You can do so much with empty glass jars and bottles; you don’t necessarily have to just put them out to the recycle. Glass jars are great for storing small items in the pantry or for storing jams, chutneys, and pickles. You can also use them for storing small craft pieces or even as a vase. The only problem with many of the jars is that the sticky labels and the label glue can be hard to remove.
If you are lucky then all you will need to do is soak the jar or bottle in some warm soapy water and the sticky label will just peel straight off. But more often than not the paper part of the label will come off but the sticky glue residue remains.
I have used tea tree oil before to take the glue residue off but I don’t like using it because it has a very strong smell. Once you get even a couple of drops of tea tree oil on anything it takes ages for the smelt to disappear. It gives me a headache!
Recently however I came across an easy solution at The Creek Line House that showed how to remove sticky labels and glue residue without using any smelly chemicals. It suggested that the glue residue from sticky labels could be removed using only cooking oil and baking soda.
We had a couple of jars in the pantry that had been saved so I thought I would see if I could use this method to remove the sticky labels and glue residue.
Removing Sticky Labels and Glue Residue from Glass Jars and Bottles
- First I soaked the jars in some warm soapy water for around 30 minutes. Most of the paper labels came off after this time but some sticky labels took longer and I had to leave them soaking in the sink for a few hours.
- Once the paper part of the label was removed I dried the jars and made up a paste of cooking oil and baking soda. I found that a thick paste worked best so I mixed 3 heaped tablespoons of baking soda with 2 tablespoon of canola oil (any type of cooking oil will do). If you feel your mixture is too runny just add a bit more baking soda.
- I then put a small amount of the paste onto a non-scratch dish scrubber and rubbed it over the sticky residue. In some cases the residue would come off quite easily and then the paste could be wiped off with a clean damp cloth.
- If the glue residue didn’t come off easily I would rub some of the paste over the stubborn areas and then leave it for a couple of minutes while I worked on another jar. After a few minutes the stubborn glue residue rubbed off quite easily.
- I then gave the jars another quick rinse in some warm soapy water and they were ready to be reused!
This amount of oil and baking soda paste seemed to go a long way and could easily be used on 10 to 12 jars. I had quite a bit left over after doing 4 or 5 jars.
The best thing about this method is that there was no need to use nasty chemicals or smelly oils. Also because you are only using regular cooking items it is safe to wash everything in the kitchen sink afterwards!
Hi, I'm Kaylene, and I'm a keen gardener,budding baker and wannabe DIYer!
Try peanut butter, it works great for removing sticky labels.
Wow I haven’t heard that before! Thanks for the suggestion Linda I will have to try it out next time!
I cannot remember where it was I first saw or heard it, but it works, I have done it several times and just did it last week. smear it on, leave it a bit, and depending on what it is made of, use a scrubby sponge to finish getting it off.
Thanks for the extra detail Linda, it is probably the oil in the peanut butter that does the job. I am going to try using it next time!
Actually WD40 works great.
Oh that’s another idea, thanks for the suggestion Susan!
I just did this on wine bottles we are re-purposing. It worked wonders! I didn’t even need a scrubby thing. I just used a wash rag and it worked fine. I’m so glad I saw this! Thank you!
Your welcome Allie, I’m so glad to hear that you had success!
Tonight I was ready to use a few wine bottles I had cleared of labels a while back, but no luck removing the sticky residue after trying several things. Fortunately I had pinned your recipe & found it this evening. It worked like a charm in no time flat. As you mentioned, this is free of chemicals & nasty smells as well as the fact it consists of 2 items most all of us have on hand in our pantry. Thanks for the great tip!!
I’m so glad that this tip helped you out Beth. It’s great when you can use some everyday items to do the job!
After reading your tips on how to remove glue residue. Does it have to be baking soda as I don’t have any in, can u recommend an alternative please
Hi Jeannette, perhaps you could try using some flour instead of the baking powder. The important thing is to make a paste with the oil so that you can rub it over the sticky residue. I am planning on cleaning up some jars soon so I will give it a try using flour as well! Others have mentioned that you can also smear peanut butter over the sticky stuff and it helps to get it off, so you could try that too if all else fails! I hope that helps!
I recently used salt and few drops of olive oil to take the goo off.
That’s good to know, thanks for the suggestion Shirley!
I didn’t have baking soda or oil so I went down to the comments and I saw peanut butter as an alternative. I knew I had a little bit of peanut butter left and it gave me an excuse to finally get my hands on the jar it came in. So I thought I might as well try it. Now I have to be honest, I thought it wouldn’t work. I covered the jars in peanut butter left them for 30 minutes. I came back and started washing them and to my surprise the glue came off. I was in disbelief that it was coming off. I had tried before to get the glue off but it wouldn’t budge but after the peanut butter it came off. It still requires a little scrub but it’s a lot easier. On a more personal note it has unfortunately put me off peanut butter. I hope this helps.
Thanks for letting me know how you went with the peanut butter Emma. I haven’t tried that method yet, I’ll have to try it one day! I wouldn’t get too put off by the peanut butter, I think that it is just the oil content from the nuts that probably softens the sticky stuff!
