The first step of any bottle project is the removal of the label. Here is the way that I do it. Now, I throw away the labels so an intact label is not my objective, a clean bottle is.
- Fill a sink or bucket with water as hot as it can get out of the tap.
- Fill the bottle with the same temperature of water. This puts the heat on the inside and outside of the bottle. The heat is what undoes the glue.
- Let it soak for about 10 minutes. Attending to the label before the water gets cold is key.
- Sometimes the label will just float off with the water, but sometimes it takes a little more elbow grease. The hot water softens most glues, so it just takes a little scraping to get the label off. I like to use the Pampered Chef nylon pan scraper but a razor blade will work just as well.
- If there is any residue left on the bottle – some glues are more gluey than others – use an adhesive remover like Goo – Gone or vegetable oil to remove it.
