What’s one thing you think you could find on any homestead? If you answered Mason jars, pick any prize off the third shelf because you’re a winner! These ubiquitous and ever-handy glass jars are, of course, used for storing delicious, home-canned food, but they can also be used to keep all sorts of other things organized, tidy, and close at hand.
The problem, if you want to call it that, is that jars take up lots of room themselves, and whatever you’re keeping in them must be stored properly to avoid problems and breakage.
Whether you’ve got a few shelves’ worth or a gargantuan jar collection, I’ve got some storage tips for you that will make all the difference—whatever you happen to be keeping in them! Let’s get straight into it below.
Sturdy Shelving is a Must – Mason Jars are Heavy!
The worst mistake you can make when storing your jars, whether they are filled or empty, is placing them on flimsy shelving. The jars themselves are heavy, and they get much heavier when filled with food or some household goods we will talk about later.
To put things in perspective, a single standard case of 12 pint Mason jars weighs between 9 and 12 pounds depending on the brand. Quart jars tip the scales at between 13 and 17 pounds! Fill up a shelf with either, and you’re talking about some significant weight.
A load that will double or even triple if you start stacking the jars. This load gets geometrically heavier if the jars are filled.
This is no joke; flimsy shelving that’s put up with anchors can easily rip right out of the wall, and even stout lumber or other sheet goods will start to sag and bend, potentially letting jars tumble off or even dumping the entire shelf full.
This is disastrous, especially if you spent days on end canning! To avoid this unhappy outcome, if at all possible, always store your jars, loaded or not, on fully supported strong shelving or racks.
Keep Factory Packaging to Prevent Damage
One of my favorite tips for keeping unused jars safe and sound. I don’t know why, but for the longest time, I, along with pretty much everyone else I knew, would instinctively bring home a new batch of jars, unpack them, clean them, and then stick them in a cabinet or on a shelf as normal.
That’s one way to do it, for sure, but I think a much better option is to just leave them packed inside their box or crate until you actually need them.
Yes, you should go ahead and inspect them for damage, but when you are done, put them back in the box. Those boxes have dividers and other packing materials that insulate and protect each individual jar, preventing chips and other damage.
Even better, leaving them in the boxes makes it a whole lot easier to securely stack the jars wherever you stash them, and that can save you room in the pantry, in a closet, or in your storeroom.
Wrapping Individual Jars to Protect Them
Keeping your empty mason jars in the factory box is the very best way to protect them while they’re in storage, but let’s get real: so much of the time that original box will get thrown out or repurposed at the first opportunity.
When that happens, don’t sweat it. With the right approach and the right materials you can keep your jars from cracking and chipping even when you have them packed away in a different kind of container.
Plastic Wrap
Plastic wrap is minimally protective, but it still helps prevent damage while jars are in storage, especially if you are using a thicker plastic and wadding it up around the individual jars to provide some cushioning.
The big downside with using plastic wrap is that you often have to use a lot of it to get meaningful protection.
Foam Wrap
Far and away my favorite way to protect glass canning jars in storage. Closed cell foam wrap is thin enough so that you can still pack jars in individual cubby holes or cells when needed, but thick enough to provide significant cushioning.
It’s more expensive than plastic wrap, but still an affordable option since you won’t need nearly as much compared to plastic wrap and also easy to work with.
Bubble Wrap
Good old bubble wrap can work wonders when you have jars packed too loosely or packed in containers with other items that could easily crack or shatter them. Any size bubble wrap works, but I’ve had it best results with the smaller varieties that are quite springy.
Bubble wrap is one of the more expensive options, though. Consider saving any that comes out of packaging from the things you buy for the purpose.
Packing Paper
If you have heavy packing paper, butcher paper or something similar use that to wrap your jars. Loose, crinkly wraps of paper provide better shock absorption than wrapping them tightly like a present. You can also crumple up this paper into wads to use as cushioning between the jars.
When you have all of your jars wrapped you can stash them in a cardboard box or plastic storage bin.
The idea is to pack them snugly so there’s minimal room for them to move around and crash into each other. You don’t want them to tight or too loosely packed; either promotes breaking!
Make Your Own Jar Storage System
If you are crafty, a great way to make the most out of any storage space that’s destined to be filled with Mason jars is to put together a storage system.
This could be something like an oversized spice rack that will let you see what jars are in a row at a glance, a rotating lazy Susan for a corner cabinet, a double-decker rack so jars don’t have to sit directly on top of one another, or anything else you can think of.
Basically, anything that lets you maximize a given space without compromising the seal of a packed jar is what you want.
Even if you are using your jars for mundane storage of goods besides food, this is still a good idea; setting a jar on top of another one will invariably result in toppling, breaking, and the ever-dreaded domino effect.
If DIY just isn’t your thing, take heart, because there are many such storage solutions made just for Mason jars out there on the market.
