How to prepare glass jars and bottles
One of the most important things to consider when you’re making your own products is hygiene. Especially when making sure that your bottles and jars are cleaned properly. Any water, dirt or cleaner left inside the vessel will cause mould to grow and contaminate the results of the product that you make.
On one hand this ruins the finished look of your product after all of your hard work. It makes for a disappointing end, especially if you’re hoping to share your creation with others. One the other hand, bacterial contamination can also lead to health issues such as skin irritation and infection.
This is a key part of starting up when making your own, so here is my favourite method for jar and bottle preparation. I find it really easy to carry out and just takes the unnecessary out of the process.
I use to find that after washing the jars or bottles that the biggest struggle was making sure it was dry. I’d sit there with a hair dryer and an oven glove so I didn’t burn my hands but that took too long and I got bored.
Then one of my aunties who regularly makes jam and chutneys told me not to be so silly and taught me this method so I do that now and I don't sit there like a lemon.
Please Note:
Before we start, please remember that this method is not safe for cork, plastic or rubber; unless you can guarantee that it is heat proof. I use this method for glass and metal and have not had any problems.
I usually do this at the time I’m making a batch of product. Once the jars are cleaned a cooled down they don’t tend to stay clean for long periods of time. To be on the safe side, always make sure every step is done at the time of making
How To:
Fill the sink up with hot water and your washing up soap of choice, as hot as you can stand. If you own rubber gloves it makes the whole process a bit more comfortable.
Scrub everything thoroughly in the sink.
Rinse properly under hot running water.
Place everything standing upright onto a clean oven tray.
Place the tray with your jars on it into a preheated oven at 160C/320F (Gas Mark 3) for 20 minutes
This method is safe to use with containers for homemade cosmetic products like scrubs and oils but is also brilliant for homemade food stuffs too. By using the heat from the oven you can make sure that the containers are completely dry as well as being clean.
Make sure that your containers are completely cooled if you plan to use them for cosmetic products. You can use them when hot for jarring up jams and preserves, as this helps form a seal as the preserve cools.
Let me know what you think, if you’ve tried this method how did you get on?
Also, if there’s a different technique that I could try, let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading
