A few days ago, I asked my Instagram followers what kinds of crafts they wanted to see in the next few months. Nearly everyone who responded wanted to learn how to make crafts that would help them organize their home, car, or life in general. I thought we would start with the basics: containers.

Glass jars are the perfect tool to organize with because you don’t have to pay extra for them. You get them when you buy pasta, pickles, salsa, and a ton of other products. All you have to do is remove the label, clean, and reuse them.

Most people toss them in the recycling and move on with their day. I’m not against recycling, but glass lasts forever! It would take nearly a million years to decompose if it was thrown out. By doing that, you’re missing out on an organizational opportunity. If you buy containers to organize, you can spend a lot, especially when it comes to your kitchen. You could just save your jars, clean them and use them to store food.

Most people think it’s too time-consuming, but I promise it isn’t. Give yourself 10 minutes of active cleaning and you can clean a dozen jars. There’s some waiting time, but you can go do other things.

Grab the supplies and follow the steps below to save some money organizing your kitchen.

Supplies needed to clean glass jars

• Used jars
• Goo Gone
• Dish soap and water
• Stainless steel scouring pad

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You’ll want to do this in your kitchen sink so plan accordingly.

Step 1: spray your labels with Goo Gone

I always try to peel the label off first. Sometimes they’re easy to remove, but if not, continue with the steps below.

Place your jars on a surface you don’t care about. I like to use cardboard so I don’t have to clean up my kitchen counter when I’m done.

Then, spray your labels with Goo Gone and let them sit for 2 or 3 minutes.

While you wait, fill your sink with hot water and add dish soap. You’ll want to fill it so that the jars can be completely submerged.

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Step 2: scrub away the jar’s label

Using your stainless steel scouring pad, scrub away the label. This won’t take long. This process will work on paper labels and on the sticky residue leftover from other types of labels.

As you can see in the images above, this method works well!

Rinse the jar when you’re finished.

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Step 3: soak the jars in hot soapy water

Let your jars soak in the sink for 20 minutes to clean them out and make sure they’re ready to use.

Set them in a dish drainer to dry.

TIP: If you’re keeping the jars in storage before putting anything in them, make sure you keep the lids off of them to air out.

Step 4: use your jars as storage

All you have left to do is fill up your jars! I like to use mine for nuts, coconut, baking ingredients, granola, parmesan cheese, and so much more!

But you don’t have to use them in the kitchen only. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

DIY Decor: Bathroom Storage Jars

DIY Kitchen Labels for Better Organization

DIY Customized Coffee Jar

DIY Cookie Mason Jar Gift

Craft Room Organization

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Use your jars to organize your craft space or office. I enjoy using them for ribbon, buttons, decorative tape, and other supplies that are helpful to see clearly.

DIY Valentine’s Day Themed Mason Jar Hot Chocolate Gift