Forum: sustainability.stackexchange.com
Tags: <recycling><upcycling>
Title: Getting rid of label glue
Question: I up-cycled a glass liquor bottle into a drinking glass (by means of scoring, heat-shocking, and polishing).  What I'm left with is a lovely glass with some very stubborn label glue on it.  How can I get rid of the glue?  Big bonus points for something that doesn't involve nasty chemicals.

Answers:
sents: text: A car or household lubricating oil, such as WD-40 or 3-in-One oil (both are brand names in the UK) will dissolve the label glue.
text: Put one or two drops on the glue residue and rub with, say, a paper towel for a few seconds, and the glue should start to come off.
text: I haven't tried using vegetable oils, so I don't know if any of those will work.
answer_details: author: sustainability.stackexchange.com/users/450/Ciaran McHale
score: 6
sents: text: I just realized that direct heating with a flame does a pretty good job.
text: Boiling water wasn't enough, but heating with a flame seems to do the trick.
text: After heating, wiping with a rag takes the glue off.
text: There is still the smallest amount of residue left after the flame-and-wipe.
text: I'll give @Claran's oil suggestion a try and compare the results.
answer_details: author: sustainability.stackexchange.com/users/28/Laizer
score: 4
sents: text: I soak in water and use a steel sponge.
text: Might be interesting for those who don't want to play with fire.
answer_details: author: sustainability.stackexchange.com/users/96/mart
score: 4
sents: text: The best solvent I have ever found for stubborn materials is (surprisingly) "NZ tea tree oil" .
text: It also does not seem to harm most surfaces - a paradox.
text: It's not known to be especially poisonous - it is sold as a health product.
text: The genuineness of the health claims made for it are unknown to me, but it seems close to the ideal solvent to have on hand.
text: Many sellers here - be sure it is from NZ tea tree (really).
text: It's never cheap, but as a solvent a tiny amount is enough for most purposes, when all else fails.
text: And, the result smells good :-).
text: One seller here as an example - good website name :-} ie http://teatreeoil.co.nz/ .
text: This is not the same as Australian tea-tree oil, which is derived from a quite different plant and is nowhere near as good as a solvent - sadly so as it is much cheaper. .
text: Eucalyptus oil is extremely good.
text: Similar overall to NZ tea-tree oil.
text: Not as good as a solvent but better than most.
text: Inhale fumes for blocked chest.
text: Put a drop on a spoon of sugar for internal use.
text: May or may not work
text: BUT those were among my (long ago) childhood remedies.
text: Ethyl alcohol, or meths (in NZ it no longer contains added Methyl alcohol despite the name).
text: Not as good as above but often useful.
text: Safe enough in small quantities (do not drive and label dissolve :-) ).
text: Acetone often does well.
text: Likes dissolving some plastics.
text: Methanol (wood alcohol) is often effective.
text: Nasty stuff and very poisonous - but the drop or so usually needed as a solvent should be easy to use safely.
text: Carbon tetrachloride was the mainstay of drycleaners for many years.
text: A carinogen, absorbed through the skin and a liver poison.
text: Charming.
text: Still has its place if used sparingly in small volumes with great care.
text: Methyl Chloride !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
text: Nasty poisonous stuff.
text: Dissolves some things really well.
text: Will chew apart set epoxy (with violent cracking).
text: Has its place.
text: Use with extreme care.
answer_details: author: sustainability.stackexchange.com/users/318/Russell McMahon
score: 4
sents: text: Toothpaste works reasonably well with a little elbow grease and an mildly abrasive pad.
answer_details: author: sustainability.stackexchange.com/users/1209/F. Wingenroth
score: 2
sents: text: Mayonaise works on most solvents -- any oil emulsion works.
text: Put on and let soak.
text: For the 10% or so of stuborn labels I find that mineral spirits or diesel fuel work.
answer_details: author: sustainability.stackexchange.com/users/400/Sherwood Botsford
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Methanol and acetone can remove glue. Toothpaste, mayonnaise, WD-40 or 3-in-One also work. Heating with a flame or soaking in water and using a steel sponge are also recommended.  Tea tree oil or eucalyptus oils are natural alternatives.
Solutions include methanol, acetone, heat, steel sponges, toothpaste, oil-based emulsions and lubricating oils.