apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

just an fyi for anyone who does this so you don't ruin something like i did-- the lids really soak up scent. if you store cornmeal in an old salsa jar, it will pick up a little "mexican" flavor, and if you store something in an old pickle jar it will have the flavor of pickles. soaking the lids in hot water and baking soda seems to help.

Excellent point, laura123. Thanks for sharing.

Also, tear the (usually small) section off the packaging that tells you how to cook the stuff. Stick that into the jar with the foodstuff.

I've been storing my bulk items in glass jars for a couple of years, actually. I definitely prefer nice-and-neat glass jars over sloppy plastic bags.

Just FYI - please be careful if someone in your household or circle of friends has food allergies. Even a well-washed peanut butter jar can harbor just enough traces of peanut to give someone a serious allergic reaction.

I have a lid from a garlic-tomato sauce jar- I soaked in 2 hot water/baking soda baths last night, and it still smells strongly of garlic. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

thanks, laura! i had the same problem when i reused an old tomato sauce jar! running it through the dishwasher didn't help. i'll def try the baking soda trick!

I use old jars for all sorts of storage in the kitchen. I keep a china marker nearby so I can write directly on the jar. This is useful for marking dates or ingredients. The marker is durable enough to stay on no matter if the jar is in the fridge, closet or freezer but it wipes off easily when the jar is empty and I'm ready to relabel.

I've been using old jars like this for years. The best way I have found to get rid of the smells is to leave the jar and the lid out, on a counter or (ideally) a window sill in the sun for a few days. Even jars that once held pickles now happily house oatmeal and rice with no ill effects.

I've had excellent luck deodorizing my thermos by sticking a piece of white bread in there and closing it for a few days. I assume it would work with a jar too?

We take ours jars with the tare weight written on them when shopping. Saves a plastic bag and the effort to repack the purchase. I have purchased items for the beautiful jars they came in.