How To Easily Remove Residue From Wine Bottle Labels

We’ve all been there. Removing stubborn sticker residue from glass bottles or a glass jar is no fun! If you find yourself destroying your hands just to get that back label or price tag off, there are better ways. I’ve tried both dry techniques and wet techniques, and I’m here to show you the perfect solution of Remove residue from wine bottle labels.

I regularly need to remove labels from a glass surface for crafting. As an art teacher, I am always collecting and saving glass bottles and jars because I know there’s got to be a good use for them! Lately I’ve been making the college bling bottles, and they can be made for any special occasion. If you’re thinking you might want to make one, the residue might just be the thing to hold you back from successfully creating your very own wine bottle art.

Remove Residue From Wine Bottle Labels

Wine and champagne bottles are incredible for upcycling and using for craft projects. Unfortunately, the labels have a sticky residue that is nearly impossible to remove. I’ve tried using a razor blade and warm water, but I haven’t had much luck until now. I’ll be showing you the very best way to remove paper labels, plastic labels, wine labels, price tags and more.

But before I dive into the best way to remove labels, let me tell you which methods have not worked well for me. I have tried Goo Gone but it didn’t work on every type of bottle. It did work on some, but I still had to do a fair amount of scrubbing. Since I do like having my nails manicured, I didn’t want to be stuck scraping.

When using goo gone, I also felt that the goo gone was hard to remove even if it worked on the sticker! I have not tried nail polish remover to remove glue residue because, well, then the nail polish remover would also remove my nail polish. And I certainly do not need that. I’d rather try the easiest way; simple ingredients and a bit of elbow grease.

These are some products you’ll need to remove labels from all kinds of bottles (wine, champagne, empty glass bottles from sauces, beer bottles and more):

Warm or hot water

Dish soap

Steel wool

Oven mitts

Oil (cooking oil works great)

Baking soda

Wet methods

Method 1: Boiling Water

Boil water using either a pot or a tea kettle and fill your empty glass jars with the boiling water. Be sure to fill the bottle higher than the sticker. For this experiment, I used a beer bottle.

Let it sit for at least 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes are up, the labels should easily detach from the bottle. If that glue was the most powerful adhesive strength, a simple method such as this might not be a good idea. However, if it is the only option based on what you have at home, you might need to do a lot of scraping to get the sticker residue off of the bottle.

Method 2: Dish Soap and Vinegar

Fill a container or your sink with warm water.

Add 1-2 tablespoons dish soap and 1 cup of white vinegar.

Fill your bottle with water or use an unopened bottle so that the bottle sinks and doesn’t float. If the bottle floats, you will not be able to reach the water-based glues on all sides.

Let sit for at least 20 minutes

Remove labels with your hand. If the labels are stubborn, try using a scraper. If you are concerned about scratching, an old gift card works wonders.

Method 3: Baking Soda and Cooking Oil

Take 2 tablespoons of baking soda and place it in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. If you need more, always use a 2:1 mixture. Mix well and make a paste. If your paste is too dry, add more oil.

Smear the paste all over the wine bottle glassware

Let sit for 15-20 minutes

Scrub using steel wool, a scrub daddy or any abrasive sponge. The sticker residue should come right off.

I personally love this method because it is completely food safe. Many restaurants that label their food use this method. The whole process is quick and an easy way to tackle the problem with items you likely already have at home.

Dry Methods:

Method 1: Hair dryer

Turn on the hair dryer and direct the dryer to the beer bottle labels or whatever type of label you’re trying to remove.

Remove the label.

This method is great at removing the label, but you’ll still need to use different methods to remove the sticker.

Method 2: The oven method

Turn oven to 325 degrees and bake for 5 minutes

Using your mitt, hold the bottle and use a razor to remove it.

Let me know how it goes with removing your labels! Happy crafting!

Want to bling and bedazzle a glass bottle? Check out this post!

How To Easily Remove Residue From Wine Bottle Labels

How To Easily Remove Residue From Wine Bottle Labels

Remove Residue From Wine Bottle Labels