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How to Remove Print from Plastic Containers

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96 Comments

We’ve all been there.  And by “there” I mean standing in front of an open fridge trying to decide which of the eight different containers of “butter” actually contain butter spread.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could remove the print from the tubs, making it obvious which are leftovers and which still contain said butter spread?  Oh yeah, we did it, and it is much easier than you think!

How to remove print from plastic containers

How to Remove Print from Containers

What you’ll need:

*100% acetone nail polish remover
*gloves
*cotton balls

supplies for removing print

There are two ways you can go about this.  Either submerge the container in the acetone and let it soak for a few minutes (wrapped in an acetone-doused paper towel also works great!) or apply the acetone nail polish remover with a cotton ball in a circular motion.

Doesn’t that just sound waaaay too easy?  It really is!

I personally used the cotton ball method because it only takes as much nail polish remover as it does to remove your toe nail polish.  With the soaking method, you’re looking at at least half of the bottle.  It takes a bit more elbow grease, but I’d rather use less, myself (and tone my biceps).

What you’ll do:

Wear gloves if you like, your fingers will get dried out if you do not (but no more or less than when actually taking off your nail polish).

Take your cotton ball, and douse it with 100% acetone nail polish remover. In a circular motion, work it over the print on the container.  It will take a few seconds to get going, but it will start to come off.  Keep working, applying pressure and working your way around.

I did notice that the lid took a little bit extra elbow grease, but I just kept on going and voila! I have no more print whatsoever on my cottage cheese tub.

Removing print from containers

How cool is that?!

Now, I wouldn’t go through this process every single time I empty a tub of butter spread BUT you could save them up and do several of them at a time.  Throw them in the dishwasher and BOOM! You’re done.

These can now be used for leftovers, for planting seeds for your garden, for organizing the pantry or the hall closet, the medicine closet and just about anything else you can think of.

You’ll want to check out these posts: 

Clean Your Microwave Using NO Chemicals {or scrubbing}
How to Make a Wax Melt Warmer for Your Car (GENIUS!)
How to Make a Floating Cooler {for less than $5}
Make Homemade Baby Wipes
How to Create Personalized Wall Art {Using Only an Old Pallet/Fence Board, Screws and Yarn}
How to Remove Wax from Yarn
Clean Jewelry at Home – Using just ONE or TWO Household Items!

Comments

  1. Janis says

    I have read all the above comments and learned a lot. I do want to add my 2 cents to the topic of recycling. I get really out of shape when I open a container of over-the-counter pain medicine and find it to be only half full. This kind of practice is filling up our landfills. Recently, I bought a bottle of Bayer low dose aspirin. When I first opened the half full container I was able to pour the entire contents of it into a smaller container of the same product. So why does Bayer half fill a larger container when the next size down will hold the entire contents.
    Reply

    • Janet says

      I think it has to do with making it harder to steal. Probably cheaper to put in a larger container than to add a security device.
      Reply

    • Frances says

      It’s to minimize the chances of having broken pills, being able to fit all of product information on the bottles and to fit the desiccants. I’ve been a pharmacy technician for 9 years, it’s something that I’ve definitely questioned before too.
      Reply

  2. Peggy says

    This is great. I am famous (among my family) for re-using plastic containers. I store leftovers and send leftovers home with family members (salsa, etc.)
    Reply

  3. Roxanne says

    Non Acetone nail polish remover will work as well. I do this to mine to make embroidery floss holders. Other things can be made with this plastic to reuse. AND I am a "glass" girl all the way. Theres just some things you can get in glass! I also use my glass jars and bottles to store food in, drinks, etc.
    Reply

  4. MiniBooger says

    Thanks for the tip! FYI - More and more companies in the U.S. are making their containers and straws from corn which is biodegradable. Plastic is [slowly] no longer the threat it once was. Glass is expensive to produce and from a company standpoint, produces a higher scrap rate due to breakage. Corn-plastic does not have these challenges. So, this keeps the price of consumables down while providing a biodegradable container. So if you want to campaign with a specific company about their packaging, push for corn-plastic instead of glass and you'll make much more headway.
    Reply

