Use a hair dryer. Move it over label for a few minutes on warm, then turn dryer off. Start to peel from one corner. It should peel easily. If there is any residue left, use a cotton bud with a little eucalyptus oil. That will dissolve it. Wash in soapy water to clear any smell of the oil.
By Lyn Barrett H. from Bowen, Australia
This page contains the following solutions.
I make a lot of presents using jars that have those darn sticky labels on them. Then I found this, it works wonderfully!
Fill a container with pretty warm water (as hot as you can without it distorting the plastic container of course) and let it sit 5 minutes. This heats up the adhesive on the outside of the container.
When I need to get labels off of plastic bottles, I put them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. The labels come right off.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do you remove adhesive label from plastic?
By tammie from Fenton, MI
The way I remove labels is to apply oil,I use olive oil, to the label and let it soak. The oil will soften the label so you can peel it off. Also the oil doesn't harm the substrate.
WD-40 works very well.Just spray a little on a rag and wipe.Let it soak for a minute and the glue will disolve.Then clean the WD-40 with any all purpose cleaner.
I use a hair dryer, it works great for removing the glued stickers or labels. aim your hair dryer at label and start slowly pulling it away from what ever it's stuck to.
Spray a tiny bit of no stick cooking spray on it or, W/D 40 type solution.
Hot water inside the container can be used to remove labels from plastic, metal, or glass. Most labels are heat sensitive, so fill container with very hot water, allow heat to penetrate the label and then begin to slowly peel the label away. Keep the label dry and it is less likely to tear. Any remaining glue residue can be removed with goo gone.
Hi Tammie, After peeling off the label as best I can, if there is any adhesive left on I use Surgical Spirit to remove the adhesive, I think perhaps you might call it Rubbing Alcohol in the USA (I'm in the UK).
Sometimes I might rinse a just empty jar then when I have my daily bath, the jar soaks along with me; that way lots of stubborn labels remove easily. I hope this helps.
Almost every time GooGone has worked for me ;-)
With some labels the glue will dissolve with hot water. For those that don't, use lighter fluid. It won't hurt the plastic. I use lighter fluid for a million things around the house. Label goo, tar, tree sap, scuff marks, candle was residue. It removes magic marker from many surfaces. I've used it on my car, clothes, floors and walls, glass, plastic, even on myself and I've never had a surface so far that it's hurt.
Use a product called oops! you can purchase at any hardware store. It removes paint, tar, lipstick gum, label residue, marker pen ink, glue and crayon. I remover glue left over from plastic container in about 10 seconds.
To remove labels from medicine bottles do the following:
1. Heat water in tea kettle until it whistles (careful water is HOT).
2. Fill medicine bottle with water put lid back on.
How do you remove the labels from laundry detergent and kitty litter jugs? Some of them seem to be sealed on. - M
Try GooGone. It's awesome on stuff like that. Also if you have some lighter fluid handy it works well on non-flamable areas.
Have you tried a hairdryer?
I have used cooking oil to get labels off things. All you have to do is cover the label real good with cooking oil and let it soak in the label, and then peel it off...
Let me clarify this request... the product name, etc is not a label (as in paper glued onto the package) it is some kind of plastic which seems heat (?) sealed onto the container. I have had marginal success using packaging tape to strip the product info off yet this is expensive! Help! These are fabulous containers (laundry detergent, cat litter, etc) for planting flowers, tomotoes, etc yet I don't want to advertise the previous contents! thanks -
How do I remove the plastic label off of the rectangular prismatic Temptations brand cat food boxes? It is a plastic label like on the newer Stater Brothers water bottles.
How does one remove the sticky residue left after removing labels from plastic jars?
By Richard D.
Hello Richard. I have used a product called googone. But I have found that any oil will do the job.Just rub the oil on the spot where the label was. Keep rubbing and soon the label residue will be gone the just wash with soap and hot water.
Hello Richard. I have used a product called googone. But I have found that any oil will do the job.Just rub the oil on the spot where the label was. Keep rubbing and soon the label residue will be gone the just wash with soap and hot water.
G'Day Richard from South Australia
Purchase a bottle of orange oil, just a few dabs on cotton wool and hey presto no more sticky goo and the plus is your left with a wonderful smell of citrus.
Here in South Australia we are able to purchase a product. It is not an aerosol item (I am allergic to them) just a pump pack spray called Orange Oil, we kept one in the toilet, much nicer than the 'pretend aroma of citrus.
Good Luck.
Patsone
How do I get the sticky labels off plastic containers?
By kaky
Heat the label with your hair dryer and it will pull off easily and not leave any glue.
Try WD-40 for the last little bit of gunk. Or if you want to buy something you can use Goo-Gone.
How about steel wool and hot water? I get lots of labels off this way with little effort and no chemicals.
