How to clean old dirty mason jars -easy method 100% clean 

You are so welcome!

Old mason jars are the best. I can't believe i have so many now. 😀💜

Good morning

Thanks for watching!

Yes! Thank you! I love those old jars. They are so pretty full of dried herbs, and my tea blends.

It was a beautiful sight to have a table full of jars. It was a lot of work cleaning them, but they are already filling up fast. 😀💜

I use a brand new toilet brush works great like a larger baby brush plus it has longer handle

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I'm really glad you liked it. I can tell you, that the older jars ONLY fit Ball brand lids. They are made a little wider than modern jars.

Good morning

I saw that you have have the vintage glass lids. I really wish i would have gotten some of those too.

@@TheBigBlueHouseHomestead The vintage glass lids are awesome. They take a little bit of time to get use to. The seals on them are great!

Hi good morning

Thank you!

Hello good morning

Hello

Hello there 🤗

Thanks for the science lesson. I wouldn't have tasted it. You are much braver than i am. 😂

@@TheBigBlueHouseHomestead I just touched my wet finger to my tongue. I didn't take a swig! :o) It was also the last thing I did, after all the other tests. The old alchemists, and even the chemists, tasted everything as part of classifying substances. I think many died early, too. Maybe "braver" isn't the right word. ;o)

@@ArkansasPilgrim i drank bleach, 3 times, when I was a kid. I turned out ok. 🤪

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Thank you! 🤗

I saw someone using CLR

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It's amazing how they have lasted so long, and are useable. I have been using some of them already. 😀💜

Well, with your beautiful garden this year, you will need all of those new jars. I'll be watching you can!! Have a good one!

Vinegar will get that "cloudy look" off. I'm glad this was helpful! It's so important to know how to can, and save the harvests from the garden. 😀

Thank you so much 😊

Thanks! I can't believe i have so many jars now. 😀💜

Good morning

It's a lot of jars, but i know i will use them all. Some of them are worth a lot of money, but i think i'll just use them for dried herbs. 😀💜

Is it only apple cider vinegar or will just plain white vinegar work too?

Someone suggested a toilet brush. I tried it, and it works really well too. I just like the bottle brush more.

Thanks for the tip about the vinegar!

I use Spray-9 for everything, nothing beats it for overall cleaning. As good as it is, it would not clean the old bottles that I have. I had to soak in denture cleaner for 24 hr , then tumble with copper shavings to get totally clean.

I'll have to look for a milk bottle brush. Thank you for letting me know

I didn't know that about plants.....very neat! Thanks!

I'm always scared that the toilet brush would get mixed up with the "real" toilet brush. 😂

I didn't have a dishwasher until a few years ago. I understand how hard that can be. I'm so glad to hear that your kids enjoy the garden so much. That's one of the best parts about growing. 😀

Congratulations on being gifted a stash of old jars. They are a treasure! Modern canning jars that use 2 piece lids are still usable for canning if the rims are not nicked. They are still usable for canning if they don't have any cracks. Some of the older jars that used zinc one piece lids and a rubber ring on the jar shoulder are not likely to be usable. One way to test any jar is to can some water, as if it were broth, to see if you can get a seal. I do this check with a FoodSaver vacuum sealer. If I can pull a vacuum and seal a jar designed for canning, so far from my experience, it will work with wet canning. For clean up of jars that are filthy, here are the steps I take. First, rinse your jars in plain water to remove any clumps of dirt, spider webs and such. The easiest way to do this is at a faucet outdoor. Next you can soak as mentioned in the video and rinse. I don't use a dishwasher, so I take a different approach. My next step, is to wash them in hot soapy water using antibacterial Dawn dish detergent. Rinse well. If I have any lingering concerns, I fill them with cool water and add a few drops of plain Clorox bleach. Let them sit for 20 minutes. Empty and let air dry. Chlorine used in this manner quickly disappears. You can boil them, if you like. But, if you're waterbath canning for more than 10 minutes or are pressure canning, the process itself sterilizes the jars at the same time it sterilizes the contents of the jars. It is my understanding that in the future canning guidelines will be changed for all water bath canning to be done for 10 minutes or more. Thus it will save time and energy when pre-sterilizing jars will no longer be needed. Mayo jars. They can be used for canning, but you run a much higher risk of them breaking in the canner. The glass in mayo jars isn't made to the same specification as mason jars designed for canning. Save your mayo jars and other similar jars that will accept canning jar lids and rings for dry food storage. They are great for meals in a jar for yourself or gifts to others. Also great for bulk herbs and spices storage. You can use your brake bleeder vacuum pump with the jar accessory to seal those. Gallon jars. There are no canning safety guidelines for gallon jars for home canning. There are only 1 or 2 items, if memory serves that have guidelines for 1/2 gal jars. You can use your gallon jars for storage of dry goods. I would not try to use these for dry canning, if you mean using an oven to heat the jars. Canning jars companies do not approve of using their jars for what I'll call oven canning. The glass isn't designed to take the stress of dry heat that high. Mayo and pickle jars are even less likely to within the stress, IMO. Processes in factories is much different than what home canners have the ability to do with their equipment. FWIW, I save every glass jar that I think I can use in food preservation. How the jar is used depends on how the jar is made. I treasure gallon jars as they are great for storing dry beans, cornmeal, oatmeal and such. Odd older jars.... If the bail type, I use those for misc storage from paper clips to a spoonable salt container beside my stove. If a canning jar lid and ring doesn't fit it, I don't use it for waterbath or pressure canning. For one thing, I can't find the rubber rings that some jars in my collection need. I have some that I know are decorative reproductions, not intended for canning. With today's cost of food to be canned, it isn't worth the risk, for as long as I can obtain modern jars produced specifically for canning. Hope this helps.

