Wait, Don’t Toss Those Peanut Butter Jars!
Sent from reader, Sarah:
I’ve been delighted to discover that by saving peanut butter jars, I have free and colorful storage for small toys, snacks, sewing supplies, etc. We even used one yesterday to house an unusual bug for ongoing observation.
I spray the empty jars with hot water, which loosens the label, and then I run them through the dishwasher. I am a long time subscriber to Hip2Save’s tips and savings. Thanks for all you do!!
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You guys are awesome but pretty sure my husband would call me a hoarder if I started keeping this stuff. 😀
Make sure you wash off all the label adhesive with oil or goo gone before putting the container in your dishwasher. The glue is bad for your dishwasher and can shorten its life.
Thanks for this tip. I didn’t think about that and usually wash my containers with the label on… Yikes
The PB jars are good storage. They’re just a pain to wash clean 😂.
I have a peanut butter jar that I use as a trash can for my backpacking trips when I need to carry out my trash.
I line it with a ziploc bag to make cleaning quick if I come across a trashcan or once I arrive back to my car. The screw lid does a good job holding the odor in. I keep it in my food bag that remains hung up and away from the campsite to avoid attracting unwanted guests such as chipmunk, raccoons and bears.
I also use a pill bottle for storing replacement AAA battery for my headlamp since it’s a waterproof seal.
Ugh, I just love organization posts. I have a hard time throwing things like this away because I’m always like “I can find another purpose for this!”
The peanut butter jar lids are the perfect size to fit on my pint size Ball drinking jars. I’m still looking for lids for my quart size Ball drinking jars.
Same!
I have used cleaned PB jars for YEARS for various projects and such! They are good to freeze liquids in, providing you don’t fill to the top so it can expand from storing nuts & dried fruits. They are nice for storing items which may be in likely positions to break if dropped, etc. And when they get to used, I do not feel guilty in throwing them out, they have already outlived a standard jar!
This is a great tip. I do the same for my sons crafting hoard. To make it look nice I place them inside a dresser upside down. He can pull open the drawer and look down to find what he wants. Before I had them on a shelf and he’ll knock them down or take them all off to see what’s in the back. With paper in the top drawer and other crafting supplies filling the rest a old dresser is now his crafting center, which he is allowed to craft on.
I’m not one to comment… but if it saves one person, I guess it was worth it: PLEASE know your guests before offering them toys, snacks or crayons from (even a very clean) pb jar. As a thrifty teacher, I LOVE recycling containers but I have seen 1st hand how common and severe these peanut allergies have gotten.
I have thought about this and always take this into consideration, especially if I am putting other foods in it. I agree, we cannot be too careful these days.
You’re right and thank you for saying this. My friend has kids w/ peanut allergies…when they visit, I lock the peanut butter up out of everyone’s reach in a pantry closet far from the kitchen/den where the kids hang out. An allergic reaction to peanuts often can be quick and fatal.
Thank you so much for this comment. As a mom of kids with peanut allergies, you can NEVER be too careful. I would hope that these containers aren’t being used in classrooms. I know that they wouldn’t be allowed in my sons’ schools. Please be cautious if you decide to use recycle these containers for other uses that may come in contact with other kids!
I use the lid from a big 40 oz PB jar to cut “circle sandwiches” for my son. He doesn’t like crust. They are similar to uncrustbles.
The lids from these jars are great for stuffing w/ ground meat for perfectly-shaped burgers.
I have totally done that on numerous occasions when making veggie burgers!
Ooooo that’s a good one!
I love up-cycling containers! In my area, Target is the only store in my area that takes glass for recycling, so most go there, but some smaller jars I keep around. I use marinated artichoke heart jars for my bacon grease (that stuff is like liquid gold!) Those Yoplait Oui jars are too stinkin cute. I was trying to figure out what to do with them before I brought them to Target, b/c they don’t have a lid. I use one for my makeup brushes and another for my eyeliners & eyeshadow pencils on my dresser. The kids have one in their room for loose change.
My mom buys the big jug of cashews from Sam’s and they are the perfect size for other nuts that come in bags, so I have one for sliced almonds and one for whole almonds. Wash the jugs and dry thoroughly. Then I cut the label off the bags and taped over the cashew label and put a sticker on top with the ‘best by date’.
I got tired of having dozens of bags of detergent pods taking up space in my laundry room, and thought the jugs would be perfect so I have 1 for Tide and 1 for Persil pods. (my kids are teens and NOT into eating detergent, but if you have littles, keep the jug out of reach and tightly closed).
I had to soak the containers for a few days b/c those labels were a pain to get off, but the sticky stuff came off with goo gone, which is why I didn’t fool with them for the nuts!
Hey Mel, not sure if you know but you can buy lids for the Yoplait Oui jars. They are $3.99 for 4 blue or clear plastic ones on the Yoplait Oui site.
I used my yoplait Oui jars for my QTips and Cotton balls
I work with teachers who always seem to appreciate clean containers especially peanut butter jars. They are a limited budget and make many projects with these as well as storage. They make super cute pumpkins at Halloween with little lights in the lids so they flicker.
I like this idea, but I would only use glass jars. Plastic sometimes absorbs the oil of the peanut butter and I can’t wash the smell out.
This is such a great idea to stay organized but it makes me nervous using a peanut butter jar. I know many people with peanut allergies, some severe. Now a days, many children have peanut allergies, especially young ones. Just want to mention this because it may not cross some people’s minds.
i would save this but too lazy to clean them bc the labels never go off
We use Talenti jars for the same thing! These are the gelatos found in grocery stores. Easy screw on lid and see through. No peanut allergies to worry about and way more fun to “get empty” 😀
These are my bathroom storage for q-tips, hair ties, nail clippers and tweezers etc. I have like 6 currently. They look nice stacked too.
We used a Talenti jar to make homemade butter and it worked great! Whipping cream and a clean marble was all it took. It was fun to make and the jar made the butter look so pretty afterwards.
What a great idea, love the free/cheap solutions related posts! I save parm cheese containers for stuff like this and peanut butter containers as dog treats when they need to be occupied for a while;)
I use a glass PB jar for holding my chia seeds
I turn the jar over,drill a small hole in the bottom. In a cup that fits in side the jar sand and plant cuttings.cup sits in the cap as water catcher,screw the jar to it over the cuttings. I leave them root a month or more at a time
I predrill then screw the lid to the bottom of a shelf and screw the jar onto it, so it hangs. Great storage idea. My grandpa did it in his garage for screws and such. I reuse Yoplait Oui jars for votive candles. I was leary they may crack from heat, but so far I have had luck with both votives and the tealights.
I keep a couple glass pasta jars on hand for science experiments and crafts. Aldis pasta sauce jars actually look nice. I wouldn’t keep peanut butter ones because of allergies. I keep some yogurt containers on hand if I need plastic for kids craft stuff. Love the idea of starting plants in the jars.
I use the Talenti ice cream containers for storage!! I kept them at first because I sometimes make my own ice cream and it was great to store in these but then I found other uses. Perfect for freezing! I have a small green onion plant and as it grows I’ll chop bits off to put into a container for freezer storage.