Having read an earlier post by Ian P on sterlising jars
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=82659.0 I thought I'd contribute my experiences of the cleaning up and sterilising of glass in general. As I'm sure everyone will have found, there are those containers that give up their labels gracefully with minimal fuss, and those which put up a prelonged fight! If there's just a little residue left, I've found the peanut butter tip works a treat - just smear a little over the stubborn area, leave for a while, and then wipe clean - magic! However, there are those adhesives which resist doggedly, and I've now found that placing them in a water bath and simmering for at least ten minutes allows you to remove them without a trace (albeit with the requisite amount of hard graft).
By 'water bath', I mean a large pot, pan or, in my case, a fish kettle, filled with hot water. Just submerge the jars, ensuring you push them down to eliminate air pockets, simmer for ten minutes or so and then get to work with the wire wool. I use tongs to remove the jars from the water, and allow them to cool a little before touching them, and I wear rubber gloves - not only to protect my fingers from the heat but from the wire wool! I didn't bother with them the first time I did it, and my fingertips were in shreds!
As for bottling, I was wondering how to finish off bottles of ketchup as described in Val's brilliant guide on this website, as the bottles I have are quite tall so a pressure cooker pan and trivet wouldn't do. I suddenly realised that all was not lost, because I have an asparagus steamer! The inner basket works as a trivet, and you can finish off the sauces as required ... very happy bunny!
Oh, I love this site!!