  5. Vera says

    Prescription bottle labels come right off if you heat the label with a blow dryer, works really well and quick. Some sticky labels residue can be removed with baking Soda and cooking oil (equal parts) instead of goo gone.
    Reply

  6. Debi says

    I have found that a little bit of lemon essential oil on a cloth or paper towel works amazingly well. It smells nice and isn't toxic.
    Reply

  7. BonJon says

    Interested in trying this, as I've stopped buying plastic food storage containers. But then I realized, plastic is porous! example: if mold grows on food in a plastic container, food safety guidelines dictate the container be discarded, as spores enter the plastic. Not like nonporous glass. Going to have to do more research before using acetone on food containers. After reading above discussion, got to add my 2 cents: I'm genetically frugal. Never understood why consumers were so eager to accept liquid detergents: they add water to powdered product and charge more, change the packaging from paper to heavy plastic, which costs more, that cost being passed on to the consumer, too. 40 years ago, detergent came powdered in paper boxes, a bunch cheaper. Butter and margarine: they whip air and water into it, change from paper boxes and wrappers to plastic, increase the price 2 and 3 fold for 20% to 40% less product. Use their product to butter a pan or grease a skillet? you can't! It's full of water and extra air, it evaporates! Soft flavored cream cheese? Cream cheese, comes in a paper box, into your mixer bowl with some water and flavorings and whip it like whipping cream. Again, water and air. Liquid hand soap? Bar soap before it has hardened, add 50% or more by volume of water. Put into a plastic jug and charge triple. Foaming bottles are worse: 40% liquid soap, add 60% more water, put in jar with foaming dispenser top. In this country, we pay champagne prices per pound for water in daily products, in plastic containers. We had products that work just fine, in paper containers. It's not about convenience, it's about profits. It's not about good, healthy food, either. The plastic waste just makes me cry. I can't break my husband of the soft margarine habit. So I'm on here looking for ways to reuse his containers. FYI: I reuse plastic food packaging in my garden
    Reply

    • Linda says

      That's not how liquid soap or foaming soap are actually made. I am a soap maker. There's some very necessary things being left out but yes, there's water in liquid soap. It's liquid.
      Reply

    • Sue says

      I reuse my glass, plastic and cans all the time. We live a humid climate and cardboard detergent absorbs humidity like a sponge. I do reuse sturdy card boxes sometimes I use leftover paint to make them more water resistant. All my staples are stored in glass many of them reused food jars. Paper packaging is cheaper but in flood, hurricane or humid prone areas cardboard containers are useless. Any thing I bring home in a cardboard box like cereal is immediately dumped into a glass jar or big plastic snack jar.
      Reply

    • Rennyrij says

      Regarding liquid laundry detergents, they work in cold water, unlike powdered. If you use powdered detergent, you may end up with clumps of detergent on your clothes, requiring you to re-wash the entire load. Glass: is better than plastic. Some things - milk with cookies, or milk alone, for instance, don't taste as well from a plastic cup. Plastic just doesn't cut it. Glass is easier to clean, and broken up, can become an ingredient for pavement (MacAdam), if "harvested" toward that. Knowing it can break keeps us on our toes, unlike plastic. Plastic is helpful for sending "care packages" of leftovers to someone, but you'd really want to reheat leftovers in pans on the stove, or a glass (like Corell) plate or even a paper plate, in the microwave. We really need a way to break down plastics - are any labs working on this?
      Reply

  8. Ann says

    I also use them as containers for my craft supplies, I try to use clear containers so I can see what's in side. You can get small mayo jars with lids at a certain $ G store for$1. Mayo and nice clear little jar.
    Reply

  9. Ann says

    I only use veggie oil on my jars & bottles. Just rub on, let stand for 15 minutes or if stubborn, over night. Peels right off.
    Reply

