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How do I get the labels off of glass jars?



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How do I get the labels off of glass jars?

I've started collecting all the glass jars from coffee, jams, mayonnaise etc so that I can use them at Christmas time to fill with homemade gifts... I have never really gotten into this type of thing before so the first thing I want to know is how do you easily get all the labels off without leaving any stickiness or sticker behind?

I have soaked glass jars in very hot soapy water for a while and often the labels come off, but sometimes not all of the label comes off and no matter how much I scrub or scratch at it there is always some residue left.

Is there a fail proof hack for this?

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ermini2
Goo Gone. im pretty sure the dollar store sells it and if not im sure you could find it online....it works like magic though!!!!



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Lynne
Never heard of it before. Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out online!



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augusta
I only of soaking it in soapy water and as you said not all will pulled off but it will help a lot.



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Everett
You could try using the sponges with the rough side, or even a pot scraper pad thingy, forget what they are called something like a brillo soap pad if I remember correctly. This usually gets the glue off the jars for me, but you have to scrub until your muscles ache. Be very careful not to break the glass, don't scrub too hard.

I mean you could always buy glass jars, like the ones for canning, i'm not exactly sure how much they cost, but glass is typically cheap, and affordable these days. If you're looking to spend as little money as possible then you may have to work a little harder to scrape all the glue off manually.. Good luck with that, I'll probably give up on the first jar. LOL.



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Lynne
Hey Everett but the buying of glass jars will defeat the purpose of using the glass jars How do I get the labels off of glass jars?

I've got a list of things to try now, elbow grease being the last resort because I hate scrubbing things!



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wilkan80
Try soaking them for longer in warm soapy water, the longer they get soaked the better the results you will get in removing labels or the stickers on the glass jar. This method has always worked well for me.



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ballyhara
My mom used to soak them in hot water with dish soap, then when the labels were off by themselves, she used to put regular oil, like canola or the one you used to cook, just a very few drops on top of that gummy paste that is under the label. Then after a couple of minutes she used a rough side of a sponge, and after getting all the gummy off, she wash them in the regular way with dish soap and they were pretty much done. My aunt used to say she used a mix of Coke and Kool Aid, put the jars to soak there, and apparently it works really great.



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Pixie06
Thank you for those great suggestions. I have collected some jars and want to decorate them for Halloween. I have come across some great jar decorating ideas on Pinterest. It is important for me to get the labels off the jars so that I can start decorating on them. I will try the methods you suggested.



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Heatman6190
Well I think it's a frustrating thing for one to have the labels on anything he or she owns or want to use. It makes it look as the owner is so timid about how to do things by allowing the label to still be on.

I have heard that hot water helps in removing the label but I think it depends on the kind of gum used in sticking the label to the glass or any other object. Some gums come off very easy while some are as sticky as hell, they won't come easily without putting up a good fight.

I have happen to use ironing to remove labels from my clothes, it works perfectly fine but I am not sure it would work such way on glasses. Maybe you should try it out and hopefully I wish it works for you. Good luck.



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Blank629
I also used to collect jars for gifts in any occassion. This is my always problem. So for me, I try to use diswashing liquids to remove the labels in the jar. You can also look for some tips in the internet.



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ColdFlameChris
You can use a heat gun and gently apply heat on the sticker to easily remove the sticker. I think that's the faster way to do this or if you don't have a heat gun, you can just soak the jar in the water with dishwashing liquid for a day or two. Hope that helps. How do I get the labels off of glass jars?



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Blank629
I also start collecting jars for some purposes. But my problem always is how will I get the labels off of glass jars. Some of them are easy to remove but the others are not. So I try different methods including yours. I also use diswashing soap and it is very effective. Cooking oil is also a good option. You can search more in the internet.



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TutuBie13
I use lighter fluid. Saturate the label with lighter fluid. Add a couple of drops of the fluid on the label and around the edges. Let the fluid penetrate the paper label so it will make contact with the adhesive below. Let the fluid sit for a minute or two until it evaporates or until the label is dry. Then peel it off.

Hope it works.



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jaymish
I also think there is only one way. Once you soak them they become wet. they peel off very very easily. There is so much you can do with jars especially if you want to make home made pickles and foods like that. If you are not in a hurry, you can keep the labels and they will peel a little off every time you wash the jars. Eventually the whole label will peel off. Its hard to tell how long that'll take.



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