cleaning jars

[watsonlane]

I know there is another topic here but i can't seem to find it....what's the best way to clean old jars I was given?

 

[miss_thenorth]

I soak them in bleach water and then scrub them. rinse well.

 

[Emerald]

First I just wash them in soapy hot water and then after they dry I put them back in the clean sink with super hot water and about 1/2 gallon of white vinegar and let them soak over night. Then the next day they go back thru the hot soapy water treatment--so far I have only had one jar that was not clean after that and it went out to the shed with the hubby for screws.
The vinegar bath really takes that white nasty film off of the jars from the canning process(well if you live in an area that has hard water like we do that is lol)and makes them sparkle. I usually do that same vinegar water treatment for all of my glass ware a couple times a year or they just slowly get cloudy and look dirty all the time.

 

[freemotion]

I found jugs in a very old bottle dump (under a large tree that fell over...the bottles were under the roots, so VERY old) and was able to get them clean with the above methods, plus I used a bottle brush with baking soda and vinegar to get what wouldn't come off with the other methods. They sparkle now and have wine fermenting in them.

 

[Rebecka]

First I just wash them in soapy hot water and then after they dry I put them back in the clean sink with super hot water and about 1/2 gallon of white vinegar and let them soak over night. Then the next day they go back thru the hot soapy water treatment--so far I have only had one jar that was not clean after that and it went out to the shed with the hubby for screws.
The vinegar bath really takes that white nasty film off of the jars from the canning process(well if you live in an area that has hard water like we do that is lol)and makes them sparkle. I usually do that same vinegar water treatment for all of my glass ware a couple times a year or they just slowly get cloudy and look dirty all the time.

Its absolutely amazing that I never considered this for my canning jars. I use vinegar on my coffee pot, glass tea kettle. Our water here makes the canning jars all filmy and stuff. I scrub and scrub and scrub. I now have the bath tub filling to soak my jars! Thanks so much!

 

[Emerald]

First I just wash them in soapy hot water and then after they dry I put them back in the clean sink with super hot water and about 1/2 gallon of white vinegar and let them soak over night. Then the next day they go back thru the hot soapy water treatment--so far I have only had one jar that was not clean after that and it went out to the shed with the hubby for screws.
The vinegar bath really takes that white nasty film off of the jars from the canning process(well if you live in an area that has hard water like we do that is lol)and makes them sparkle. I usually do that same vinegar water treatment for all of my glass ware a couple times a year or they just slowly get cloudy and look dirty all the time.

Its absolutely amazing that I never considered this for my canning jars. I use vinegar on my coffee pot, glass tea kettle. Our water here makes the canning jars all filmy and stuff. I scrub and scrub and scrub. I now have the bath tub filling to soak my jars! Thanks so much!

You're so welcome-I have had those moments too, like I wanted to dehydrate some potatoes and onions that were on sale but didn't want to heat the house up extra this summer(it was in the 90's this summer we have no air conditioner) and someone, either here or at another site, recommended putting it out on the deck or in the camper(which we had up for cleaning and such)! I would not have thought about that. Or putting the bread maker outside in the summer to make bread.. such little things that I had not thought of.. Or hooking up the crock pot out in the camper to cook something as to not heat the house up...
I'm just glad that it helped you!

 

[~gd]

If you use an dishwashing machine with dishwasher detergent you can get a white film that will not be removed by the vinegar treatment. This because of one of the commonally used ingredients, sodium silicate which is added to protect the metal parts and the flatware from the chlorine which helps remove food much more quickly. Even stainless steel can be attacked by chlorine which will pit and eventually cause pinholes in stainless steel. the silicate will form a thin film on any exposed metal but is even more attracted to glass that doesn't need the protection.
How do I know this?
I used to formulate and test dishwasher detergents. one of our standard test loads were ten plates soiled with animal fat, dried milk and soot to make the "dirt"more visible. the plates were loaded in the bottom rack and 5 clean clear plain glasses were placed in the top rack to see if the soil was redeposited onto the clean surface. At the end of the cycle all the test load was scored. We noted that our test glasses became unuseabe after about a week because of this built up hazy film which was notremoved by the acid soak that would remove the normal hard water build up. once we determined that it was the silicate that was causing it we Knew how to remove it. LYE, sodium hydroxide would remove it but because of safety concerns(you soap makers know what I mean)We settled on a overnight soak in Sodium Carbonate (washing soda).

 

[lalaland]

i don't have a dishwasher, and people are always commenting on my "new and sparkly" glasses, which aren't new, but are just clean and unfogged by dishwashers.

good to know about the washing soda soaking solution!

 

[Beekissed]

I soak them in bleach water and then scrub them. rinse well.

Ditto!

 

[Farmfresh]

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.