saving labels one bottle at a time!

How to safely remove labels from bottles.

This is the method I like to use, it works for me most of the time.

Some labels, like champagne and beer bottles seem to be a little tougher to remove. The glue on champagne bottles seems stronger, doesn't soften up as much and the glue gets a little brittle. (Beer bottles: buy a 6 pack! you can try all kinds of different methods!)

This is just my experience, yours may be different.

These are the tools you will need to have ready to go:


An oven, preheat to 200 degrees.
A sharp straight edge razor blade.
1 or 2 oven mitts or pot holders.
A CLEAN cotton kitchen towel.
Acid free card stock paper to mount your label onto (while it's warm and sticky)

1. Preheat your oven

2. Rinse your bottle(s) out before baking, otherwise you get baked on wine in the bottle, kind of gross and you (I) can't get it clean after baking.

3. Place your clean bottle on the oven shelf.

4. Heat up for about 10 mins.

5. Use a clean oven mitt or kitchen towel to remove the bottle from the oven. It'll be hot, but not 'On fire-molten hot' don't be afraidy cat.


6. Have another clean towel folded on the counter where you're going to be working to lean your bottle on.

7. Pick up the razor blade CAREFULLY! you don't need to get any blood on your label!
Start to work the razor blade under the edge of the label, just to get it off the bottle, then use your fingers to peel away the label,
The label will be really sticky, don't let it roll up on itself.



8. Have your card stock ready and on a flat surface.
Quickly place your label onto the paper, use some care when you mount it, unless you use a big piece of paper that you can cut after you mount it, that will give you room for error.
(I precut my paper to 5 1/2" to 8 1/2" to fit the journal book I keep my labels in).



9. Clean up the sticky glue left on your bottle with Goo-gone, then rinse the bottle with warm soapy water to remove the goo-gone.


!0. Now the glass is ready to be sent to me!
You can have a wonderful piece of jewelry made from your special bottle.
To save on postage you can bust the bottle yourself and send me some of the glass instead of the entire bottle....



Questions?