We get quite a few emails asking for a little tutorial on taking the labels off of wine and Pellegrino bottles, which we first did for our wedding back in 2007 to create little water, lemonade and sweet tea carafes for every table (we even recruited a local wine store to save bottles from their wine tastings for us so we could collect them en masse for free).
When it came to stripping the labels, we experimented with a few different ways but in the end nothing worked better than a little hour-long soaking session in hot water followed by a good scrubbing with a textured sponge (or even my fingernails- ever so lightly). After a good soak, everything slips right off.
Then a bit of Goo Gone (or de-gunking alternatives like olive oil, nail polish remover, or citrus juice) can be introduced if there’s still some residue, but usually the ol’ soak & scrub approach does the trick on its own. And that method isn’t an ancient memory because two years later we’re still saving pretty bottles and removing their labels to create an ever-growing collection of free glass vases that we like to group on a tray in the sunroom…
… or even use to add a few pops of green color to the floating shelves in the living room:
So there you have it. A little fast and easy label-removing tutorial that may just help you repurpose some of the things that could already be in your recycling bin at this very moment. Long live free decor- especially when it’s so easy to strip down!
If you don’t have Goo Gone hanging around the house, nail polish remover also works great to remove the remaining residue off of glass.
OT but I just noticed your ‘how to’ page seems a little more comprehensive with more links and categories. Thank you! You’ve taken something great and made it even better!
Aw thanks for noticing Steph. Anything to make poking around on YHL easier for you guys!
xo,
s
Nail polish remover or alcohol works really well too, to remove labels. :-) I’ve used it many a time to remove the gunk from price tags.
I use olive oil to remove the adhesive. Works like a charm & makes one less product to buy.
Thanks for all the alternatives to Goo Gone guys- we’ve edited the post to include them! We’ve also heard rubbing citrus juice (lemon or orange for example) on sticky areas can work to de-gunk them too! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
The tray in the sunroom is absolutely divine! I might just need to start collecting bottles for my own.
Thanks for the post!! This is exactly what I needed! There is a grocery store near us that sells tomato sauces in awesome simple glass jars with black lids – no text on the glass – but I haven’t been able to get the labels fully off! Rather than go out and buy glass containers to store dry goods, I recycle these to hold things like ground coffee, flaxseed, lentils, etc.. I’ve only got a few so far but someday I’ll have plenty!
from vinegartips.com (one of my favorite websites!):
“To remove a label, decal, or price tag, cover with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar. Leave the cloth on overnight and the label should slide off.”
cheap & easy, & no broken nails!
Love it! Just did removed the Pellegrino label off a bottle last night, and my nails of course are a wreck, lol. I think I have almost the exact same vase, the round jewel blue one on the right side of the tray. Have no idea where I got it though, maybe the flea market.
I love saving and repurposing glass jars of all shapes and sizes. The pantry looks so much prettier without all the noisy-looking packaging! And they make for a great centerpiece when clustered together when filled with tea lights.
Oh I love a good tip! The tables looked delightful!
Janell
I use hot water with some Dawn dishwashing liquid mixed in. Let them soak for awhile and the labels should peel right off.
I would always recommend tossing your labeled bottles in the dishwasher first (Pellegrino comes off super easy this way). Then if they are still adhered, put them in a big bucket with hot water and some liquid fabric softener (not sure if this is eco friendly or not??). It helps a LOT. Hopefully you shouldn’t have to use your fingernails, but if you get to that point, then a straight razor works really well too.
Thanks for the post! I used to bottle wine with my family and so we all dreaded “cleaning bottles”.
Good luck!
Ha! Yes, I am one of the readers who inquired about this. I’m using your wine-bottle-as-a-water-bottle brilliant idea at the birthday party I’m throwing for my mom. I used a $3 paint pen to labels my bottles and it gives them a great punch of color. :)
I home brew, and the best thing I’ve used to get labels off bottles has been OxyClean. Soak bottles in hot water with that for about 10mins, and you’re good to go!
I love how you have little mementos from your wedding scattered throughout your house. It’s such a unique/ cheap idea!
Just a word of warning: DON’T do what I did!
I bought these great octagonal canisters for my spaghetti and for rice and sugar and flour for my new kitchen… Wanted to get the labels off quickly. Put on rubber gloves to hold the jars securely.
Decided to use a razor blade. THIS is the part you need to NOT do!
The razor slipped and the pointed corner cut right through the rubber gloves – the slit was literally only a 1/4-inch long. Took the glove off to check – how bad could it possibly be?
(Warning: GROSSNESS to follow!) The blood spurted out over my shoulder – onto my newly painted kitchen wall!
Well, I wound up in the hospital, a psych evaluation was begun ’cause it looked like a suicide attempt to the ER guy’s UNtrained eye.
