I have a few glass jars. Ok, I have more than a few…. It’s more like hundreds of glass jars. One side effect of going zero waste is that your accumulation of glass jars increases exponentially!
It’s just a fact of life. And, to be honest, a great way to reduce the emissions produced by glass transport is to reuse your jars! You can read more about that in my post Which is Better for the Environment: Glass or Plastic?
But, when it comes to reusing jars, I personally prefer to take the labels off. It gives the jar a much cleaner look which means I’m way more likely to use it. It can be used as a drinking glass, vase, store dry goods in the pantry or even leftovers in the fridge.
RELATED POST: 13 Unexpected Uses for a Mason Jar
Getting labels off can be a little tricky so I want to share my full-proof way of getting your jars clean and sparkly. If you’d prefer a video demonstration, I’ve got you covered below!
how to remove labels from jars:
Things You Need
jars with labels on them
boiling water
baking soda
dish soap
Step-by-step
Put your kettle on and bring the water to a boil
Pour boiling water into the jars and then wait around 5 to 10 minutes
The labels should easily peel off at this point leaving behind lots of glue residue
Create a paste of baking soda and dish soap. It’s not an exact measurement, but 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda plus a few pumps of dish soap should work.
Stir the baking soda and dish soap together until a smooth paste is formed. Continue adding more dish soap or baking soda until you get a good consistency.
Apply the mixture to the glass jars. It doesn’t have to be an even coat, but do the best you can to spread it around the full jar.
Let the jars sit for a few hours or overnight.
Wash the paste off and VOILA! Clean jars
That’s it! It’s that simple.
Now comes the hard part… trying to find the right lids to go with your upcycled jars. I always joke that I spend 80% of my time talking about zero waste living and the other 20% looking for the right lid to go with my upcycled jar.
