Painted label removal Folgers container

[southalabama]

Was gifted a couple bags of Folgers plastic containers. They are #2 plastic. The painted label is a mf.

Goo gone not working
Acetone not working
Nail polish remover (acetone with other stuff)not working

91 percent alcohol not working
Mineral spirits not working.

Saw on net someone said they clear coated and to try and scrape top layer. Tried that.

Mountain House, Domino Sugar and Coffee Mate all come off with acetone. They are the same #2 plastic. They clean up fine.

Anyone have luck getting the painted Folgers labels off?

 

[jkuro]

If you have some, try lacquer thinner. It's a little stronger than acetone.

 

[56Willys]

I've cleaned a dozen of them with acetone. You have to keep an area wet for a couple of minutes and then start scrubbing. I go through a couple paper towels torn into smaller pieces on each container. Keep it wet and it should come off.

 

[nadogail]

I have found Xylene to be a very hand addition to my chemical arsenal, you can find it at Home Depot in a can marked Goof Off.

 

[southalabama]

If you have some, try lacquer thinner. It's a little stronger than acetone.

Cleaning dads garage after his death I found a 55 gallon drum of lacquer thinner. Still has about 35 gallons in it. It’s at moms. Will pump some out and try it next.

 

[FredWanaker]

some labels are held on with a glue like a glue stick. Try heating it and wiping the residual until you have most of it off. Just running it in the dishwasher on sanitize may be hot enough to do the job.

 

[southalabama]

some labels are held on with a glue like a glue stick. Try heating it and wiping the residual until you have most of it off. Just running it in the dishwasher on sanitize may be hot enough to do the job.

Folgers, mountain house and others appear to be painted on.

 

[slow84lx]

It's printing ink, not paint. You guys have no idea how hard it is to develop inks that adhere that well to plastic substrates. Printers devise torture tests & demand the longest possible adhesion in the worst substrates for ink to be on. Inks must excel in those conditions or they go to the competitor.

And you guys complain that it is hard to get off! Wow! We just can't win here!

<------Works for an ink manufacturer!

 

[slow84lx]

BTW, give MEK a shot. Wear gloves.

 

[Spud McGee]

If its on there that good, I say leave it. Put something over it. Spraypaint the can with krylon, or use some of that printable sticky back paper.

 

[pizza]

i like how there's no pics

 

[4xdog]

Depending on how the label was applied, it might very well be non-removable.

A lot of labels on plastic containers these days use "in-mold labelling", in which a paper label is placed in the mold before the extrusion-blow molded container is formed. So the label becomes part of the container, not something that can be peeled off.

A good way to tell is if the label has a texture sorta like the paper its made from under a loupe, and yet the edges where the label meets the container wall are flush rather than proud. A pressure sensitive label will be "on" the wall of the container. An in-mold label will be "in" the wall.

 

[Garcky]

I'm trying to figure out how much time is too much time to spend trying to get a label off a free container, and why one would want to do that in the first place.

 

[65ranchero]

I'm in the camp of leaving it alone, i know what's in the container by where in the the shop it is placed.

 

[PCustoms]

I'm trying to figure out how much time is too much time to spend trying to get a label off a free container, and why one would want to do that in the first place.

Anything more then 2 seconds....

Buy some label stick, use duct tape etc. And slap a new sticker over it. How many cans of mixed slotted screws you gonna keep around anyways?

 

[kbs2244]

If its on there that good, I say leave it.
Put something over it.
Spray
paint the can with krylon, or use some of that printable sticky back paper.

THIS

it is called "over labeling" and is a common soution when re-useing packaging

 

[slow84lx]

Depending on how the label was applied, it might very well be non-removable.

A lot of labels on plastic containers these days use "in-mold labelling", in which a paper label is placed in the mold before the extrusion-blow molded container is formed. So the label becomes part of the container, not something that can be peeled off.

A good way to tell is if the label has a texture sorta like the paper its made from under a loupe, and yet the edges where the label meets the container wall are flush rather than proud. A pressure sensitive label will be "on" the wall of the container. An in-mold label will be "in" the wall.

Good call. It could also be printed with an over-laminate applied. With in-mould or laminate no chemical remover will reach the ink.

An over-label will be best option to re-label the container.

 

[Fav Onefour]

You guys sure get fancy with these projects.
I'm usually out of time for fancy and I only need to know what's in the can. I make labels with tape and write the contents. The fancy parts of that process are trying to print nicely and cutting the tape ends square.

 

[4xdog]

...An over-label will be best option to re-label the container.

I've also repainted containers (corrugated and plastic) with a light tan I've used for years in my shop to "neutralize" labels.

