After eating all of the pickles from a jar it is a shame to have to just toss the jar out. Many people would like to reuse pickle jars for other purposes, yet choose to forgo this because of the intense pickle odor that clings to the inside walls of jars long after the last pickle has been eaten.
Though the residual stench of pickles can be unpleasant, there remain several household solutions for removing the smell from the jars. By following the below solutions, you can be sure that you future pickle jars will be smelling fresh with limitless storage potential.
Smell Removal Solutions for Pickle Jars
1 Run Through Dishwasher
This may seem to good to be true, but simply running the pickle jar through the dishwasher will often be enough to eliminate the pickle smell. The extremely hot water and dish detergent work in tandem to initially expand the glass jar and allow the detergent to cut through the residues.
2 Bottle Hot White Vinegar
The household acid within white vinegar can effectively cut through the embedded pickle odors within most jars. Fill the jar half way with extremely hot water and proceed to fill the remainder with white vinegar. Quickly close the lid on the jar and allow the jar to sit on the counter for 24-48 hours. After this time has passed, the mixture can be poured out and
3 Baking Soda
Baking soda has been working to remove difficult odor from kitchen odors for generations, and can help in removing pickle smell from a glass jar. Measure 3-4 teaspoons of baking soda and place them within the jars. Next, fill the jars to the rim with extremely hot water, give it a stir with a utensil and seal the lid on the jars immediately. Allow the jar and it’s contents to sit for 24-48 hours before opening it, pouring out the contents and putting the jar into use.
4 Lemon Juice
In a similar function to white vinegar, the acid within lemon juice will work to cut through the pickle odor within the jars. Squeeze the juice for a whole lemon within the jar and then place the crushed remains of the lemon within the jar. Next, fill the jar to the rim with very hot water and seal the lid. Again, allow the jar to sit for a minimum of 24 hours as the hot water expands the jar and the citric acid deodorizes the jar’s interior.
5 Rubbing Alcohol
As a final solution the high alcohol content within rubbing alcohol can have a powerful sterilizing and deodorizing impact on the pickle odor within a jar. Fill the jar up with 3/4 hot water and top off the remainder with rubbing alcohol. Proceed to seal the lid and allow the jar to sit for 6-8 hours before returning to pour out the deodrizing solution and rinse the freshened jar out.
Photo Credit: Marilyn Acosta
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