Abstract: Heat losses in a bottle cleaning machine are kept to a minimum by recirculating a first liquid from a pre-heating zone, where the bottles are showered with the first liquid, in indirect heat transfer relationship with a recirculating second liquid from a re-cooling zone, where the bottles are showered with the second liquid.

Abstract: A suction arrangement for removing labels from bottles comprising a label-softening container adapted to contain a liquid, a plurality of elongated bottle-receiving cells having each an open end for insertion and withdrawal of bottles into and from the cell and provided at its opposite end with a plurality of openings, a conveyor for transporting the cells closely adjacent each other and closely past an opening in a bottom portion of a wall defining a suction compartment within the container while liquid is continuously sucked out of the suction compartment and returned into the container so that a stream of liquid passes from the container through that cell which is located at any instant adjacent the opening in the bottom portion of the wall defining the suction compartment to thus remove the labels from the bottles and transport the labels through the opening into the suction compartment while transversely spaced bars extend in the suction compartment over the opening to prevent the bottles to pass togethe