  10. Bev says

    Mindful buying is not mentioned in these comments. I imagine if consumers refused to purchase items packaged in plastics or non-recyclable/reusable products, the manufacturers would have to respond by ditching the throwaway method and coming up with some way of returning to the "old" days when products were sold in a safe, reusable/ recyclable glass, tin or paper container.
    Reply

    • Carolyn says

      Currently with new recycling, our town has no way to recycle glass.... what a shame. We have alternating weeks of plastic and the next week paper,then back to plastic
      Reply

  11. Karen says

    Having been on the Conservation board for Daughters Of The American Revolution, recycling has been in discussion for years. Let's give more of our time and Recycle - conserve and save our Planet- be thankful we even have a place to live
    Reply

  12. Gloria Gauntt says

    If you don't want to scrub off the print on containers, may I suggest using a marker on a piece of blue painter's tape on the lid to identify contents.. Cheap and quick method!
    Reply

  13. Kim Conover says

    I've read most of the comments and the fact that this continues to be a huge problem means that we can do more- we must do more. Every one of us should take 5 minutes to write to companies and ask them to please look for an alternative and more responsible container for their products. I believe the laundry detergent companies, and producers of other soaps and cleaning products should have refilling stations in grocery stores and places like Target and Walmart instead of continuing to sell more filled containers. I would be happy to take my empty Tide jugs to refill them- it would reduce the heavy duty plastic that will be around forever. I personally think plastic should be banned for most things. When you have a minute - google the difference in the types of plastic - the number on the bottom of a plastic container surrounded by arrows. I stopped reusing branded/labeled plastic food containers- they're supposed to be temporary and are not coded for safe food storage. I use glass containers and jars for left overs.
    Reply

  14. Nayaz says

    I want idea what means take a pet bottle of pepsi in bottle of pepsi in white print means m r p rate. In white not black giv me idea
    Reply

  15. Pam says

    Rubbing alcohol will remove some print, but not all. I would worry about using acetone on food containers. It’s pretty hazardous (and also quite flammable.) I just use stick-on labels to go over the print. And as another poster said, glass jars are awesome.
    Reply

    • Sandi says

      The print you are removing is on the outside and then you wash it throughly. The food would then go on the inside, therefore, no contact with the chemical. Correct?
      Reply

    • CeCe says

      For Glass Jars; Decoupage of Fabric works real well, or a patch work of Masking tape (like we did in school) ... This way if the jar fall and breaks, it won't shatter everywhere and will be easy to contain the broken glass.
      Reply

  16. Deborah says

    This will be very helpful to us. I am looking forward to a time when I do not add to the landfills. Reusing will essential. I look for as many products as possible that are packaged with less plastic but there are some products I do enjoy like the cottage cheese and butter with canola oil...
    Reply

  17. Patricia says

    I agree with everyone about reusing things. I already knew about removing the print with acetone. But I also reuse glass jars. I make soup to take to work for lunches. I make big pots and use glass jars I've collected. I fill the jars and take them to work with me and put them in the freezer. Right now I have five different kinds of soup in the freezer at work and all I do is take a jar out in the morning and then heat it up later. However, I have an issue with our throw away society. People keep purchasing cheap plastic shoes that when the heels go bad or they don't look so nice anymore they just go in the trash. Why don't we spend a little more on leather shoes that look nicer longer and can be repaired? The leather shoes don't make your feet stink and they give a cobbler a job to do! Quit buying disposable everything! I'm also a seamstress, When I'm finished with a garment that isn't going to Salvation Army or some other place that they can be passed on to others I remove the buttons and or zippers and use them again also. We need to stop throwing so much stuff away! Pass it on to someone who can use it or find a way to reuse it yourself!
    Reply

    • Olivia says

      Patricia, love your reuse/ reduce/ recycle methods which I practice as well. I have a tip regarding fabric that is of no use at all. Salvation Army does collect ANY fabric fibres that is destined to the garbage , bundle all, ship it to where these fabrics ( clothing, stuffed toys, etc) are then chopped to shreads and reused for insulation, anything marked "unknown fibres", stuffing, etc. I drop off a bag with our ripped socks, overly stained clothes, raggaty rags. Simply let them know and they'll know what to do.There was a televised program on this subject. That's how I learned about it. Let's all be part of the solution instead of the problem.
      Reply