Hello

@@RumduolAngkor hi

I didn't know baking soda worked. Thanks for letting me know. I plan to fill the glass top with all my teas, and herbs from the garden. 😀💜

@@TheBigBlueHouseHomestead no problem i use baking soda for scrubbing serfaces i don't want scratched

I am filling all those jars with my teas, and dried herbs. They make a beautiful display.

Good morning

Good morning!

I think the glass jars are heated at a higher temperature. They can handle all time, pressure canning, and even dirty basements. Lol

Years ago I read that canning jars usually can withstand about 40 canning cycles before internal stress build up to much. From what I understand, glass in canning jars isn't created in the same manner as window glass. It's also done differently than Pyrex type ovenware (dry heat vs moist head). FWIW .... I've been canning since 1972. No I didn't can in every jar every year, since then. Yet, I'm still using some of the jars that I bought then. Also, have jars I've collected over the years, wherever I could find them. If memory serves, the only jar I've had break in the canner was one that I didn't heat properly. Needed one more jar & tried to heat it with hot water from the faucet.Didn't give it enough time. Glass does develop stress points over the years. Glass isn't a solid in the same way that a metal pot is a solid. If you'd like to learn more, search for "Glass a liquid?". Hope this helps.

Thank you for letting me know. 😀

So much cheaper than buying new jars.

The vinegar did take off most of the hard water stains, when i just lightly scrubbed. You may have to scrub harder around the letters. I always love finding old jars. Thanks Suzy! I'll go back and check some of the really old ones.

@@TheBigBlueHouseHomestead You are most welcome. Blessings My Friend.

Lol! My mom is a Suzy Jane. I’m a Susan Kay. She was born in Wyoming in 1938.

I agree. I was just cleaning the jars, not to can in them, just to store. I didn't want a jar to break on my hand, so I used warm water. I fully inspect them and boil them before using them. I should have been clearer about that in my video, sorry.

@@TheBigBlueHouseHomesteadunderstandable ! Thanks for

The rust only comes off with a good scrubbing. I use copper pads made for pans. I dip them in vinegar and scrub and scratch away the rust. If it all doesn't come off, I use oven cleaner. I spray them down, place in a garbage bag, and let sit. Then, I clean them thoroughly. The rust really doesn't harm the canning and storing process. Just make sure you have fresh rubber rings.

@@TheBigBlueHouseHomestead Thank you very much. Now I'm searching for decent boxes to store clean jars in. Why can't someone make a proper cardboard box that sells for a decent price? Canners around the world would rejoice!

Yes, I would still use them. Just check for cracks on the rims. I run a cotton ball around the top, or some toilet paper. If there are small cracks, you'll see white stuck in them.

@@TheBigBlueHouseHomestead Great! Thank you so much!!! I will try the cotton ball trick, awesome idea!!

Of course!!!! Just wash them. Once you boil them, they are completely sterilized. Such a great score. 11 cases!! You are are lucky

Some of these are jars I have never seen before, like pint and a half...Jars look like new, boxes not so lucky...

The ratio of vinegar doesn't matter. I just poured about a cup in. The vinegar will kill bacteria, and get rid of smells. It rinses off

It should work, but a little dish soap will help too.

Just wash them with really hot water. That should work just fine

Can use oven too..

If the water is boiling hot and the glass breaks, I would get hurt while scrubbing. It's easier to clean them in warm water and stay safe. When I run them through the dishwasher or sterilize them in boiling water, I check for cracks and problems. It's very scary to have your hand in a jar when it breaks.

Oooh, gotcha! Never thought of that! Totally makes sense...Thanks for the prompt reply❤

I have never reused vinegar when canning. Unless it was a brine i made myself. You can use those vinegars for refrigerator pickles, and salad dressings.

You never know how a glass jar was stored. So using warm water prevents them from breaking on your hand, when washing. When I sterilized them, I can see cracks, breaks, and chiping. You can run the wires in the dishwasher, or use a steel wool pad to clean rust off. They still work for me, even with rusty wires.