How to Use Plastic and Glass Jars

Jars and their versatile storage potential

I know, I know, meal planning can be soooo boring. I get it. But it really doesn’t have to be! Let me explain.

Do you every look at something and like – man, I could use this in EVERY room of my house – to only purchase it and keep it for the one intended end use that was on the label? Me too. Every Day. I always have great ideas when I’m in the shower, driving to work, or in the store shopping. Never when I’m at home and ready to be crafty.

In this series, we are going to take you through our top selling products and all the ways you can use them in every room of your house. We take the guessing out of it for you. So, relax, sit back, and watch the magic unfold before your eyes!

Every room has those miscellaneous items that can’t be left on their own, they need to be contained or else they’ll descend into a chaotic mess. Whether it be loose change, cotton swabs or rubber bands, each room presents their own unique cluster items (items that are numerous in number that don’t really take up that much space on their own but can add up in bunches). We’re going to walk through each room and show you that most of these cluster items can be conquered with a simple storage solution, lidded jars.

Bathroom

The most obvious bathroom cluster category is cotton swabs and cotton balls. Most people already use jars to store these items, but there are a few other objects that present the same problems but aren’t met with the same solution. For example, many families like to buy several soap bars at a time and to store them, they simply leave them in the package. This is storage mistake as that original packaging usually takes up valuable space. Instead, unwrap and transfer those extra soap bars into a clear plastic jar to save space while also adding style. This can go for more than soap, I put washable crayons in there, and baby toys corralled, my husbands scissors/beard accessories to even holding your contact case.

Another washroom wrinkle is what to do with multiple brushes. If they are toothbrushes, we recommend a toothbrush holder, however many brushes do not fit in the same holes as a tooth brush. Enter in another jar hack - tumblers! Makeup or mini shower brushes are stored simply and effectively, providing easy reach whether you need them. There are endless ways to use these jars in the bathroom.

Kid's Room

If your kid’s room are anything like mine – then wow – how do they get so much stuff? It isn’t so much that they have too much stuff, OK yes, it is, but if it all had a home and my kids picked up after themselves – HA. Let me start this paragraph over. You, the parent, can create calm from chaos in your kid’s room. These jars can be used for a million things: hair ties, small toys, reward stickers, craft items, candy, lost socks – you name it! Plus, they are made from shatter-free plastic so you know they are durable when inevitable your baby drops it!

Living/Dining Room

The most versatile spaces. These are the rooms that people see most often and are often the areas you put the most work into. To add some spice to either of these rooms, you can use glass jars to store seasonal decorations, whether that be flowers in the spring, branches in the winter, a stick of cinnamon in the fall, etc. Whatever your creative mind can think of, glass jars over the perfect home for those simple, small, yet significant details that turn your house into a home.

If you are not into decorating, these can be very practical too. Store your remotes upright in them to free of counter space. Add a candy dish or mints in the center for when you have friends and family over.

Kitchen

For many of us, the kitchen is our command center. There are a lot of moving parts in a kitchen; utensils, Tupperware, plastic bags, tin foil, things that never seem to stay still for more than 24 hours. While we don’t know how that Tupperware lid doesn’t fit any of your containers. Jars can be used to store small utensils, recipe cards (if you still use them), and ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, etc. This will free up drawer space while adding a little DIY flavor to the room.

Going beyond food, you can store chip clips, dog/cat treats, pens & pencils if you have a built-in desk in your kitchen.

Office/Productivity Space

This is where jars really get to show off their versatility. Whether you like to sew, write, paint, knit… really most hobbies involve some smaller equipment that needs to be stored somehow. Buttons, pens, paint brushes, paper clips, push tacks, butterfly clips; we could go one forever. The point is, usually if you have something that needs to be stored in these areas, the solution can (should) be a jar. They’re simply, cute, effective and honestly, a little underappreciated.

Also, this is where you can turn simple, clear glass jars into your DIY/Craft masterpiece. Some paint and inspiration will go a long way when transforming your jars. Our advice is to keep it simple, one or two colors with maybe some labeling, because you can never have too many labels. Especially if you have a color palette for the room. Clear jars really won’t take away from the aesthetic, but colored jars will certainly add to it.

Besides just adding some color, there are a plethora of crafts you can do with jars. Life is what you make it, but so are your jars. Get creative and have some fun, you won’t regret it.

Garage/Shed

This might not be the most popular and used space for us, but jars can really show off their talents in these spaces. Loose nails, screws, drill heads, and whatever other equipment odds and ends are spreading themselves out can be corralled and contained in some jars.

Jars are one of our favorite storage solutions due to their versatility. Whether you use them solely for utility or strictly for decorative purposes, jars are often the answer to your clutter chaos. Give them a try, you might be surprised how many problems they solve.

Laura Sirk is a Marketing Manager at mDesign
and loves all things organization and cats. I’m one cat away from being a cat lady. MEOW!

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