# Getting a label off a glass jar **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 27, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536 "2013-01-27T16:32:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/21 "2013-01-28T02:24:41Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > boil it off. Don’t touch while it is still hot. > [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > 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. If you do either of these, don’t subject the glass to a shock of cold water or even a light impact with anything hard. The glass could shatter from the thermal stresses. I had that experience once (with a jar that had only been in the stream of hot tap water, not boiling on the stove), and I ended up needing stitches on my right index finger to sew up a deep cut. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/22 "2013-01-28T02:37:34Z")
Some glues lose their adhesive power when they’re frozen. You can try sticking the jar in the freezer overnight and seeing if the label peels off. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/23 "2013-01-28T04:53:57Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > 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 soaked it overnight and when I took it out of the water, the labels were on there as firmly as they had been going in. I’m not talking about residue or a slightly stubborn label, I’m talking about something that, as **Hermitian** says, seems like it was epoxied on. And unfortunately I don’t have a blow dryer. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/24 "2013-01-28T08:33:31Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I soaked it overnight and when I took it out of the water, the labels were on there as firmly as they had been going in. I’m not talking about residue or a slightly stubborn label, I’m talking about something that, as **Hermitian** says, seems like it was epoxied on. Could be. ISTM I’ve come across jars like that occasionally, but not usually. Most often, I can get labels and goo off with soaking + scraping + Scotch Brite scrub – but not always. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/25 "2013-01-28T15:22:17Z")
You could try exploiting the fact that glass is much harder and heat resistant than whatever the label is made of. Do you have a self-cleaning oven? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/26 "2013-01-28T15:54:51Z")
Peanut butter works reasonably well, same principal as vegetable oil as another poster mentioned, but since it’s sticky, you can smear it on and let it soak. The end result will still require a bit of scrubbing but a plastic mesh scrubber should deal with any remaining residue. That said, Goo Gone etc. may well work better, but we don’t tend to have that around the house. We _do_ have peanut butter (or if Dweezil’s around, we’ll use soy butter to avoid the allergen risk). ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/27 "2013-01-28T16:53:51Z")
Ronsonol Lighter Fluid is also a good candidate. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/28 "2013-01-28T17:25:00Z")
Flame thrower? I would imagine 1000 degrees would pretty much remove any label. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/29 "2013-01-28T18:21:54Z")
I’d like to point out that IMO putting containers with labels and/or significant gunk residue left in the dishwasher could be a bad idea. That gunk/pieces of paper/plastic could get somewhere in the dishwasher and mess things up. My SO does that and I am waiting for the day the dishwasher goes tits up. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/30 "2013-01-29T05:43:32Z")
> [@11811](#): > > Ronsonol Lighter Fluid is also a good candidate. Combined with a razor blade scraper. After the scrapin’, I scrub with a paper towel soaked in the lighter fluid. ---
**Author:** ![EverwonderWhy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EverwonderWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EverwonderWhy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/31 "2013-01-29T08:19:36Z")
I soak it in hand sanitizer for a bit and then peel it off. If it’s especially stubborn then I scrape the remnants off with a razor. ---
**Author:** ![andrewbub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/32 "2013-01-29T12:17:29Z")
rubbing alcohol ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/33 "2013-01-29T16:06:52Z")
Yanno, all of these sound like they involve a fair amount of work. I was hoping for a version that didn’t. #typicalAmerican ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/34 "2013-01-29T16:46:36Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Yanno, all of these sound like they involve a fair amount of work. I was hoping for a version that didn’t. #typicalAmerican Not really. Lighter fluid or mineral oil usually works with no effort. Just put it on the label so that it soaks in. (It helps if you tear off as much as you can, so that rough paper is exposed.) Let it work for a few minutes and the residue just rubs off. Wash with soap and a Dobie pad. I used to use lighter fluid all the time, but I have a lot of mineral oil so I use that now. The key word up there is ‘usually’. I’ve removed a lot of labels from a lot of things. There have been two or three times where it didn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![randomface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@randomface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomface)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/35 "2013-01-29T16:50:21Z")
I homebrew. To get labels off, I use an ammonia and water soak or a soak in an oxyclean solution. Overnight usually takes the labels right off, with any remaining falling easily to a razor blade. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/36 "2013-01-29T16:50:46Z")
I was bored yesterday and peeled all the labels off a candle. It took 5 minutes with some q-tips and rubbing alcohol to clean off the remnants of label and glue while I watched tv. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/37 "2013-01-29T18:33:47Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Not really. Lighter fluid or mineral oil usually works with no effort. Just put it on the label so that it soaks in. (It helps if you tear off as much as you can, so that rough paper is exposed.) Let it work for a few minutes and the residue just rubs off. Concur. Lighter fluid is just naphtha, and denatures adhesives in seconds, in my experience. I rarely ever need more that my fingernail to scrape naphtha-soaked labels off. Spirit gum (used to stick sfx prosthetics to faces) is usually removed with a mixture of naphtha and baby oil. Goo-gone is just a more expensive version, I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/38 "2013-01-31T00:04:05Z")
I did the oxy-clean and water soak which took off the label on one side. I scraped at the other label with a knife and dunked it back in. We’ll see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![drew870mitchell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drew870mitchell/32/3946_2.png) [@drew870mitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drew870mitchell)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/39 "2013-01-31T01:03:01Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > 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. Didn’t work for me. The label I tried was thick plastic. Would this only work on a paper label mayhap? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536/40 "2013-01-31T23:19:11Z")
> [@drew870mitchell](#): > > Didn’t work for me. The label I tried was thick plastic. Would this only work on a paper label mayhap? I’ve had success with plastic, if you rub a lot of it around the edges of the label. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-label-off-a-glass-jar/648536.md?page=3)