After much trial and tribulation, I have found a very easy way to remove labels cleanly from various plastic bottles. Here are the steps.
1. Choose the bottle that is the right size for your project:
2. Rinse the bottle and fill it with the hottest water you can get from your water faucet and replace the lid tightly. (The hotter the water, the better.)
3. Slit the label and remove it carefully in one piece.
4. Often rubbing the glue area will remove much of it. A paper towel may be just abrasive enough to remove the residue. If not, do not scrub, you may scratch the bottle.
5. Use margarine to cover the adhesive residue. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Use a paper towel to remove excess margarine and residue. Rinse the bottle (still filled with hot water) under hot tap water and dry with a paper towel. (If any adhesive remains, add margarine once more and let sit a little longer).
It works for almost every kind of bottle. So far I have not figured out how to get the black numbers off of the side of the soda bottles, but it does not seem to bother my kiddos at all.
Be sure to dry the bottle completely (for several days) before filling it with dry ingredients like rice or beans. It seems to work best on a dry rack rather than on a towel or paper towel. The air can then get in and the droplets dry faster. I have also put a dry paper towel inside the bottle and shaken in a circular fashion to get most of the droplets. If you use the papertowel method, I would still let it air out upside down at least over night so your rice or other dry ingredients do not mildew.
See the next post for learning ideas for these bottles.