Use vegetable oil (Crisco, Wesson) by putting on the label so it is saturated & let it stay on there for 15-20 mins. then try to remove. Repeat if still there. A quicker fix is Good B Gone which is meant specifically for this. Vegetable oil works, just slower & usually have to re apply more than one time.
I have tried most everything. It takes forever. Trust me I have used many, many techniques some are better then others, but it still takes a long long time. I am only talking about plastic bottles.
By Mario
Hi Mario, I think different methods work better than others, depending on the adhesive that was used on the label.
I've tried soaking in hot water, pulling off the outer layer of paper, then scraping the rest off with my thumbnails. Sometimes I have more luck if I let it dry and remove the adhesive with a piece of tape; I have tried the regular frosted tape, clear packing tape and masking tape; I put about an inch of tape on the adhesive, press it down with a fingernail, then pull it up again; this works most of the time. Sometimes, if you can lift the label itself off most of the way, you can use its own adhesive to pull up the rest; just keep pressing a section of the label on the adhesive left behind.
I have also used GooGone, which does work, but is expensive and smelly.
I collected a lot of tips from ThriftyFun members, but haven't tried them yet:
1 - Soak in a sink of hot bleach water. If stickers don't come all the way off which they should and they do leave a sticky residue use furniture polish, believe it or not. The oils from the polish remove the sticky feeling on just about everything non porous that has sticker residue.
1 - Guaranteed method to remove sticky labels is to soak a cotton ball with Eucalyptus Oil and dab over the label, allow a few minutes for it to soak in and you should be able to gently remove the label. If the label is thick then gently score it with a knife to allow the oil to penetrate. Lightly rubbing the sticky residue with the cotton ball will dissolve it. This method works on both plastic and glass surfaces.
3 - Apply a thick coat of cooking oil to the label in question. Allow it to soak in, undisturbed, for 24 hours. Try to peel the label off. If it comes readily, proceed to the next step. If it doesn't, repeat steps 1 and 2. (Many labels require two applications; some take several.) After the label has been peeled off, some sticky, partly dissolved glue will remain. To remove it, coat the area with oil a final time and allow it to sit overnight. Wipe off the oil and dissolved glue, then wash the container in hot, soapy water. No trace of label or glue will remain.
4 - To remove gum, labels, or stickers, use baby oil. Soak a cotton ball in oil and apply to the sticky area and heat with a hair dryer. When adhesive softens, it can easily be removed.
5 - Use the steam from your iron to remove any type of sticky sticker off any surface!
Fill your iron chuck full of water and turn the heat and steam on High. Let it get good and hot, then hold your iron upright or over your sticker nightmare and start pressing that steam button as fast as you can. In seconds, the entire sticker can be lifted off with absolutely NO residue left on the surface.
6 - You can make a Goo Gone alternative that works very well (and doesn't smell as gross) by mixing two parts vegetable oil with one part baking soda. The oil loosens the glue, and the baking soda acts as a gentle abrasive to wipe it away. Rinse with hot water and that's it!
Hope one of these ideas helps. As I said, results can vary depending on the adhesive they used to begin with. Good luck!
I need a quick way to get labels off of a plastic bottle. It is a hand soap bottle.
By KJeffery
I have tried to find almost everything. What is the best way to take labels off plastic bottles, jars, etc.
By Mario F.
Soak and then peel or scrape the label off. Rub 'Goof Off' on the glue residue, and wipe that off with a plastic scrubby and then a rag. You might need to reapply the Goof Off. When glue residue is gone wash with hot water and dish soap.
What is the best way to get labels off plastic bottles? I have tried almost everything.
By Mike
I'm at a loss to remove a label from a baby wipes container (Pampers brand). It seems to be sealed onto the container. Anyone?
ByJemma
Use hair dryer. Try to lift up a corner of the label. Direct the heat under the corner. Be patient. Lift slowly. THis also works on price labels etc. Good luck.
How do you remove glue from a plastic container? I have tried soaking the plastic with liquid soap wrapped around a washcloth. It did not work.
By Sherrie
I am having a difficult time removing labels off plastic jars, etc. I have tried many suggestions. Glass is easy. Some labels on plastic jars are crazy hard to remove.
By Mario F.
How do I remove the label from hard plastic fresh pie and cake containers that are purchased in the bakery section of stores?
By L.W.
Prescription bottles are handy to use for storing small items but it is desirable to remove the labels first. This is a page about removing prescription bottle labels.
When removing the label glue from plastic bowls remember to make sure that the product you use is safe to use on plastic. This is a page about removing label glue from plastic bowls.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
How do I remove a large paper manufacturer's label that is glued on plastic? It is not one of those easily removable labels that use a peel off glue. I can't tear it off.
It's nice to use the clear plastic bakery containers from Superstores for your own food giving, but what about the label?