      • Andrea says

        I’m so happy to hear there is use for the previously useless fabric items!! I donate or sell clothing and use Anything really worn as cleaning rags if possible. We had a Thrift Store that donated many clothes to impoverished countries when they were not selling... not sure on the logistics.
        Reply

      • CeCe says

        I just learned something new, Than You :) I reuse and up-cycle as far as I can go. Gap stores were collecting old Jeans to use as housing insulation, but I do not think they have run that campaign for awhile. It should always be on-going....
        Reply

    • Sandy says

      I also am a recycler. I take dresses, jeans, sweat suits and cut them into narrow strips and crochet things out of them. I reuse soda cans by making purses from the pull tabs and bottoms of the cans or you can make cute decorations from the whole can. Have a garden save your garbage. Have house plants save your eggshells. Have dishes you no longer want make garden art, bird feeders or bird houses. Have coffee cans and smaller tin cans make a tin man. Reuse the spice jars with home made spices or go buy fresh spices in quantites from specialty stores and refill those bottles with the same thing that was in them (leave old labels right on them). I love using those smaller plastic jugs that cat litter comes in, they work great as baskets. I use these baskets to organize my food items. Stuck for ideas look on the internet there’s plenty of ideas.
      Reply

      • Susan says

        If you buy soda for someone in your household, get aluminum cans if possible rather than plastic bottles. Aluminum can be recycled an almost infinite number of times, and since there is an ongoing demand for aluminum, the more we recycle, the less we must mine. Aluminum foil, unless very polluted, can also be recycled. Plastic is seldom recycled even once. Now that China is refusing to take our recyclables anymore, they mostly end up in landfills, so we really need to focus on reusable/recyclable/biodegradable packaging.
        Reply

        • Mary says

          Go to Earth 911 for tips on recycling. There are so many projects for glass thanks to www. The jars of glass & plastic like peanut butter jars can be used for buttons or other craft supplies. You can screw the lid under a piece wood or shelving in your craft room then twist the glass or plastic jar to the screwed on lid. It saves space & time seeing the item you need for your project. The tubs containers can also be used in so many ways. There are companies currently using recycled plastic. Rothy’s, Theory, Warp&Weft, Patagonia, Athleta’s, Nisolo, Tumi, Tortuga & others.
          Reply

    • Tami says

      That's a great way to have hot soup for lunch! As for leather shoes, I would love to, if I could find some, or some that fit, and somewhere to have them repaired. There is nowhere near me that has a shoe repair shop. I also sew, and save old buttons and zippers.
      Reply

    • Caren says

      I like how responsible you are. It’s amazing that they teach the kids in school that the world is going to end and yet don’t teach them how to save the planet.
      Reply

  19. Martha says

    I wish we could work harder on more biodegradable containers. We did not have plastic for everything. Paper, glass and metals.
    Reply

  20. nancy Perdue says

    I really need to use something that does not cost a lot. I want to remove print from gallon ice cream container and then use them for easter basket for the children in our town.
    Reply

  21. Mike says

    I tried this method on some black plastic plant pots in order to remove the lettering so that they could be re-used at a plant sale. Yes, it does work, but too expensive. I use white spirit to remove sticky label residues, it works faster and is cheap - unfortunately it doesn't work with printed lettering. If only there was something as efficient as Acetone but cheaper.
    Reply

  22. Patty P says

    Ashlea, Thanks for the clear tutorial and for taking the time to share! I was determined to re-use a number of containers, but remove the print first. I'm so happy it isn't any harder than removing old fingernail polish (which I don't wear but have tried).
    Reply

  24. Michelle says

    I wonder if it would take less acetone (and maybe less elbow grease) if I sprayed it from a bottle to soak? Has anyone tried it?
    Reply

