Oxyclean not worth it for label removal?

Discussion in 'Breweriana' started by nhindian, Sep 7, 2013.

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  1. nhindian

    nhindian Initiate (0) Feb 26, 2010 Pennsylvania

    So in the past, I usually just used a hot water soak to remove the labels I wanted to keep, but now that I actually want to keep bottles too because of homebrewing purposes, I wanted something that would both remove labels and the underlying glue.

    I talked to some HBing friends and did some research and apparently the green-lid Oxyclean was a charm for doing what I wanted. However, it's been around 8 soaks now, and Oxyclean just isn't doing it for me.

    For the labels that are usually impossible to remove cleanly with just a plain water soak are just as tough with Oxyclean. Breweries such as Fatheads and Dark Horse in particular don't seem to want to come off cleanly. In fact, where a longer, plain hot soak may do the trick, a longer soak in Oxyclean will just make the colors bleed (Russian River in particular bleeds very quickly.)

    Is there really any benefit to using Oxyclean to remove labels in your experiences? It doesn't seem to help with labels that are notoriously difficult, it makes colors run, and makes the bottle/label/your hands slippery so that the runs that do come off are more difficult.

    It does seem to loosen up a bit of the gunk around the labels, but Fatheads still needs a butter knife to remove the label completely.
     
    #1 nhindian, Sep 7, 2013
  2. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    There are 4 basic types of label-removing procedures in my experience:
    1. Hot water alone works to float the label off.
    2. Hot water with baking soda or Oxyclean (although I try not to use Oxyclean because of the ink bleeding on some labels).
    3. Heating the bottle in the microwave for about 30 seconds (or the oven but it takes longer) to soften the glue and then pulling slowly from one corner. Have a piece of paper ready to stick the label onto because most of the glue comes off with the label. (I think Dark Horse falls into this category.)
    4. Impossible.
     
    #2 PapaGoose03, Sep 9, 2013
  3. 1up

    1up Initiate (0) Mar 5, 2013 District of Columbia

    Try Goo Gone or some generic clone
     
    #3 1up, Sep 9, 2013
  4. jclarkn

    jclarkn Initiate (0) Sep 18, 2011 New York

    oxyclean always work great for me but now I just use pbw since I always have it around for brewing equipment
     
    #4 jclarkn, Sep 11, 2013
  5. MoorBeerPlz

    MoorBeerPlz Initiate (0) Sep 30, 2013 Arizona

    I soak my bottles in an ammonia solution. I use 1 1/2 gals of water and about 1 1/2 to 2 cups ammonia in a bucket (3 gal.). Serves 2 purposes... Gets the labels and adhesive off and cleans the bottles for re-use (I still OxyClean then sanitize before use). Check the labels at about 2 hours. Some may have already slid off (Sierra Nevada labels are quick to drop off). Clown Shoes was the hardest label, took about 5 hours to get the adhesive to a point where it would let go of the label. I fill each bottle with the ammonia/water and stand them in the bucket. They don't float that way and they get cleaned inside and out.

    Only warning I have is to not get the ammonia on your skin and add it to the bucket full of water, not pour the ammonia 1st and then add water (old chem class rule).

    If you save labels, so far, all I have taken off this way have come off in one piece.

    Cheers!
     
    #5 MoorBeerPlz, Dec 4, 2013
  6. Ysgard

    Ysgard Zealot (665) Mar 5, 2008 Virginia

    TSP or TSP replacement works extreeeeemely well. I personally keep a small bucket of 1/3 TSP to 2/3 Oxyclean.

    Find it in the painting section of Lowes or Home Depot, used for deck cleaning.
     
    #6 Ysgard, Dec 4, 2013
  7. twizzard

    twizzard Pooh-Bah (2,080) May 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Mineral spirits remove the glue like magic.
     
    #7 twizzard, Dec 4, 2013
  8. twenty5

    twenty5 Initiate (0) May 15, 2010 Pennsylvania

    I could give you a ton of clean de-labled bottles of you are close enough to me. I way over saved on the bottles. .
     
    #8 twenty5, Dec 4, 2013
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