What's the best way to wash a smell out of a glass jar?
Asked by
SamIAm (
8703
)
January 22nd, 2012
I always keep small glass jars but what’s the best way to get the smell of whatever was in them before out?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
15 Answers
Leave it to soak overnight with a little bleach, that should cure it.
You can also try leaving it sit in vinegar, or baking soda with water.
Run them through a commercial dishwasher.
I use a small amount of Arm & Hammer powder to wash them.
It depends on what was in them in the first place. If you had pickles in it and the jar already smells of vinegar, vinegar isn’t going to help. The glass is easy enough to clean, but the smell is usually coming from the lids. Try soaking the lids in a slightly caustic solution of lye. Take all proper safety precautions when handling lye. Or, buy all new lids.
I have found that sometimes if you completely displace the air in the container, the odor is gone. Do this by completely filling it with water, or by pushing a plastic bag down in the container so that it pushes out all the air, then removing it. This works for any size container.
Run them through the dishwasher.
My vote is for dishwasher.
My approach, which gets the NASTY out of my gym protein shakers, is water SATURATED with table salt. Shake vigorously, let sit for 5 minutes, shake vigorously again, drain, rinse with water.
It will smell as sanitary as the day you bought it, with no bleach or vinegar “after smell”
Since no one else has mentioned it yet: lemon juice. Shake it about and let it sit for a while.
run them through the dishwaser until your nose is happy.
Should have mentioned – I don’t have the luxury of owning a dishwasher.
Usually one side of the pH scale or the other will do it. Lemon juice isn’t a bad suggestion. You could try what mythbusters recommend for skunk; a combination of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Hydrogen peroxide isn’t as dangerous to handle as lye, so I should have suggested that first, sorry. I must have and a brain fart. Nothing thinking in terms of much chemistry these days. Here is a handy recipe. It is for treating animals that have been sprayed. You wouldn’t have to make so much, so just divide the amounts down. http://www.gettingoutside.com/Skunk-Smell-Removal You can probably omit the soap from the recipe.
So, @SamIAm, what did you do and how did it work?
JCA
The Update Lady
Answer this question 
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.
Composing members:
0
