If soaking the jar in water doesn’t budge the label, is there a way to get it off short of scraping?
Sometimes I’ve got a jar that’s a nice size/shape, and I’d like to keep it for some as-yet-undetermined project of a crafty nature, but since I don’t have anything in particular in mind for it I’m not highly motivated to get the damn label off and I end up just throwing it in the recycling – albeit always with a pang of regret.
There is such a jar on my kitchen counter now. Any ideas?
Goo Gone is your friend.
Goo Gone, Nail Polish Remover or some other solvent would probably be your best bet if hot water and soap didn’t work. After that, I’d probably just toss it in the dishwasher and see if that got me anywhere. If you don’t want to go that route, you might try scraping it off with a razor blade.
I have heard that vegetable oil will do it, but never tried. Goo Gone would be my second attempt.
Mineral oil
WD-40
Coleman fuel
Hm. I usually use WD-40 for kinda-stuck-on stickers, but these labels are really on there. Okey doke, I’ll try that first, since I have some on hand, before resorting to Goo-Gone.
Anything that contains a lot of limonene, like Goo Remover or De-Solve It. Spray on, allow to soak for a few minutes, lift off.
If the label is polymer-coated to increase resistance to wetting, score it gently with a razor blade to allow the solvent to penetrate. Then spray, &c.
Soak in Oxy-clean.
Goo-Gone!
You should be able to get the label off with the products suggested here. I just wanted to post because I’m happy to hear I’m not the only one with a cupboard full of mismatched jars saved “for an as-yet-undetermined project of a crafty nature…” 
Explosives.
Petroleum Jelly.
Smear it all over the label, a thin but complete covering is good, then set it down for 90 minutes.
It will slide off.
a product containing limonene as a cleaner. in my experience you want to let it soak into the adhesive but don’t let it wait a minute, having it wet allows removal of the adhesive.
boil it off. Don’t touch while it is still hot.
I usually use Goo Gone, but lately we have been buying some pasta sauce jars that must use epoxy to hold the label on. It laughed at Goo Gone. I threw it away.
I’m a homebrewer and will occasionally have to get the labels off store bought beer bottles so that I can put my brew in them. I submerge them in a bath of water and some ammonia. Let 'em sit overnight and the labels usually slide right off.
You write this as if soaking and scraping are mutually exclusive?
I’ve always had reasonable success with soaking overnight THEN scraping. It can still be a bit of work, but it gets the job done.
Once the paper is off, there may still be a layer of glue on the glass. At this point (while it’s still soaking wet), I get good results scrubbing with a Scotch Brite pad.
These tips work also for getting labels off of empty prescription bottles.
I can hardly wait until we have very, very, very, tiny nuclear devices just for this purpose.
IMO, the cleanest, quickest way to get a label like that off is to use a hair dryer on the hottest setting to melt the glue. It’ll peel right off. Works great for removing mailing labels too.
Scraping over the trash can should not take more then few seconds once the label has been soaking overnight. Use goo gone or wd-40 to remove any remaining adhesive. If using WD-40 use it outside if possible as the fumes are not good for your lungs indoors.