Wine Making Kits – Remove Bottle Labels
Cut Costs on Wine Making Supplies With Reused Wine Bottles
Oct 18, 2009
Recycling the bottles from last year's home wine kit and reusing the interesting and beautiful bottles from various purchased vintages both cuts the cost and adds to the fun of a new wine making kit.
But vintners use several types of adhesive to fasten their labels, and some of them are difficult to remove. Some wine bottle labels are made of paper, while others are vinyl, foil, or plastic film. According to International Paper's Knowledge Center, there are three basic types of adhesive used on labels:
- Dry gum or water-based adhesives. This is the type usually found in wine making kits; they must be moistened before application. When the adhesive dries, it sticks.
- Rubber based adhesives. These have "good quick tack and initial peel but will break down under extended exposure to UV light."
- Acrylic based adhesives. "Generally repositionable when the label has been first applied to a surface but will form a bond after a period of time."
The latter two adhesives are often pressure-set (peel off the backing and press in place) or heat-set adhesives. Dry gum and pressure-set labels are commonly used in home wine making kits.
How to Remove Wine Bottle Labels
- The wine bottles should be soaked for about 15 minutes in hot water with a little dish soap. This will soften the label and adhesive.
- Labels fastened with dry gum will simply float free. Any remaining adhesive residue may then be washed off with clean soapy water. Since most inexpensive wine making kits use this type of adhesive, cleaning up wine bottles from last year's vintage is easy.
- For the vinyl, foil, and plastic film types, the hot water will soften the adhesive and allow some labels to be peeled off, though a thick layer of adhesive may remain on the bottle.
- It may be necessary to scrape more stubborn labels off with a paring knife or paint scraper.
- Remove any remaining adhesive residue (see below)
- Wash off the bottles in clean soapy water to remove any chemical from the adhesive removal.
Cleaners for Removing Adhesive Residue from Wine Bottles
While household tip books and cleaning web sites recommend everything from nail polish remover (acetone) to paint thinner, the following three products have consistently produced good results for wine bottles. All require a little "elbow grease" but they do work.
- Rubbing Alcohol (isopropanol) – Probably the most effective solvent (and safer than acetone and paint thinner) for removing wine bottle label gunk. Use in a well-ventilated area. Wet a cloth or paper towel with alcohol, press wet cloth against the adhesive for a a few seconds, then rub.
- Goo Gone – This commercial cleaner from Magic American Products of Cleveland, Ohio is designed to remove grease, gum, stickers, crayon and much more. It does a decent job on many types of adhesive used on wine bottle labels.
- WD-40 – Although mainly used as a lubricant, this well-known product contains solvents that dissolve many adhesives. Spray on, allow to set for five minutes, then wipe off. Works, but leaves the bottle slick and slippery, so handle with care.
Cut Costs and Recycle Wine Bottles
Cut the cost of home wine making kits by recycling wine bottles with these tips for removing the old labels to leave the bottles sparkling clean.
Related Articles
- Wine Making Supplies for Primary Fermentation – Tells what equipment is needed for the first step in a wine making kit.
- Wine Making Supplies for Secondary Fermentation – Equipment required for conditioning and degassing the wine
- Wine Making Supplies for Stabilizing, Clarifying, and Bottling – The last stage of making a wine kit needs the most equipment.
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