I was amazed at how well this works . My husband has been saving jars for years and now I can reuse some as gifts
Great to hear Carolyn, I hope you have fun re-purposing your old jars now that you can remove the sticky glue!
Thanks! This is quick, easy and very cheap as well as ecologically sound. Best label remover I have found. Be sure to wash the jars in very hot soapy water to remove oil residue or new labels will not stick.
Yes, I agree Davina, it’s the best method that I have found so far for removing sticky labels!
Brushing oil on cling film, then wrapping round the jar works too. Leave a few hours then wash in warm soapy water x
Thanks Debbie, great suggestion! I think it’s the oil that does most of the work softening the sticky glue. I will have to try this idea next time!
Worked great!!!! Thanks so much! Soooooo much easier than other methods and loved the fact that I had everything in my kitchen to make the paste.
So glad it worked for you Kim, thanks for visiting!
Thank you, one and all, for these suggestions. I live in South Florida and am threatened with harsh storms occasionally, so I always have peanut butter (actually, I hate peanut butter … but it is a wonderful source for protein when there’s been no power for a while). When you’re hungry, you’ll eat just about anything.
I take a lot of medications for epilepsy, so needless to say, I have bottles that can be recycled for a better purpose. Removing those labels is trying.
Goo be gone works and rubbing alcohol!! Both work.
Thanks for the tip Wendy!
Well,this may work for glass but,I tried with plastic bottles and it was a no go.
Thanks for the info Melanie, I haven’t tried it with plastic!
This did work on the plastic containers I used. They were made from thicker plastic and I left the oil/baking on it for about 15 minutes.
Thanks for the extra info Dianne, it might depend on the type of plastic perhaps! Good to know that it will work with some plastics.
I actually have a stash of pretty jars that I wan’t to start using for my pantry from candles and things like that. And I’ve been putting off peeling all the labels because it can be such a tedious job, however this method seems a lot less painful! thanks for sharing.
Yes this definitely makes life easier!
I came to Pinterest after dealing with a glass jar that I had sterilized and re-filled. I didn’t think the sticky residue would bother me sooo much, but it did immediately. My husband promised he’d go get me some
Goo-gone tomorrow, bit I already had fresh made jam in the jar, and I didn’t want to wait till tomorrow, so I came to see what I could do quick and easy and safely to remove the label. Your blog was the first to pop up, and I LOVED that it was simple and safe ingredients that I had on hand. I immediately gave it a try and couldn’t pick my jaw up off the ground. I didn’t even use a scrubby, I rubbed it with my bare fingers and could feel the jar get smoother and smoother as I rubbed. In a matter of minutes, the residue was off. I gave it a quick wash with hot soapy water, and was done. My husband is fast asleep, and doesn’t even know that I won’t need his food-gone tomorrow.
Thanks sooo sooo much to you for finding and sharing this quick and easy miracle tip!
You’re welcome Audrey! It’s great when you can find a quick and easy tip that actually works!
Thank you so much!! Baking soda & oil worked great!! I tried goo be gone & didn’t work for me. I’m so happy for your useful tip. Thanks again!
Glad to hear it worked!
Mayonnaise works well, have used this for years and I agree that it is the oil in things.
I hadn’t thought of trying mayonnaise, thanks for the tip Snowie!
Regards Mayo, you have to leave it on for a while,
Snowie
Flour works fine as a binder for the oil.
Thanks for the tip Erik!
Can u use the oil method on plastic containers? I have quite a few that I removed the labels but the nasty glue likes the bottle too much and will not leave it
Hi Brenda, from the feedback I have received some plastics will clean up better than others. Some people claim it doesn’t work, while others say that they had success. I think some types of plastic might clean up better with this method than others. I can only suggest that you try it on one of your plastic containers and see how it goes!
Tyvm I will
I have yet to try the oil method but I have been using peanut butter for years. I have not found a glue it doesn’t work on and it works on plastic and glass. I smear it on the glue and leave it overnight. Best of all this method does not scratch or damage the plastic.
Yes many people swear by using peanut butter, I’ll have to try that next time!
Tried the WD, worked well, had a can on the shelf so nice and easy. Took a bit of scrubbing with a scourer but did the job ! Thanks.
I used generic cooking oil plus the baking soda. It works well. Thank you!
I saw your comment about this mostly being about the oil and saw I had some coconut oil cooking spray and thought I would try that. Spray cooking oil on bottles, wait a few minutes, wash with hot soapy water and a non scratch sponge. It worked so well and was less mess than the oil and baking soda. Thanks for the tips!
Glad it worked for you Evonne, I think oil of some kind is the key. Then as long as you have a bit of something to help rub it off (baking soda or a non scrath pad) then it should clean up quite easily.
I had some especially stubborn ones that absolutely nothing worked on until I tried this I also read somewhere that to get the paste off, rub with corn meal or corn starch, which was also miraculous
Glad to hear it worked for you Beret!
It worked like a charm, thank you . I had tried everything but that. It came straight off with in seconds
Glad to hear that you had success Kathy!
Hand sanitizer also works well
Thanks for the tip Sue, I’ll have to give that a try!