some time.
If used correctly, the label should peel off easily, and the adhesive left behind should clean up with the homebrewer’s second best friend, good old Goo-Gone. Just make sure you HEAVILY rinse the bottle after using Goo-Gone, or you’ll make a rather un-delicious beer.
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Comment by Peter N — November 7, 2009 @ 6:23 am
GOO GONE SHOULD WORK LIKE A CHARM
AND U COULD SEND ME A BOTTEL TO SAMPLE;)
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Comment by pelonmely — November 7, 2009 @ 6:34 am
Let the bottle soak in hot water. This will get the label to peel off easily. It works on any price sticker on glassware.
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Comment by I Know, I Know — November 7, 2009 @ 6:55 am
Simply soak them in cold water overnight
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Comment by michael c — November 7, 2009 @ 7:21 am
Use Hot water and soap to get the paper off and rubbing alcohol to get the sticky stuff off and if you have a razor it will help to get the majority of the sticky stuff off before you use the rubbing alcohol
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Comment by Tracy — November 7, 2009 @ 7:26 am
super hot water and a little soap or Goo Gone will get that clean but i wouldn’t reccomend putting more beer in the bottles. first of all, how are you going to seal the bottles shut again?? even if you try to steralize them yourself it’s really tricky since glass is so fussy when heated and you’re likely to break more than you think and you’ll make a big ol mess and it’ll be a big hassle. you prolly shoulda thought this one thru a little bit before making your brew. go to the store where you got the kit and see what kind of packaging materials they have available and next time…think ahead!! good luck!!
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Comment by chingona1027 — November 7, 2009 @ 7:32 am
Cold water and a little bleach. Let it sit for a few hours, then rinse thoroughly.
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Home Brewer for 3 years.
Comment by redeye — November 7, 2009 @ 7:59 am
Fill a 5 gallon bucket (you can probably get a used one at the grocery store bakery for free) with hot soapy water and soak your bottles in that for about an hour. The labels should slide right off…if not, a razor blade will do the trick, then toss them back into the water for a little while longer to help remove the adhesive. A Scotch Brite pad will help get the outside nice and sparkly clean.
Check with your local homebrew store for bottle sanitizing supplies and procedures…this is vitally important if you’re bottling the beer and want it to keep for more than a couple weeks.
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long time bottle re-user
Comment by Trid — November 7, 2009 @ 8:46 am
Soak them overnight in a b-brite solution. Labels with metallic paint won’t come off no matter what you do.
BTW, homebrew takes a least a week to carbonate; yours won’t be ready for this weekend.
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nine years of homebrewing
Comment by dogglebe — November 7, 2009 @ 8:51 am
hot bleach water…just soak em off, sanitizes the bottles too… for the stubborn glue rubbing alcohol if that doesnt work then wd40. But hot water usually does the trick, they just slide right off. For reusing bottles it is imperetive to clean & sanitize the bottles as quickly as posible. Do not let them sit with stale beer in them for weeks or mould will grow. To clean the bottles get an inexpensive baby bottle brush and scrub each bottle with hot soapy water, rinse well, soak in bleach water1 tbs/gal water, or santitizing solution, available at your home brew supply. store upsidedown to keep dust out. Rinse bottles well before you bottle your brew be sure to sterilze your bottles in boiling water , the same way you would if canning.
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Comment by Black Aliss — November 7, 2009 @ 9:30 am