Have you ever tried to remove the painted label from an empty soda can? If so you’ll probably have noticed that even when you use strong chemicals, it’s not exactly easy. And for anyone who likes to do crafts or other DIY projects that involve «upcycling,» empty, blank cans can be very useful. The good news is that there’s a really simple way to remove the paint from soda cans so you can use them for all kinds of projects around the house as well as for your arts and crafts.
You’ll need:
empty soda cans
nail polish remover
cotton pads
a pressure cooker
a stove
Here’s how:
Here again are all the things you’ll need at a glance. The rest is really simple.
Fill the pressure cooker with one pint of water and set it to steam mode. Place the empty soda cans in the pressure cooker and close the lid.
Now put it on the stove and bring it to a boil. Quickly reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
As soon as the pressure cooker valve clicks, you can take off the lid, but be careful! Everything in it will still be extremely hot.
When everything has cooled, you can start the last step. Put some nail polish remover on a cotton pad and use it to rub the paint off the can.
You’ll be amazed at how well this works. A few minutes later the soda can is completely label-free.
Now that the hard part is done, you can really use your imagination! Try leaving the cans with their raw, aluminum look for minimalistic art deco designs. How about a flower vase? All you need to do is cut off the tops and smooth down the cut edges.
Or maybe you’re in the mood for something completely new…
Here are some more ideas:
This video shows the whole process in more detail:
It’s amazing what you can do with a bit of steam and some nail polish remover. Try it out for yourself and have fun making your own soda can creations!
