How to Make a Message in a Bottle

Making a message in a bottle may be an enjoyable hobby. For thousands of years, people have used bottles to transmit messages. In addition to the enjoyment of crafting it, the thought of someone getting your message in another part of the world can be incredibly exciting. Your message in a bottle could cross the ocean, be picked by other people, and you could even get a response someday. So what should we do to make a message in a bottle?

 

Prepare a Glass Bottle
Peel Off the Label
The majority of bottles will have a label on them; you might wish to take it off to prevent your message from being mistaken as rubbish. It may not be easy to peel off the label directly, and it may also leave glue marks. You can submerge the bottle in hot water and let it there for a minimum of sixty minutes. The label's glue will be loosened by the hot water, making it simpler for you to remove. If the cleaning is not thorough enough, you may also need to scrape some glue off the bottle.

Clean the Inside of the Bottle
The inside of the bottle should ideally be clean because you will need to put the note you are writing inside of it at the end. If not, nobody will want to open it even if they do pick it up. You can fill the bottle with warm soapy water and gently shake the bottle up and down for at least 30 seconds while covering the top of the bottle with your hand to remove any material from the inside of the bottle. Finally, pour out the soapy water and put warm water inside of the bottle.

Dry the Glass Bottle
After completing the above two steps, you need to dry the bottle to prevent the paper from getting wet. Invert the bottle into a strainer and let it air dry. Depending on the room's temperature, it will take around an hour to dry entirely. The bottle's interior can also be left to dry overnight. But if you want to quickly dry out the inside of the bottle, there is a way. Put it in a low oven at 150 °F (65.6 °C) for around 25 to 30 minutes. When removing the bottle from the oven, be careful and let it cool before handling it again.

Write Your Message on a Note
After the inside of the bottle is dry, you can write down the information you want to share, such as a story about your life, a poem you read, or an inspiring sentence. As long as the content is positive, you can write it down. But please be careful not to reveal sensitive personal information, such as your specific home address and phone number. Then write your contact information at the bottom of the note, usually your  Post Office Box number or email address, so that anyone who finds the bottle can contact you. Roll up your message as tightly as possible and wrap it in a little piece of tape to prevent it from unraveling.

Send the Message in a Bottle to Ocean
Re-cork the bottle with the original top. You can also apply insoluble material and waterproof glue to the mouth of the bottle to prevent water from seeping into the bottle and destroying the message. Test whether your bottle floats by placing it in a bathtub. If it sinks into the water, you need another glass bottle. Finally, we came to the beach and put it into the sea.

In this way, we have completed the entire process of making and using the message in a bottle, and then we just need to wait. Maybe several days, weeks, months, or even years later, someone will pick up your glass bottle and contact you.