How To Remove Labels From Jars - and recycle jars with new labels

Why leave on a label? Why remove it and how.

1 Why leave on a label?

To remind yourself of what needs replacing when shopping locally. To recall the name when ordering online. To remember to search for it on your next holiday in the country where you bought it. 

2 Why leave on a label? 

As a historic item to display in a museum or to sell to a collector. 

 3 Why leave on a label? You don't know how to remove it. 

To remove a label from a glass jar, wet the label and rub it with your finger. If you don't want to use your finger, anything else can be used to rub. For example, a cloth, sponge, a washing up brush. 

Why remove a label?

If the jar is labelled containing food or drink, after it is emptied, somebody else might use it as a container for something poisonous such as cleaning materials. You do not want somebody to thin a bottle contains whisky, or water, when it has been refilled contains bleach, or paint thinner, or limescale remover.

Now that you have removed the label, what can you do with the empty jar?

1 Use it as a vase for cut flowers or artificial flowers. 

2 Covering a Jar

You could tie a ribbon around it.

2 Use if for storing buttons or ribbons or string.

3 Use it as a pen and pencil caddy. 

Photograph your items on your mobile phone. Upload to your laptop. Print the picture in colour or black and white and stick it on the jar.

If  you are saving ink or the picture comes out small, print it in a frame, by printing a border, or use the window from a window envelope.  is Over it with wrapping paper or magazine pictures or birthday and Xmas gift wrapping paper. 

A tall jar can be used for taller flowers, rulers, kitchen brushes, salad tongs. Use it to store spaghetti.

4 Make A Label

The simplest and quickest is to write on it with pencil, then go over the writing more neatly with a felt tip pen or Biro. 

Improve on this, now or later, by printing a label. Simply type into your laptop, enlarge, choose a fancy or bold typeface, copy half a dozen times to have labels for several jars or all four sides and the lif of the jar. Print. Stick on using glue on the back, Blu-tac, or double sided sticky tape on the back, or photo corners, or clear or coloured sticky tape around the edges or diagonally across the corners.   

Uses For Lids

A lid can be used to cover a cup of coffee to keep it warm or to keep out insects in summer and hot countries.

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