Just about every state has what is known as a "Freecycle Group" on the internet. These group members offer various household items up for others in an effort to cut down on the waste found at the local landfills. In general, these programs work out very well and the members are usually self governing in that they offer just as much or more then they request.
If you happen to be someone who is interested in home canning of your summertime fruits and vegetables then these groups can offer you a gold mine in canning jars. Visit your local Wal-Mart store or any merchant that sells canning jars and you will readily see how much money you can save with the "Freecycle Groups" products.
Canning Supplies
The major problem involving these types of jars is cleaning them. Frequently, a good washing may do the trick, however sometimes you encounter a collection of very stubborn jars which simply do not want to come clean. Although you may be thrilled to obtain all these needed jars at no cost after attempting desperately to clean up several dozen of them you can get pretty disturbed.
Now, you may be wondering how you would go about cleaning all these jars. To start with, you should fill your sink with some very hot soapy water and soak them until the water they are soaking in has cooled down to room temperature. Any common dishwashing solution will work for this task. You might even wish to pour in a slight bit of "Clorox Bleach" as well. Follow that with a swift cleaning using a stiff, nylon dishwashing brush on each and every one of them, making certain to keep your hands on the outside of the jar. The reason I suggest that you maintain your hands outside the confines of the jars is that many times these older jars become brittle and an accident tap from your brush may cause it to shatter into hundreds of small pieces. These broken pieces of glass could give you a very nasty cut, so you would do well to play it safe. After a hand cleaning you should then place them in the dishwasher and run the complete lot of jars through the rinse cycle for several good cleanings, this way they are assured of them being sanitized properly.
Since the jars may have been sitting around for a good number of years they likely have food debris built up on them as well as possible rusted rings attached. The main object here is to avoid that metal to class contact that could cause scratches. Although you may be tempted to make use of a Brillo pad while cleaning them up, you should try to avoid its use when possible. The use of these types of cleaning products could create small scratches upon the jars and eventually lead to breakage. In their place you may wish to employ the flat, green nylon scrub pads.
There is a commercial product known as "Barkeepers Friend" and this item is nothing more then a mild abrasive which can easily remove old rust stains from just about everything imaginable. You will find the cleaner at your local Wal-Mart store near the Comet cleanser and related items. As an added bonus, you can use the "Bartenders Friend" on all your stainless steel pots as well as your sinks. It is safe to use on any sort of glass product ranging from glass baking dishes such as those from Anchor Hocking to the popular Corning cookware. In the event that you find built up rust on the necks of the jars you could use a toothbrush or a soft rag to clean them up.
So as you can see it may be well worth your efforts to grab up on those treasures offered in your local "Freecycle Group".
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Oct 28, 2011 02:09:20
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