 

[gazza]

" Gently" try a hot air gun on one corner, see if you can soften the glue, then work your way along the sticker

 

[jade97]

Lacquer Thinner. Worked well on my car wash buckets (wash rinse wheels) from Harbor Freight, Ace and Home Depot.

 

[isb cornbinder]

My daughter says she uses brake clean.

 

[Mick56]

Maybe brake fluid would work

 

[FredWanaker]

or leave the labels on for nostalgia

 

[Jacko264]

My wife says nail varnish remover

 

[aggie113]

It could break down the plastic some, but several hours soak in isopropyl alcohol is a good mild paint remover. You say you tried it, but the long soak is what I've done in the past for some projects.

 

[slow84lx]

My wife says nail varnish remover

Acetone, it works great for removing ink.

 

[kbs2244]

I looked at mine and I don't think it is a label
it looks like it printed directly onto the plastic
and then given a protive overcoat of some kind

it makes sense
in their volume, labeling would be expensive

 

[4xdog]

I looked at mine and I don't think it is a label
it looks like it printed directly onto the plastic
and then given a protive overcoat of some kind

it makes sense
in their volume, labeling would be expensive

I'm a Dunkin' Donut coffee person, personally, but I'll check out Folgers the next time I'm at Costco.

If it's ink, it's quite possibly UV-cured, which gives lower emissions than solvent-based inks and makes a very tough to dissolve crosslinked film.

 

[slow84lx]

Either printed direct with dry-offset inks or printed offset or flexographic (possibly with lamination) with on in-mould labeling process, it is definitely UV-cured ink. A Low-Migration formula as well due to being a food package.

If it isn't an in-mould or laminated label these will work well for easy ink removal.

MEK
Acetone
90% Isopropyl Alcohol

The Isopropyl is preferred if available. If the new usage will be to store anything food related it is the only solvent that I would even consider, even for the outside of the container.

Pictures of the actual container would be a plus.

 

[southalabama]

BTW, give MEK a shot. Wear gloves.

MEK for the win Alex.

I saw a pic online of a guy used them for reloading components. He had a gorgeous reloading room. They appeared void of any labels/printing. Thought I’d do the same.

Well a quick wipe of acetone proved a waste of time. I got curious then. It became a challenge.

I didn’t want to spend a lot of time but I did want them cleaned. These will be long term and not for greasy car parts or bolts.

MEK is the answer.

Just out of curiosity I’ll try lacquer thinner later.

 

[PCustoms]

I saw a pic online of a guy used them for reloading components. He had a gorgeous reloading room. They appeared void of any labels/printing. Thought I’d do the same.

I drink good coffee, so miss out on the containers. I do buy whey protein and get more white plastic containers then I can recycle. One bucket filled with brass is about the right size to easily handle. Lately I've ended up with a few sizes due to product availability, sort of nice to have some different options.

For reference, small empty containers can be had for less then $1 https://www.webstaurantstore.com/16-oz-white-hdpe-plastic-canister/999CN016W.html

 

[kbs2244]

good luck on finding MEK in this day and age

buying new may be the easy answer

 

[slow84lx]

good luck on finding MEK in this day and age

buying new may be the easy answer

It was on the shelf at a couple of big box stores & a paint store here recently. All with a national presence.

 

[NORTON'S SHOP]

I'm trying to figure out how much time is too much time to spend trying to get a label off a free container, and why one would want to do that in the first place.

Too much time on their hands with just a tad of OCD mixed in for good measure.

 

[blacksporty]

Folgers, mountain house and others appear to be painted on.

No, its called in mold labeling, it becomes part of the container during the mfg process.....not something that can be removed.

 

[nh_yota]

Come on! This is Garage Journal! You need to take a 3D scan of one of them into a CAD program and 3D print a version without a label!

 

[NORTON'S SHOP]

Come on! This is Garage Journal! You need to take a 3D scan of one of them into a CAD program and 3D print a version without a label!

Yes! And print the SnapOn logo!

 

[southalabama]

Sherwin Williams has MEK. Have to ask for it.

MEK works but just more time than I was willing to spend. Folgers printers do a good job. Maxwell House and creamer comes off easy. I’ll use MEK to clean them.

Ended up using mat cutter and cutting scraps of oracal vinyl. Quick and easy.

Reloading components going in them. Probably shotgun wad to begin with.

I may be on some spectrum but slapping tape on them or just writing on them bugs me. Now my shop is a disaster so I’m not ocd. Not sure what it is but certain things bug me. Ringing phones are one. I carry two iPhones but they are silenced to never audibly alert or ring.