Removing Labels from Jars
Aug. 26th, 2024 04:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebI like to remove labels from wide-mouthed glass jars when I can. (My favorite is peanut butter jars.) If I can't then use the jars myself, I donate them to Austin Creative Reuse. (Before they existed, I donated them to Goodwill.) Here's how I do it.
Removing the label
1) Try just peeling the label off. Sometimes this works! First I scrape up a corner with a fingernail, then try to peel it as slowly as possible to minimize glue residue.
2) If that doesn't work, I soak it in water for a while. Sometimes the label will just float away!
3) If that doesn't happen, I might scrape it a bit with a fork to give the water more access. Then sometimes it's quite easy to just scrape up the label with a fingernail or even with the fork.
4) If it's stuck pretty good, I'll try my metal spatula.
A friend of mine recommends Goo Gone for non-plastic labels. She says to spray it on and let it sit. Also, she says you can use razor blades on glass.
Removing the adhesive
When a small amount of adhesive remains, it can often be removed with alcohol. I put some on a piece of paper towel and rub it on the jar. The adhesive might just dissolve right off. Or it might take some elbow grease. Or it might kind of just move around, so sometimes I use the spatula again. And sometimes I just give up and toss the jar.
A friend of mine thinks lighter fluid works better than alcohol. The kind for refilling lighters, not the kind for lighting charcoal (assuming they're different). That scares me, plus I don't keep it on hand.
If you have additional strategies, I'd like to hear them!
Link of the day - Grumpy Rumblings' About that anti-price gouging policy — economists don’t actually hate it (it’s just not been explained well in the press) - Kamala Harris's policy is actually an anti-trust thing, not a price-fixing thing.
Removing the label
1) Try just peeling the label off. Sometimes this works! First I scrape up a corner with a fingernail, then try to peel it as slowly as possible to minimize glue residue.
2) If that doesn't work, I soak it in water for a while. Sometimes the label will just float away!
3) If that doesn't happen, I might scrape it a bit with a fork to give the water more access. Then sometimes it's quite easy to just scrape up the label with a fingernail or even with the fork.
4) If it's stuck pretty good, I'll try my metal spatula.
A friend of mine recommends Goo Gone for non-plastic labels. She says to spray it on and let it sit. Also, she says you can use razor blades on glass.
Removing the adhesive
When a small amount of adhesive remains, it can often be removed with alcohol. I put some on a piece of paper towel and rub it on the jar. The adhesive might just dissolve right off. Or it might take some elbow grease. Or it might kind of just move around, so sometimes I use the spatula again. And sometimes I just give up and toss the jar.
A friend of mine thinks lighter fluid works better than alcohol. The kind for refilling lighters, not the kind for lighting charcoal (assuming they're different). That scares me, plus I don't keep it on hand.
If you have additional strategies, I'd like to hear them!
Link of the day - Grumpy Rumblings' About that anti-price gouging policy — economists don’t actually hate it (it’s just not been explained well in the press) - Kamala Harris's policy is actually an anti-trust thing, not a price-fixing thing.
no subject
on 2024-08-27 11:17 pm (UTC)