Remove Stickers From Glass Jars With A Quick & Easy Solution That's Practically Free

Reusing old glass jars around the house is an eco-friendly way of repurposing an item that would otherwise go into the landfill. They can be used for lots of different things, including to store food, display flowers, and organize toiletries. But, one of the most common frustrations with glass jars is that the labels and price stickers can be a nightmare to remove.

There is a quick and easy trick to solve this problem that doesn't require any specific tools or products, just hot water. To fully remove the stickers, you're going to need a container to put your jars in and enough hot water to cover the stickers on your jars — that's it. The hot water works by softening the adhesive or glue holding the stickers in place, making it more pliable and, therefore, easier to peel off.

There are two different methods you can use: soaking the stickers directly or filling the inside of the jars with hot water. Both are effective because the stickers don't necessarily require direct contact with the water, as the heat from the water will soften the stickers anyway — it's all down to personal preference. Remember to use hot water that's freshly off-boil rather than boiling as high temperatures can cause cracking or thermal shock depending on the type of glass your jars are made from.

For the soaking method, gather all of your glass jars and sit them in a container filled with hot water so the stickers are entirely submerged. You should only need to leave the jars to stand in the water for a minimum of 2 minutes to a maximum of half an hour, and the stickers should peel right off. Be careful, we'd always recommend wearing a pair of rubber gloves when cleaning to protect your hands from the hot water. 

If you don't have lots of glass jars that need stickers removed and just have one or two that you'd like to tackle, then there's another method you can follow that still only requires water. Rather than submerging the jars, fill the inside of them with hot water instead. Simply pour enough water inside your glass jar to align where the sticker is on the outside of the glass, and the heat from the hot water will gently lift the sticker off after a few minutes. Then you can easily peel it away. 

Still left with some residue from the sticker adhesive? Try removing sticker residue from glass jars using a common cleaning staple. Simply add a few drops of dish soap to your hot water. Or, rub a good amount of cooking oil onto the adhesive and watch it disappear.