Trying to remove the label glue from a jar can be a real pain, right? The glue just sticks and sticks. Even if you manage to remove all the paper, the glue still sits there, mocking your every effort!
Until now. Because there is a dead easy, no chemicals involved, method to remove even the most sticky of sticky glue.
I had tried soaking jars in oil and that does work. But unless you actually completely submerge the jar in oil, the oil will just run off. And you really don’t want to waste all that oil. I figured there must be a way to make the oil stay on. And one day I had a tub of bicarbonate of soda sitting next to a bottle of oil and I thought, this might work! A quick search and it turned out that other people have had luck with that, so I gave it a go.
It totally works. Label removing is no longer a pain!
Here’s what you need:
(Olive) oil
Bicarbonate of soda
Small bowl
Spoon
How much you will need of oil and bicarb depends on how many jars you are going to clean, but you can always mix more if you run out.
Mix the oil and bicarb together. The consistency should be fairly thick, but still viscous. Somewhere between Nutella (other chocolate and hazelnut spreads) are available and ketchup. :-)
Make sure that you have soaked your jar(s) to remove as much of the paper as you possibly can.
Then apply the mix to anywhere you see glue on the jar. If the mix runs straight down the jar, it is too runny and you’ll need to add more bicarb.
Leave on a plate over night – or even for a couple of days. The longer you leave it, the easier it will be to remove the glue.
Some of the mix will eventually run down the jar. Which is why you want to leave them on a plate. You don’t want this greasy stuff all over the place. ;-)
Remove the mix with kitchen roll. The glue should be gone. If there are stubborn bits of glue, simply give it a good rub with the mix on the jar. The bicarb will be abrasive enough to remove it.
And that is it! Glue is gone. Wash the jar and use for glitter or whatever. ;-)