Store Lids the Right Way
Here’s another free tip that’s solid gold, and a lesson I had to learn the hard way: come up with a reliable, repeatable storage system for all of your jar lids. Stick to it and never, ever deviate.
The reason I say this is because you should never, ever reuse a disposable two-piece lid for processing food. Nonetheless, some folks just can’t bear to part with the lids and use them to cap jars for other purposes or for storing stuff other than food.
You can see where this is going… inevitably, some lids get mixed up, and this will always lead to avoidable failures.
There’s no one true way to do this: I know some folks unpack brand new jars, put a new lid and band on that jar, and then that’s the one they use when it’s time to can. Other folks have a dedicated repository for used lids that’s kept separate from the jars and the new lids.
I could go on, but you get the idea: don’t let them get mixed up!
Maximizing Your Mason Jar Storage Space
You’ll rarely have all of your jars in service, meaning storing food the way they are designed. Whether they are old and tired, you are slacking on canning, or you bought too many jars—like me!—you can still get good use out of them and make better use of your storage space overall.
Consider the following storage options for your jars:
Store Dry Goods and Baking Supplies
No canning required! Mason jars have always been awesome for storing dry, shelf-stable goods like herbs and spices, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips, nuts, granola, dried fruit, pasta, dried beans, rice, salt, sugar, and the like.
Glass is non-reactive and accordingly the perfect option for preserving flavors and preventing unwanted degeneration of ingredients.
Keep Office Supplies in Your Jars
Here’s another handy-dandy use for your Mason jars, especially ones that are getting a little old and questionable. Stash rubber bands, paper clips, tacks, pens, pencils, and more.
Old Faithful: Store Screws, Nails, Drill Bits, and More
I think every man in this country is legally required to have Mason jars full of screws, nails, driver bits, drill bits, and other odds and ends in the garage. I don’t make the rules. Jokes aside, this is a time-tested and still excellent use for your jars.
Stash Sewing and Craft Supplies
Buttons, beads, glitter, flocking, safety pins, bobbins, and all other hobby and crafting supplies you can think of can find a home in your unused jars. This is an especially good use because they are transparent and you can see what’s inside at a glance.
Mason Jars Work Great for Toiletries and Bathroom Supplies
This underutilized option is one of my very favorites. A few Mason jars are just the ticket for stashing cotton swabs, cotton balls, makeup pads, and similar items that get used every day but always seem to get everywhere when you stash them in a closet otherwise.
For you ladies, or any men that have a significant other in their lives, use Mason jars to corral bobby pins, hair ties, and similar items. They are also picture-perfect for storing bath salts, aromatics, and similar things.
Nest Smaller Jars Inside Larger Ones
Last but not least, if you’ve got tons of jars in all different sizes and they are unused, you can free up some shelf space by nesting the smaller jars inside the larger ones until you need them.
Obviously, take care to avoid breakage; wrapping the inner jar with some cardboard packing filler or other shock-absorbing materials is all it takes. Use some old rags or towels in a pinch for the job.
Storing Processed, Filled Jars Properly
When canning food, successfully completing the process is only half the battle if you want the contents to last. The other half is storage. Improper storage will lead to accelerated spoilage, seal failure, or potentially even outright breakage of the jars!
Luckily, the storage procedure is simple:
Let Them Cool Down
Once processing is completed, set the hot jars aside to cool down completely. Keep them off of stone and metal during this time and protected from drafts, or else temperature shock can lead to cracking or shattering!
Keep Them in the Dark
Light is the enemy when it comes to long-term storage. You should always store the processed jars in a dark place, and don’t forget to turn off any lights in the storage space.
Keep Them Upright
This is a big one. Always, always keep processed jars upright and level. Letting the contents slosh against the jar lid during processing can often cause seal failure.
Likewise, don’t store finished jars on their sides or on angled racks that will allow the contents to rest against the lid while in storage.
That’s okay if you aren’t storing food, or if you’re just storing dry goods that don’t require any processing, but it’s never okay for home-canned, processed foods.
Avoid Freezing
Unless you have whipped up a recipe that is intended for freezing and you’ve got it in a Mason jar that is designed to endure freezing, never store filled jars anywhere that they can experience freezing temperatures.
Obviously, that means in your freezer, but you should also be cautious of drafty basements, mudrooms, and other locations.
Avoid Temperature Swings
Ideally, you’ll want to store your canned food in a place that is a consistent, cool temperature, around 50° Fahrenheit (10 ºC).
A little warmer or cooler won’t hurt anything, but regular temperature swings are problematic and will promote spoilage, especially if the temperature rises repeatedly.
Do your best to maintain a stable temperature in the storage location, and you’ll enjoy superior quality and a much longer shelf life.
Tim is a farm boy with vast experience on homesteads, and with survival and prepping. He lives a self-reliant lifestyle along with his aging mother in a quiet and very conservative little town in Ohio. He teaches folks about security, prepping and self-sufficiency not just through his witty writing, but also in person.
Find out more about Tim and the rest of the crew here.