  25. Just Me3 says

    Have you ever thought how much and what it takes to produce acetone? Also you need to buy rags and gloves that you need trash after using them once. Better for the environment is to recykle that plastic container and use it as energy source.
    Reply

    • Lucinda says

      LOL! as if "recycled" items are actually 'used as an energy source.' They end up on huge barges headed for China where the poorest of the poor pick through and look for anything they can turn in for a tiny bit of money. Do a little research on how much of our recycling actually gets recycled and how much just becomes someone else's problem.
      Reply

      • Calum Mackinnon says

        Well Said, Better to recycle them into seed pots in this country than exploit the poor of other countries, If we all did that little bit more recycling rather that just dumping it in the trash, there would be less going to landfill and less plastic ending up in our oceans. It seems to me that them that moan about having to recycle should seriously think what sort of planet we are leaving behind for our children and grandchildren and indeed for generations to come, I personally would like to see a more sustainable planet being left behind that it was when I was born due to advances made during my lifetime, we call it progress but is it really better if we have a more throw away attitude to things instead of forcing manufacturers to make better and longer lasting products which can be 109% recycled. This in my opinion is the way to go n stop telling people lies about the destruction that is happening on a global level to our planet as once it’s gone it’s gone & there will be no return from the awful destruction we are causing to our world on a daily basis, we must reverse the decline in so many things like forests, lakes, animals, birds and other resources exploited to the point of irreversible destruction. Rant over, Thanks for reading..
        Reply

      • Diana says

        5% that’s all. Only 5% of the worlds plastic is recycled. And China is no longer accepting North America’s plastic. Most of our plastic ends up in illegal dumps in Malaysia. It’s pitiful!
        Reply

  26. Anonymous says

    After cleaning the print off, I wonder if a dry erase marker could be used to label it, then the marker could then be washed off to re-label.
    Reply

  27. Christina says

    This is a great DIY! I've been using my Greek yogurt tubs for sewing notions for a while now and it will be great to clean those off. Also, we're hosting Thanksgiving this year for my extended family, and I've been thinking about buying some inexpensive containers, making cute labels, and sending everyone home with leftovers in personalized containers, i.e. "We Loved Sharing Thanksgiving with You & Yours, Lezlee!"(my sister). It would be so great to send love (food) home with my family, and declutter my stash of dairy tubs (margarine, cream cheese, cottage cheese, feta, yogurt, etc.), and save a little money.
    Reply

  29. CarolynK. says

    LOVE this idea, & will definitely try the technique. HOWEVER, I highly recommend doing this outdoors. Be VERY careful that you are away from any fire or open flame, i.e. candles or pilot lights. Acetone is EXTREMELY flammable/ combustible. Word to the wise from a fireman's daughter!!
    Reply

  30. Kim says

    I think it's a great idea. I have been saving and reusing my empty ones for a while now (with the print on them) my husband will forever be grateful for your tip on how to remove the ink. He just said he is so tired of going for the cottage cheese only to find half of an onion. Also a great way to reduce waste in the landfills. Thanks!
    Reply

    • Richard says

      Haha sounds like me... I store my half onions in those plastic containers too and my family are expecting to see butter/spread in there instead too :-)
      Reply

  33. JunkyMonkey says

    Good FYI, I've been using cheap address labels on my good Rubbermaid lids, this hack will work for the food I want to send home with my Dad cuz never takes the labels off b4 running thru the dishwasher & they get really stuck on!
    Reply

  34. Carol says

    It's a nice hack, but I'd rather go to the dollar store and spend a dollar for 4 containers of that size than spend the time salvaging margarine containers.
    Reply

      • Gail says

        Saving money is better than spending it. I have a question I reuse my spice bottles in my craft classes for anything from jewelry supplies to glitter etc.... My problem is some labels come off so nice but others i have to soak n scrape but end up with sticky left on. Any suggestions for removing that??? P. S. If Carol wants to spend instead of saving I'll take the miney. Lol
        Reply

        • Andrea says

          for the residue from the labels, methylated spirits often works, or paste made with bicarb soda + cooking oil, or goo gone. By reusing/repurposing containers you often find great size & shape ones perfect for your needs ;-)
          Reply

