How to Remove Water Bottle Labels

Before applying your new custom water bottle label from Bottle Your Brand, it s important to remove the existing labels from your water bottles. We don t generally recommend applying the new labels over the old ones as it increases the chances of unsightly bubbling and creases in the new label.

Here is a method that has worked well for us in removing existing water bottle labels:

1. Soak the full water bottle in warm water (the water should be warmer than lukewarm but not so hot that it will scald your hand). Most water bottles manufactured in the United States have heavy-duty adhesive that glues the label to the bottle. Soaking the bottle in warm water will loosen the adhesive. Do not soak for longer than five minutes as this could cause the bottle to shrink or buckle (Some people find it helpful to use a bathtub for this step!)
2. Remove the old label by peeling it off the bottle. Water bottle labels generally only have adhesive in a strip at the back of the bottle. Peel off as much of the existing label as you can and you will be left with the adhesive strip. If there s a large amount of adhesive left, you can try re-applying the old label and then removing it again in order to remove more of the adhesive.
3. You can either use mineral oil or rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth to dissolve the remaining adhesive. We recommend doing a trial run using a spare bottle to see which solvent works best with your particular kind of bottle. Some bottles will go cloudy if you use rubbing alcohol so it s best to check first. Once you are satisfied with how much adhesive has been dissolved, wipe off the remaining solvent. If you are using mineral oil, it s important to remove all of it before applying your new label or the new label won t stick!