I have a 1/4-inch long scar that took two stitches. They let me go without committing me ’cause the psych guy said I couldn’t have made up that story if I was truly suicidal! I told him I had to get home to clean my newly painted walls!!!
SOAK YOUR LABELS OFF, PEOPLE!!!
Thanks for the tips! We’re planning on using wine bottles to decorate in our new home. We’ve been trying to find the best way to get the labels off!
The new CB2 catalog has caught on to your idea and is now selling a “decanter” that is basically an empty wine bottle! But theirs is $12.95, as opposed to using what you already have.
Also soaking it and then using one of those brown scrapers you get from pampered chef with the stoneware works very well, just did that yesterday on a cool olive oil bottle that I’m going to repurpose for my dishwashing soap! Love the ideas John and Sherry!
I’ve had good luck using Charlie’s Soap All Purpose Cleaner to get labels off. It makes a great laundry spot treatment too!
I love all of your wedding ideas. Thanks for sharing the great tip for label removing. :)
Have a fabulous weekend!
R
We used a similar method for all of the mason jars (from spaghetti sauce) we collected for our wedding. We soaked them and then put them in the dishwasher, and they came out sparkly as new! I’m all about saving bottles/jars for other uses. We now use the mason jars to house pasta, baking ingredients, etc… and of couse, as vases. J loves to use the smaller ones from cocktails, as well. Perfect for having large parties!
My husband also home brews and uses OxyClean to remove labels from bottles. You can also just run them through your dishwasher with the heated dry on and no soap to sanitize them.
I’m glad you mentioned the oil. :)
I had a heck of a time getting a label off a wine bottle I wanted to keep, soaking, scrubbing, etc, finally I read online to soak the (dry) label with spray on cooking oil and let it sit overnight. I did that and the stubborn remnants came off easy the next day.
Rubbing Alcohol also works great on getting the “goo” gone.
I have to say that of all the bottles that I have the labels removed, wine bottles tend to be the easiest. It’s those mason jars that I have the hardest time with.
I got the labels off using your method, but what did you do to make sure they were super clean inside for reuse?
Hey Malibou,
We ran them through the dishwasher once and even went as far as to pour boiling water into each one, just to be sure to kill all those lingering wine-tasting germs. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Such a great idea. I’ve found that the hot water soak really does work best to get those labels off. I am collecting masons, wine bottles, and small jam/jelly jars now for decorating, vases, and candle holders. Thanks for sharing!
Love those turquoise blue bottles. Where did you get the deeper blue vase and the taller bottles Sherry?
Hey Amy,
Good question! The tall blue bottles were a gift and we have no idea where they’re from (so sorry!) but maybe you can search “blue vase” on ebay to find something comparable? The short darker blue one was from the Pier 1 outlet for $1. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Oh, you guys were the inspiration for our backyard wedding this past June. We scored two dozen wine bottles that were out for recycling from a local shop… unfortunately, soaking, goo-gone, nail polish remover … none worked. My now-husband resorted to a box cutter!! We then applied our own labels to correspond with our theme – they were a hit :)
http://tinyurl.com/y94lum9
My husband and I homebrew, but have found that steaming works better than soaking. We put a bit of water in a large pot with a canning rack in the bottom (you can use a baking rack or any other support system you can scavenge), stack bottles on top, steam for a few minutes, and scrape labels off with a putty knife. We then resteam the bottles to again scrape any residue off. This has been much more efficient than our old way of soaking and using alcohol to remove the residue! Both ways work well, though.
My husband and I have made wine in the past, and we re-used empty bottles from friends. We soaked the bottles in a sink full of water and some baking soda. It worked so well! The labels came right off.
Love the look of all the bottles on the tray- so chic- I’m going to start collecting-
Thanks again for another great idea.
i’ve been struggling with getting the labels off wine bottles, thanks for the tips! i think i just wasn’t soaking them long enough. also, do you have more pics from your wedding? it looks beautiful! :)
Hey Jana,
In fact we have a whole page devoted to our wedding- just hit the tab under the header that says “Our Wedding” and you can see a ton of photos and read all about it. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I was shocked at how well olive oil took off the gunk. I’ve begun doing this to our salsa glass containers and using them around the house. I think I may save them up and use them for food containers for Christmas gifts like cookies.
Soaking is my first line of defense for removing labels, but for super-stubborn glue, I’ve found that WD-40 is the absolute best. In addition to the messy spray, it also comes in a handy pen form (and one of those pens lives in the utility drawer in my kitchen).
I love those blue bottles. Do you remember what came in them?
Good question! The tall blue bottles were a gift and we have no idea where they’re from (so sorry!) but maybe you can search “blue vase” on ebay to find something comparable? The short darker blue one was from the Pier 1 outlet for $1. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Yet another idea for getting off sticky residue: WD-40. If you spray a little on, the sticky stuff melts off. Also, rubbing alcohol works really well to remove any ink fromexpiration dates or manufacturer’s info that is sometimes printed on the jars.
