I was given these two lovely bottles that had really stuck-on labels, both front and back. If you have ever gone to a store like Ace, looking for something to store a liquid like syrup or flavored oil or vinegar in, you will know how expensive it is to purchase something like this! I hate wasting something so useful, so I have found a way to salvage lovely glass and plastic that have nasty sticker residue adhered to it.
The magic potion is Goo Gone. You can find it at most hardware stores. Soak the offending paper part of the label off of the item you are wanting to clean. If, as in this case, under the paper label there is a plastic very firmly adhered to the glass, you will find a short-bladed, sturdy knife to be a great help to remove the super-adhered residue. Once all that remains on the bottle is sticky residue, spray it liberally with Goo Gone. Let is sit about 5 minutes to work it's magic. Then scrub with a fine plastic scratcher (I use an old glass stovetop scratcher). When all the sticky goo has been loosened, apply an ample amount of liquid dish soap to the scratcher and clean off all the oily Goo Gone (it is essentially orange solvent, and consequently very oily). After a good rinse, and a thorough drying, you have a lovely $12 bottle out of recycled glass (in this case).
Oh! This is so handy!! Was just cursing a sticky label the other day!