How-to: Deodorize Reclaimed Glass Jars

Has this happened to you guys? You lovingly rinse a glass jar that held pasta sauce or pickles. You run it through the dishwasher, and when you pull it out…it still stinks!

Glass jars aren’t porous, but if their contents are oily or acidic, it can be hard to get those odors out of there. You might think this means your old pasta sauce jar needs to go in the recycle bin, but fear not! You only need two things to get the smell out of even the stinkiest jar:

• Baking soda
• Water

No, for real! Once you’ve washed the jar well in hot, soapy water or in the dishwasher, here’s what you do:

1. Pour about 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda into your jar along with 1/4 cup water.

2. Shake your jar vigorously for 30 seconds to a minute. The baking soda is abrasive and it’s absorbent, so the shaking is key to getting those icky odors out of there.

3. Pour out the baking soda/water mixture, and put another 1/4 cup water into the jar. Shake for another 30 seconds or so to get any baking soda residue out of the jar, pour that water down the drain, and your jar should be fresh as a daisy and ready to use!

Now that you have that clean, empty jar, check out these 9 ways to reuse a glass jar!