        • Gayathri says

          Any cooking oil (coconut, olive, sunflower...) will work for the sticky ones. To remove stickers: Day 1- soak over night in water. Rinse and wash. Day 2- apply little bit of oil and leave it overnight. All the sticky glue can be wiped out with a tissue paper the next day.
          Reply

          • Sue says

            exactly! people have been reusing glass jars ever since they have been made. Remember the old button jar grandmothers used and all the glass jars used to store nuts and bolts! I have been recycle since the '70s and up cycling for as long as I can remember. Reusing several times will always be better than recycling. When recycling became a community service most collected items could actually be resold by the company who collected them. Now the quality of package is pf a much poorer quality. I think you would be surprised at the kids willingness to reuse or recycle they often have very strong feelings and the willing sess to follow through. Many times it is the adults that can't be bothered. As a gramma of many, past youth leader of many organizations a volunteer all my life I think we often don't give kids the credit they deserve. If they see adults buying food through fast food restaurants and not reusing containers what can we expect? Teens especially like to help and take on causes like this and are good at it if given an opportunity. Many times since parents can't be there afternoons and evenings it is easier to use video games and TV to keep kids safe and inside. They can help their community in many ways and after the original shock of having the electronics turned off will do important thing.Ask some of them what they think needs to be done about disposable packaging and plastics in the ocean. Many will be glad to tell you their concerns for the future of the earth. Due to theft manufacturers often make the packaging many times larger than the product and almost impossible to open. It is now an option at companies like Amazon to offer easy to open packaging . The amount of waste being generated in packaging is not only a marketing technique like larger new improved product containers with less product it is also because we accept the change instead of finding a more responsible company to buy from. As soon as it becomes popular to reduce packaging and waste again the manufacturers will step up and use less wasteful packaging as a marketing technique. Activists often get a bad reputation but they are often the ones to bring attention to these issues again . When being a good consumer is popular with a larger percent of the people then big manufacturers step up and improve their energy use and reduce their waste

        • Susan says

          I find that pouring hot water from my teapot into the bottle will usually loosen the label after a minute or two. The bottle will be HOT so hold bottle with a potholder while pealing off the label. Remaining adhesive will usually dissolve with a coating of Goop Waterless hand cleaner, or cold cream. This also works with plastic bottles, but the heat will distort some bottles, so put a little cool water in 1st to lower the overall water temperature from boiling to just hot. If you find a local spice store, or a natural foods store that sells spices in bulk, they may even weigh your empty bottle so you can fill it in the store & just pay for the weight of the spice.
          Reply

        • Diane says

          Peanut butter removes all the labels I have tried, no problem at all, don’t need very much, just smear on, wipe off with fingers works great
          Reply

        • Jhonnie says

          Mix 1 part coconut oil to 1 part baking soda and let sit on the sticky residue for awhile. Works very well. Sometimes will take two applications but not smelly like GooGone.
          Reply

        • Mary in mn says

          Wd-40 removes the glue —you don’t need much— just rub it in and the glue dissolves, then wash with soap and warm water.
          Reply

        • Mary says

          Baking soda and vegetable oil, works well . Make a paste, wet the label, then add the paste, let it on about 10 or so minutes, use a sponge, the rough side, it should come off real easy, I use it all the time. I use all my glass jars, Never through them out. Also, glass is 100% recyclable. I remember as a child my mom reusing everything until it couldn,t be used anymore. Today the world has become a through away sacidady. If we buy better quality items, they last longer. I'm not one for buying all the new fangal stuff, if it's not broke use it till it wears out. You,ll save lots of money this way to.
          Reply

    • Nóirín Uí Chaomhánaigh says

      By doing that you add to the amount of plastic, something which the world has far too much of already. Recycling is the way to go if we want our oceans and soil unpolluted. What happens to plastic when you bin it? Where does it go really? How does this affect the planet we depend on to survive? Do check it out!
      Reply

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