Why skip the sticker sheet
A sheet of self-adhesive labels is paper on a silicone-coated backing that you throw away whole: that backing is neither recyclable nor compostable. The acrylic adhesive, in turn, leaves a residue on the glass that has to be rubbed off with oil or solvent.
A food-based glue does the opposite: it holds for as long as you need, lifts off in warm water within minutes, and the soaked paper goes on the compost. On a jar you reopen every season, that is the difference between a clean jar and one you eventually give up on scraping.
Milk, the simplest method
This is the jam-maker’s glue, and it needs no preparation at all. Milk contains casein, a protein that hardens as it dries and grips glass very well.
Brush milk onto the back of the label — or dip it briefly — lay it on a dry jar and smooth from the centre outwards. Whole milk holds slightly better than skimmed, its fat keeping the film supple as it dries. Allow about an hour.
Its limit: the bond stays light. For a jar that will spend months in the fridge, in damp and condensation, use flour paste instead.
Flour paste, for a lasting bond
This is your grandmother’s glue, and the bill-poster’s: flour, water, nothing else. It holds markedly better than milk while staying completely soluble in hot water.
- Whisk 1 part flour into 3 parts cold water, with no lumps.
- Heat gently, stirring, until it reaches the texture of thick cream.
- Let it cool completely: it thickens further as it cools.
- A spoonful of white vinegar or a pinch of salt delays mould.
- Keep it for a week in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Two useful variants
Starch paste — cornflour or potato starch — is made the same way, a tablespoon to 100 ml of water, but dries translucent and does not yellow over time. It is the one to pick on pale paper, or on a label you want to stay crisp for years.
Egg white, lightly beaten and brushed on, sticks harder than milk and dries perfectly clear. It does not keep: make it for the session at hand.
None of the three suits a container that will go through a dishwasher or live outdoors. For those, an adhesive label is the only answer.
Print first, glue second — never the other way round
Water-based glue and inkjet ink do not mix: inkjet ink is not waterproof and runs at the first contact with damp. Always glue the back of the label or the jar, never the printed face, and let the print dry for a few minutes before handling the sheet.
With a laser printer the problem does not arise: the toner is fused onto the paper and shrugs off water. It is also why a laser-printed label copes better with a jar that sweats.
Stopping the paper from cockling
Paper drinks the glue, swells, then shrinks back as it dries: that is what wrinkles an otherwise well-placed label. Five habits prevent it.
- Spread a thin, even coat — too much glue is the first cause.
- Use slightly heavier paper, from 100 gsm up, which distorts less.
- Smooth from the centre outwards with a dry cloth, to push the air out.
- Dry it flat, with the label held under light pressure.
- Glue onto a cold, dry jar: on warm glass, condensation forms under the paper and makes it bubble.
Soaking it off to reuse the jar
This is the whole point of the method. Submerge the jar for fifteen to twenty minutes in hot water with a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda: the label lifts by itself and comes away in one piece, with no scraping.
If a film of glue remains, a sponge and hot water will finish it. On an old, greasy residue, rub with sunflower oil, then degrease with washing-up liquid.
The soaked paper goes on the compost, and the jar goes round again.
The paper that goes with it
A water-based glue needs paper that absorbs it. Plain uncoated paper, recycled paper and kraft all work. Glossy or coated paper repels it: the glue slides on the surface and the label peels at the corners as it dries.
It is the same plain 80 gsm paper our A4 printing guide talks about — there is nothing special to buy.
Updated 2026-08-21
