These days, DIY-ers have come up with countless ways to use the ever-popular Mason jar to store just about anything in any room of the home. Mason jars are must-haves for unique decor and storage. The jars are found in various sizes and can be inexpensively purchased in bulk at most grocery or general stores and the beauty is that you don’t have to put too much work into turning them into adorable storage solutions. If you’re looking for some creative or fun ways to use Mason jars for storage around your house, read on for a little motivation and inspiration.
The Krafty Kitchen
The kitchen is perfect for Mason jars because it is one room where you need to keep a lot of items, many of which are small and tough to keep straight. Purchase or save a good supply of small mason jars and use them to store spices, herbs, or meat your preserving from a meat supplier. Rinse and dry the jars well, then paint the lids with black or colored chalkboard paint. Designate a shallow drawer for your jars, and label the lids with the contents.
Alternatively, create a magnetic spice rack using a cookie sheet, stainless steel sheet, or the side of the refrigerator as a base. Attach a strong magnet–neodymium magnets work well–to the outside of each lid with a dab of strong super glue. Let the glue set for 30 minutes to an hour before attaching the jars to the base. Purchase or print labels and mount them to the bottom of each jar. Obviously, smaller jars work best for a project like this.
Wall to Wall
You can eliminate clutter (and a big headache) in the bathroom by using Mason jars to organize beauty products, and if you have a bathroom dominated by women, you’ll need some organization help. One popular use for mason jars in the bathroom is to create a wall organizer for frequently-used items.
You can use medium-sized Mason jars for storing cotton swabs and makeup sponges, or for separating toothbrushes and personal accessories. You will need three to four mason jars, hose clamps, a piece of wood approximately 6” high by 24” long, wood stain or paint (optional), picture hanging hardware, and screws to attach the clamps.
Stain or paint the wood to match your decor. Determine your spacing for the jars, and drill a starter hole in the wood for the center of each clamp. Drill a hole through the metal clamps as well, and secure them to the wood with the screws. Affix the hanging hardware to the back of the wood piece, and secure the mason jars in the hose clamps. Then, place the items you use the most in the jars and say goodbye to exploding medicine cabinets and bulky packaging.
Get a Handle on Things
You can easily make themed canisters from larger sized mason jars to store smaller items you either want to display or keep on hand. These are great for storing small toys, blocks, or mementos in children’s rooms. For kid’s items, secure plastic dinosaurs or other animals to the lids with strong glue.
After the glue has dried, spray paint the lid in bright colors—the toys become handles for the jars. For the bedroom or bathroom, you can make a set of your own, unique apothecary jars by attaching vintage knobs or handles to the lids. Drill through the metal and secure the knobs with bolts and washers. Using this idea you can easily transform a plain Mason jar into a gorgeous container—who said these were just for jams and jellies?
Organized Chaos in the Laundry Room
We all know that between dirty clothes, clean clothes, and cleaning products, things can get hectic in the laundry room. Although you can’t do much about having an overflow of dirty clothes to wash every day, you can add some order to the laundry room by organizing items into Mason jars. Decant liquid detergents, powders, and softeners into Mason jar pumps for a cleaner, prettier counter and of course add labels for looks and utility.
Save working pumps from used soap bottles, and drill a hole through the Mason jar lids to thread them through if you have liquid products you like to use. You can also use mason jars for storage of clothespins, lost change you find in pockets, and other treasures that are usually lying around the laundry room.
Whether painted, decorated with lace and burlap, or left to their own unique charm, mason jars are classic and utilitarian, reminiscent of a simpler way of life. Put these sturdy catchalls to work in any room and enjoy their timeless appeal. No one ever said that getting organized meant that you have to use chunky plastic bins—go the route of dainty organization and let the magical Mason jar lend you a hand. Information for this article was provided by the storage and organization professionals of Yellowhead Self Storage who specialize in self-storage in Edmonton.
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