Glass jar heaven
How to get the glue off your glass jars. Plus, what to do with all of them.
Maybe you just finished off your honey and you’re thinking: This jar is really nice. I’ll keep it. Maybe you’ve read online that saving the glass jars that your salsas and jams and pickles and pasta sauces come in is good for the environment. (It is! Another good option is recycling.) Either way, you’ve somehow found yourself with a litany of glass jars in varying shapes and sizes and you have no idea what to do with them.
Repurposing glass jars is especially handy for those on a budget. Why buy a toothbrush and toothpaste holder for your guest bathroom when you just finished off your mayonnaise and are now left with a perfectly good vessel? Once you start repurposing glass jars from your pantry, you’ll find a million ways to use these thrifty pieces all over your house.
Cleaning off the glue
After you’ve cleaned your glass jar, you can go right ahead and reuse it with the label still on. But you may want to get that label off to make it a little more appealing in its second life.
Peeling the label off manually can be done, but sometimes you end up with an unsightly, papery, sticky mess. So instead, I do the following:
Fill either a sink, basin, or a large bowl with hot, soapy water
Add your jars
Walk away and do something else for a while, like watch an episode of TV or finally fold the load of laundry you’ve been putting off
Peel the labels off — some will slide off with relative ease
If you’re lucky, the label will fall off and no glue residue will remain. But most of the time, you’ll have some sticky glue left behind.
Fill a small bowl with a few glugs of olive or vegetable oil
Add just enough baking soda to make a paste
Rub the paste on the jar, covering glue residue
Scrub with a scour pad
Wash the jar with warm, soapy water both inside and out
What to do with your jars
I love reusing glass jars. I love having a vessel that was essentially free, food safe, and has lots of different uses. It’s best to collect a variety of shapes and sizes, so you can find the best jar for any given task. I’m blessed with a fairly large kitchen, so I use a cabinet shelf to store my jars currently not in use. I don’t save any more jars than what fits in the space I have designated for them.
Here is what I use glass jars for around the house:
Pencil cups and paintbrush storage
Storing like items such as hooks, buttons, toothpicks, matchsticks, Command strips, wall anchors, screws, nails… the list is endless
Storing loose change, both in the house and in the car
Storing baking powder airtight so it doesn’t get clumpy
Foaming hand soap dispensers (fitted with these tops)
Saving or giving away leftovers (beware of rusty tops — plastic tops are better for this)
Storing ground coffee and tea bags
Bulk food shopping and pantry storage
Making iced tea and cold brew
Storing fresh herbs stem-down in water, like cilantro and parsley
Storing homemade salad dressings
Feeding sourdough starter
Candle making and votive holders
Vases and propagating plants
Small jars are perfect for lunch box salad dressings, peanut butter, condiments, or milk
Thin, long jars are perfect for displaying one or two fresh flowers
Short, small jars are perfect for a discreet DIY fruit fly trap
Some other ideas I can’t personally attest to, but would imagine they’d be good for:
Rustic glassware for a party
A salt cellar
Storing homemade gifts, like bath salts or body scrubs
Bathroom storage — toothbrush, toothpaste, cotton balls, Q-tips, makeup, makeup brushes, etc.
Shot glasses (small ones only, please!!)
DIY terrariums
Displaying shells and beach glass
What do you use your old glass jars for? Leave your recommendations in the comments.
