[Possum]

I never seem to have enough empty bottles when I want to empty a demijohn. So I usually raid the recycling box for a couple of used bottles from a shop.   But getting the glue off from under the labels is proving more and more difficult. They obviously don't use water-based glues any more so I am left with a sticky residue that I can't get rid of. Does anyone know the best solvent to use to remove it?

[pgkevet]

Almost all glues soften with heat - so long as you don't crack the glass...
Alternatively if water doesn;t shift them then i;d try a squirt of carburretor cleaner (I admit i haven't tried it) which usually has lots of nasty solvents like xyline and acetone in it. Or even try simple wd40.

Oh, and i misread your title as 'Cleaning up Botties'

[Bionic]

I sometimes use WD40 but don't like it. If you leave the bottles to soak for long enough (sometimes overnight) most usually comes off. If it doesn't come off then I bin them

[devonlady]

In fact soaking in cold water for a couple of days is more effective than warm or hot water!

[pgkevet]

You might also try a poundshop wallpaper scraper. I've used them to get masking tape residues off window glass without marking the glass (yes i was being careful)..

[Possum]

They have been soaked overnight with no visible effect. WD40 was definitely better than acetone. It removed the stickiness but the strips of glue are still there.


Any other suggestions?

[Penninehillbilly]

I use good old washing up liquid, hottish water and a metal scrunchy pan scrubber, messy but I find it works

[Calvadnack]

Sticky Stuff Remover from Lakeland does the trick!

[cloddopper]

I used to get all my bottles from a the local railway  hotel after talking to the manager who put me in contact with his bars manager as they had four big reception rooms that were used for parties 7 weddings most week ends .

I'd normally collect four or five of the red & brown bread crates full on the Sunday morning .
 They were rinsed as soon as I got home then put in a 301 litre plastic drum that was cut from top to bottom so that there was a filling/drain bung at the bottom of each half .
I used to put four dish washing in each half and add some hot water before topping the tank up with cold .
Then wearing long sleeved industrial rubber gloves I'd sink the rinsed out bottles in rows till I'd filled both containers .
The bottles were left there till the next Saturday , with the tubs topped up with more water if needed
 Very few bottles still had the labels or glue on them that didn't come off with one of the stainless steel knitted pan scrubbers once rinsed out they were propped up in similar made tanks to drain off .


Like has been said  the few that were awkward to sort out were recycled in the glass bin.  I had a nearly 600  green, blue, brown or clear wine bottles and well over 100 decent champagne bottle at the end of the yearly exercise ..
 
The drained and rinsed bottles were then checked for quality & cleanliness before being stored on their sides in even more of the bread trays .

Those trays were great for it meant I could stack them with full or empty bottles down in the cellar rather than use the shelves in the cellar.

 Once I wanted to bottle up out of the  5,10 or 50 gallon barrels of barrel matured wines or prep for champagne type in the bottle fermenting  it was so easy to lift off a crate of the bottles for washing and sterilizing.