Hey … where did you guys get that awesome coffee table? I saw a similar one at Pottery Barn, but I like yours better because of the shelf spacing.
Thanks!
Hey Meg,
It’s actually from a thrift store (for just $30 if you can believe it!) but we’ve seen similar ones to the PB one here for cheaper: http://www.coffeetablesgalore.com. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Rubbing alcohol works great too.
I used it, along with a razor blade, on a bunch of stickers that were on windows when we bought our house.
Worked like a charm.
I just love your collection of bottles on your back porch.
Another way to remove the stickies is to cover the spot in butter. Leave for about an hour. Then wash clean with soap and water. It works like a charm! :)
I’ve always had really good luck removing tags using a hair dryer. Just warm the sticker with a blow dryer on Medium for 10 to 20 seconds and it will peel right off. What I want to know how to do is- remove those annoying,ugly tags off of decorative pillows without tearing or leaving part of it showing?!
In Australia, eucalyptus or tea tree oil is known to help remove sticky labels. Works best with hot water. We can get it from the supermarket, but a health food store might stock it in other countries.
If you or anyone else ever needs to de-label bottles again, the trick is ammonia. Mix a cup or so of it (it comes in gallon bottles in the cleaning aisle for a dollar or so) with a gallon of water and soak your bottles over night. The labels will fall right off.
NICE BLOG! :)
I am really enjoying reading your page, since I have my own place now, eventhough no decoration yet :( I am still looking for some advised. LOL! :)
i got this tip from my cousin, if need to remove the label from a glass or bottle, just soak the bottle (label) on vinegar instead of water overnight and in the morning the label will be remove easily. I already tried this trick and it worked! :))
Hi Sherry- Just thought I’d let you know that I did some decorating with old Pellegrino and Perrier bottles and your hot water soak trick worked great. I totally copied your bottle display in the sunroom, it’s here if you want to take a look :-) http://hiphousegirl.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/tis-not-really-the-season/
Hey Amanda,
So glad to hear it worked like a charm! Gorgeous! Thanks so much for the link.
xo,
s
Dear Young House Love,
I like you’re website and I’m only nine.And I like Burger’s blog too. I have a question about hanging stuff on my room’s wall. Is there a way besides tape or a hook to hang things on you’re wall? I want to hang ocean things on my wall.(My room is ocean themed.) If there is anoter way please tell me.
P.S. Good luck with you’re baby.
From, Sarah:)
Hi Sarah,
We’re so excited to hear that you like our blog (and we’ll pass that info along to Burger as well)! As for hanging things on your wall, you can try these things called 3M hooks. They’re completely removable and won’t hurt your wall after you take them down so they’re great to display your ocean things (plus your mom won’t worry that they will leave a bunch of holes in the wall). You can find them at Target and Home Depot and places like that. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sherry/John,
Thanks to my sister-in-law, who sent me a link to your blog, I’m now an addict. She and I are both young and in love with our own 50’s ranchers that we have been slowly overhauling and re-redecorating with our husbands.
I love the bottle display and have hunted around your blog until YAY I finally found the tip to getting the labels off…though I wish it were easier! My next project: convincing my husband that it’s acceptable to hang photos with white mats in white frames (he insists on black). Advice and/or support for either frame color is welcome and appreciated.
I have been inspired by many of your unique and budget friendly diy ideas. Thank you and keep it coming!
Jill
Of course we clearly love white frames with white mats because they’re in every room of our house! Our advice for getting your husband to come around would be to show him images of rooms with white frames and white mats (men are visual creatures so sometimes they need to see something to get it). Here’s a post with a few more husband convincing tips: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/03/email-answer-have-husband-will-decorate/
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
We’re using this idea for our wedding too! What kind of container did you use to make the big batches of lemonade/tea and to refill the bottles when they got empty? The logistics of this is baffling me as we don’t have much fridge space since we’ll be grilling/making our own food too.
We made a few big pitchers of each beverage and kept them in the fridge for refills (we designated that task to a few family members and they did a great job- no one was left hunting for a beverage and they were always cold because they were stealthily getting refilled). If you don’t have much fridge space, even leaving the pitchers out on the kitchen counter inside where it’s cooler (with lots of ice in each one) should totally be fine for the duration of the wedding. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I know this post is older but I figured I’d share my technique.
To removed the paper labels from bottles, I fill a stock pot with water, bring it to a boil, and balance the bottle over it for about 10 minutes. The steam makes the label fall right off!
I’ve only tried this with paper labels. I don’t know if it would work with the plastic sticker ones.
Of course, steam is HOT so use caution and if you burn yourself, its not my fault.