Mason jars are mad popular on Pinterest.
Seriously, if you've spent more than 5 minutes browsing through Pinterest, chances are—amid the mustaches, baby pictures, wedding photos, and Nutella recipes—you'll see at least 6 pins featuring Mason jars.
I love them, too, because I think storing pantry staples and greens in a Mason jar is a much more attractive option than a frumpy zip-top bag or dirty Tupperware container. And when your pantry and fridge are attractive, doesn't that make cooking (and eating) more enjoyable?
But we don't have room in our budget for a pallet (Ooh! Pallet crafts!) of Mason jars...especially when you can get the same thing (basically free) from your recycling bin.
I have now saved about 5 glass containers that held everything from pasta sauce to maple syrup. The only problem is the labels. Not only do they look ugly, they keep you from seeing what's inside and mentally throw you off when trying to take "what should we make for dinner" inventory.
I purchased this maple syrup at Publix a couple of weeks ago and saved it from the recycling bin because I thought it was just too cute to get rid of. I used the same process that I use on old pasta sauce jars, but I did notice that these labels were a little harder to remove, because the adhesive was a bit "gummier." Keep that in mind when you're doing this at home.
First, peel off as much of the label as you can. Because these labels were a clear plastic, they peeled off in one sheet, albeit very slowly. (I did have to use my teeth on one corner!) Pasta sauce labels are actually more difficult, because they peel off in little pieces. The best solution is to soak them in hot soapy water for a few minutes. Just get as much of it off as you can.
The next problem is the adhesive that gets left behind. This one was extra sticky. Goo Gone would take care of this in a jiffy, but this way is much cheaper.
Take a small bowl and pour in a bit of baking soda (this is maybe a Tbsp). Add a drizzle of vegetable oil and mix to make a thick paste.
This is the consistency I shoot for. It's spreadable without being too runny. About the consistency of Elmer's glue. You may have to add a bit more baking soda or oil to get it to the right spot.
Next, spread it over the label with the back of the spoon (or your fingers) and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This allows the vegetable oil to soak into the adhesive and lift it away from the glass.
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| This is why you want a THICK paste. |
Once your 10 minutes have passed, wash the container thoroughly with soap and warm water using a Dobie or other scrubbing-type sponge.
Before I show you the results, I want to detour with a quick disclaimer. At this point in the process, a pasta sauce jar will be clean, sparkly, shiny, and residue-free (your Dobie, on the other hand, will need a thorough rinse). This jar, while it had lost its stickiness, still had a cloudy haze that showed exactly where the label had been.
I repeated the process and used a paint scraper (you can use a razor blade or fingernail) to scrape off the softened bits of glue.
This is what I ended up with! Clean and ready to be filled with something fun! (I'll be featuring this bottle again in an upcoming post on DIY stain remover soon. Stay tuned.)
Because this bottle only held maple syrup, the inside was easy to clean, but pasta sauce jars come with the added bonus of a very strong tomato smell. Not cool if you want to store anything other than tomatoes.
I used to fill them with a bit of baking soda and let them sit for a few days, because that was the only thing that worked for me. Until I saw this neat trick on Pinterest:
- Sprinkle about 2 Tbsp. baking soda in bottom of jar.
- Add an inch or so of water.
- Shake jar vigorously for 1 minute.
- Rinse out.
- Repeat if needed.
That's it! Your sticky, stinky glass jars are now fresh, clean, and usable for whatever you like. Now that you have these tricks up your sleeves, you'll be tempted to shop for pasta sauce based on the shape of the jar.
Gia Russa has a nice, wide-mouth design that accommodates my immersion blender (super helpful if I ever try to make homemade mayo again). They also have nothing printed on their lids, so there's no obvious indication that it held a commercial product. Classico sauce comes in a mason-type jar, which looks super cute and fits with other lids.
This is the shaker lid from a container of Parmesan cheese. I use this jar to hold all-purpose flour for extra convenience in flouring my counter while baking.
What are your favorite containers to save and reuse?
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