cleaning jars

[Emerald]

Just a note:

SOME very old canning jars get a cloudy appearance that will NOT wash away no matter what you do. Back in the day they sometimes used minerals when making the glass that are photo reactive! Old jars like these, exposed to sunlight over the years develop the cloudiness IN the glass. If you are lucky they will develop an opalescence - like a rainbow in the glass! Very beautiful AND worth money!

I have a few jars that I have inherited over the years with the opalescence. I use them for flower vases or short term storage of something I don't mind setting in the kitchen window. I like to encourage them to blossom.

Interesting article on solarized glass here How to turn old glass purple.

Funny you mention that! I have several old bottles and jars that I dug out of our yard and one (pos.) whiskey bottle that are all starting to turn a lovely shade of purple! and only one little bluing bottle that has that opalescence on it.. Plenty of shards of opalescence glass floating to the top but no whole jars or bottles yet... But our land and home is over 100 years old and there are quite a few spots that we haven't dug into yet! And ya know that they probably had to move that outhouse a couple times! lol

 

[Wannabefree]

They moved Pit Privy's every 10-20 years, I believe I read somewhere, depending on the size of the original pit and how long it took to fill in. So you could have several sites, or just a few very good ones! Get a shovel!!!