I am a bottle and jar hoarder. If you were to peek under my kitchen sink (please don't) you would find precariously balanced stacks of old baby food jars, ketchup bottles and the marinara jars from every spaghetti dinner I've ever made. Removing the labels from these jars and bottles can be a frustrating and time-consuming task unless you use some kind of adhesive "goo" remover to help speed the process along. The store-bought stuff works well, but I'm trying to reduce the harsh chemicals I use in my home and wash down my drain. After some research and experimentation, I came up with this easy, non-toxic, two-ingredient goo remover. It works just as well as the store-bought stuff for removing sticky residue from bottles and jars. However, since you will need to wash it off, I recommend using it only on items you can submerge in water.
by Marigold Haske
What you'll need
- Small jar
- 4 Tbs. baking soda
- 2.5 Tbs. vegetable oil
How to make it
- In a small glass jar (such as a baby food jar), combine 4 Tbs. of baking soda with 2.5 Tbs. of vegetable oil. Stir until well combined to make a slightly runny paste.
- To remove adhesive residue on glass or plastic: Remove as much of the paper label/sticker as you can by peeling it off and running under hot water and scrubbing. Rub the goo remover all over the sticky residue and let it set in for 3-5 minutes, then rub in a circular motion until the sticky goo residue comes off. Run the item under hot tap water to wash off the paste. A bit of dish soap can help speed up this process. Repeat if necessary.
