I am getting ready to start a whole series about re-purposing old bottles and turning them into beautiful decor for your home. So, I thought I should show you how to clean old bottles the easy way especially since I have about 100 bottles to clean!! Wow, that is a lot of projects coming your way so stay tuned š
But first, let’s see how to get those labels off…
Finding theĀ Bottles
I am using old wine bottles because I got some of them from friends and a ton from a restaurant. You can use all sorts of bottles for the upcoming tutorials but I found wine bottles to be easy to work with and easy to find.
Neck Foil for Cork
The first step is to get rid of the top neck foil that is wrapped around the cork before the bottle is opened. I have found that most of the foils are made of some type of metal wrapping like thin aluminum.
Simply slice through it with an X-Acto or utilityĀ knife and peel off.
Fill and Soak
Next, fill the bottle with hot water and place in a tub of super hot soapy water. Make sure to fill the bottle before placing it in the tub of soapy water because this helps the labels to heat up from both the inside and outside.
Let the bottles soak for 15 to 20Ā minutes. Just be sure that the water doesn’t cool down too much so that the glue on the label startsĀ to re-stick to the bottle.
Peel Off Label
Next, peel off the label. Some labels will come off in the water, others are a bit tougher to remove. You can use a plastic spatula to scrape the label off if needed.
Re-Soak & Remove Glue
I did find that quite a few of the labels would leave a sticky residue of glue once the labels were peeled off. Return them to a fresh batch of hot soapy water for about 15 minutes to loosen the glue some more and then use the plastic spatula to scrape off the rest of the glue.
If the glue will still not come off after the second soak and scrape, use Goo-gone or Acetone nail polish remover andĀ a paper towel to remove the rest.
Finished
Rinse the bottles well, let dry and you’re all done! Now your old bottles are ready for your next project.
Remember to stay tuned for the Bottle Crafting series that’s in the works.Ā IĀ will be postingĀ all sorts of awesome ideas for re-purposing bottles like turning them into beautiful vases, home decor, dish soap dispensers, and much more.
Please share with your friends and family so they can get their bottles ready as well.
If you have any other tips or tricks to clean bottles please make sure to share in the comments below š