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I suspect we've had this topic before - but I still struggle to get (some) sticky labels off jars... Some jars' labels come off in one good soak, others I seem to soak in hot soapy water for weeks and the remains are still visible. Does anyone have any good tips? (I don't mind when I reuse jars for my own bottling, but it doesn't look so nice for presents...)

The easiest way I've found is hot soapy water and one of those steel or copper scouring pads. Soak the label and rub off as much by hand as possible then give it a good scrub with the scourer. The paper bungs up the scourer a bit but it washes out quite easily and they last for ages. (Great for getting stuff stuck on pans off too - not non-stick though, but I wouldn't use those anyway).

My better half who knows such things, says that you just rub olive oil on the label with your fingers and then rub with a kitchen towel.
No sticky residue and no frosted glass where you rubbed it with a scourer.
Easy peasy (she says)

SHE said all that, so don't blame me if it doesn't work.

I use a knife to scrape off as much with the label on stubborn labels, then try the scourer and if it's still stubborn then neat washing up liquid. I do a lot as I sell a lot of jam and chutney and not many defeat me, though the ones that do I bin. We are lucky that we can easily get new lids for almost any jar in the markets. If there is only small residue left on I stick the new label over it.

I'll give the oil a go next time. Thanks for the tip Odsox.

I usually lube it up well with some washing up liquid before I scrape/scour

But I like Tony's Mrs's plan

Some of these labels do defy removal. We have used degreaser (some potion the Wizard has), WB40, blades, knives (I am not allowed to do this as I have been known to stab myself), washing up liquid, but never oil, will have to give that one a go. I personally think it is a conspiracy by the manufacturers to stop us ishy types re-using their jars for our own ends so they use glue that should have been used to glue the space shuttle tiles on

diggernotdreamer wrote:I personally think it is a conspiracy by the manufacturers to stop us ishy types re-using their jars for our own ends so they use glue that should have been used to glue the space shuttle tiles on

I agree dnd - particularly wine bottles. They're horrendous to get off.

Tony, your wife must use more elbow grease than me - I never scratched a jar yet. It's only recently I discovered the scourers are metal, I thought they were knitted plastic. But I'm a big fan, I've cleaned some welded on crap from pans that I thought would never come clean. And, as I said, not that much effort needed either.

But I'll certainly try olive oil on the pretty jars - you know the ones shaped with berries and such like.

Thank you, thank you, thank you - will try both oil (never thought of that!) and scourer (I assume that's the Brillo pad kind, not the rougher ones?). I know I have oil in the house, might have to buy a scourer next time I'm shopping... I did once buy those things called sticky stuff that are supposed to take off sticky stuff (ahem!), but they didn't work on label remains.

I use the coarse wire scourers Ina, you would need a good bit of force to scratch glass with them, but use them with wasing up liquid just to be sure.

No they're not Brillo pads ina.

They look like this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pack-Heavy-Stai ... B003UP0UZW

I usually get them if I find a pound shop anywhere - they always seem to sell them.

Thanks to all your good advice I now have a few more unlabelled jars (a combination of oil and scourer). Cheers!

I use lighter fluid. Soak the label (so that the fluid soaks thru the paper and dissolves the glue). as soon as it appears dry, peel the label. Sometimes the label comes off nicely and leaves a sticky gluey residue - I use kitchen roll and more fluid to get rid.

Waterproof or metallic labels resist this method of course.

I made some jam the other day, and the lids I am having to re-use had sticky labels on the top, which I could not get off. In front of the wizard I put some extra virgin olive oil onto a piece of kitchen paper, he laughed and said that won't work, and then in front of the disbelieving wizard (I believed your wife OS) I removed every trace of the sticky goo. So you can tell Mrs Odsox that it really does work

diggernotdreamer wrote:you can tell Mrs Odsox that it really does work