A lot of the items I get at the grocery store come in glass jars, whether it be jams and jellies or mayonnaise, pickles, sauces etc.
But what to do with those?
Up until about a year ago I used to just throw them in the trash without even realizing how useful they are around the house, and not just in the kitchen.
I rinse them out, then wash them in really hot water, scrubbing with a brush to remove the labels and the sticky residue. Once they're washed really well, I think throw them in the dishwasher for another good wash.
I use them for foliage and flowers from the yard
for silverware and napkins etc
Candle holders, lots of them. This bottom picture is not mine, but I have been collecting and storing a bunch of them because this is exactly what I plan to do in my backyard this summer. How pretty is that?
Now with that said, like I stated above, I've just started reusing my jars so I'm always on the lookout for more great ideas and in my quest to do so, here are some great tips:.jpg)
I'm going to reorganize my pantry and store most of my dry goods in the jars, not only will it save space but I love the fact that they're see through and I can find what I'm looking far much faster.
Summer is going to be here in a few months and I love the look of iced tea or lemonade served in jars. Perfect for a back yard get together.
Bathroom storage, definitely, and I have the perfect jar for all my knitted dishcloths, can't wait to try it out.
The possibilities are endless and I'm glad that I'm reusing and making do with what I have instead of going to spend money on other storage.
Now tell me, do you use glass jars for storage? Do you have any tips or ideas to share with me and the rest of my readers? I would love to hear them.
17 comments:
I don't but what good ideas you have here. I'm going to have to see how I can use them.
I love it! I don't have a collection of glass jars going - yet, but I did save some for my bathroom and I keep cotton balls, q-tips, bars of soap in the jars.
Wow, perfect timing - I just reorganized my pantry and was actually pondering all the glass jars I haven't put in the recycle bin yet LOL.
One idea I always thought was neat was screwing jar lids to the underside of shelves (like in the garage) and then keeping things like screws, bolts etc. in their own jars and screwing them back onto their lids.
We converted to using mostly glass in our kitchen and pantry over the past year and a half. It took awhile but we have a great selection of jars. I love how the many different sized bottles look with all the different pantry items in them and your right - everything is so easy to see.
I loved the picture of the back yard table with all those wonderful candles!
I put a flowering tea ball in a jar, and leave the flower, drink the tea during the day, put more water and enjoy the flower for a few days.
What a great post! I need to use some jars for the bathroom, and I love the tablescape with the candles in the jars. Using them in the pantry is also a wonderful idea. I have some I've bought, but could use more so will be saving some jars now. Our county has a great recycling program, so these don't go to the landfill.
FlowerLady
I love jars! Especially Mason jars. Thanks for sharing all of these ideas. I can't wait to try a few.
Warning! Many food grade jars are NOT safe for candles! They will shatter and spray glass when they get hot. Babyfood and canning jars are usually safe but things like Mayo jars and any thinner glass are dangerous.
Any foodstuff you can take out of plastic and move to glass is much better for you. Plastics leach chemicals into the food and add to our body's toxic loads. High toxic loads lead to cancer. That is why if you have a child with cancer they have you get away from all plastic containers and cups etc. Gives them a better chance of surviving chemo.
The glass jars are great for leftovers in the fridge. Let the food cool some first. Eliminates the plastic.
Hey Sandra,
I can a lot, but also find that I can't throw out the pickle jars, etc. And, if my mason jar gets a little chip on the rim or something, I don't like to throw them out, either. When I started buying rice, beans, wheat, etc at our local co-op, I started storing everything in my pantry in jars. We eat very little canned food, so it is stock full of jars with labels and I love that I can see what I have, how much, etc. I hope to also use them for ice tea this summer!
I put my tea bags and splenda in jars..I love glass jars, hate the plastic..
have a lovely weekend Sandra..Love your tips and such..
Sandra, I adore your ideas!! Now I have so many ideas for jars floating around in my mind. Vickie
http://my-best-year-yet.blogspot.com/
Great ideas! My favorite candles (www.homesteadoriginals.com) come made in canning jars, so when I've burned up the candles, I wash them out really well and use them for storage too. Because some of the stronger scents linger even after scrubbing and dishwashing, I don't use them for food. But they sure to give a nice scent to the change and Yen we toss in them. :-)
If you use baking soda for cleaning, a jelly jar is great as a shaker. Just pierce a few holes in the lid with a nail and fill the jar, then screw the lid back in place.
I've always loved how creative you are with reusing jars. Love the face cloths one.
I found a backgrounds site that has one called lost in jane austen. I thought of you. You have to scroll down to find it but here's the link.
http://www.shabbyblogs.com/backgrounds.html
To be honest, I just gave my jar collection to our Head of Secondary so his daughter could make plum jam. However, I'm seeing jars in a new light. Love the pantry idea ~ see through storage will be invaluable for things like oats and dried fruit.
WOW! I have a shelf of jars I was ready to clean off and recycle, now I think I'm gonna go through the pantry and see how I can re-use them. I love the candle idea...so pretty.
I too love to collect glass jars. Sometimes I'll even buy a specific brand of sauce just for the jar! ;)
Love, love, love using jars around the house. I have them in my bathroom cabinets to store cotton balls, Q-tips, nail clippers, and, much more. I have a few along my kitchen windowsill with beautiful yellow flowers in them. They are wonderful!
Hello,
We all have empty glass jars at home and often think what to do with them, and its almost impossible to discard them as they look so pretty. Get few ideas about how to re-use and re-purpose old glass jars at Threads.
https://threads.werindia.com/culture/reuse-and-repurpose-glass-jars/
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