What To Do With Glass Jars: 30+ Easy Ideas

Are you wondering what to do with glass jars? Discover innovative ways to repurpose glass jars! Learn how to transform mason jars and recycled containers into beautiful lighting fixtures, bathroom organizers, kitchen storage solutions, and seasonal decorations. Perfect for sustainable living and home organization.

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What To Do With Glass Jars Video

Bathroom Organization with Glass Jars

We’re going to talk about how to use jars in your bathroom.

Soap and Hand Sanitizer Dispensers

So I’m going to take this mason jar and I’m going to grab some Castile soap. Now Castile soap is a natural soap and does so many great things.

I’m going to fill the mason jar with the soap. And then I’m going to take one of these dispensers. Now I got mine from Amazon, but you can find them at Dollar Tree as well. And I’m going to place it on top.

Get your pump kit on Amazon

Jar soap dispenser next to sink in bathroom

Now I have a pretty soap dispenser for my bathroom.

Soap and Hand Sanitizer Mason Jar dispensers

I do the same thing with my hand sanitizer. I place it into the jar and then I add the dispenser on top. So now I can buy in bulk and have pretty jars and be eco friendly at the same time.

Did you know you can make your own hand soap dispenser? I'm going to show you a few ways I made them using a mason or recycled jar! This is a fantastic and useful DIY gift idea that everyone needs.

How To Decorate Glass Jars

Paint Pour Craft

Well, you can take them and place them upside down on styrofoam cups. And one option would be to grab some pre mixed pouring paint. Now I’m going to use three colors here and I’m going to place them in layers into a cup.Then I’m simply going to pour it over the top of the mason jar, giving it a little swirl as it goes to make sure that it coats all of the mason jar. And then I’m going to let that dry completely.

Faux Stain Glass

While that’s drying, I’m going to get the next one going, so I’m going to place some Mod Podge in a cup with some food coloring and mix that together. Just like before, I’m going to pour that over the top until it coats the entire jar and let that dry completely.

Chalk Painted and Distressed

For the third jar option, I’m going to use some FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Paint in the color white and I’m going to paint the entire mason jar and let that dry. Now that it’s dry, I’m going to grab a little sanding block and I’m going to lightly sand the letters that are on the mason jar. This will give it a distressed look. I’m going to tie a piece of twine around the top of that mason jar.

And here’s what all three of those jars look like. The distressed one that’s painted, the Mod Podge one with the blue tint, and the paint pouring one. All I have to do now is add one of the soap pumps to the top of it, or you could use it decorative if you’d prefer. You can find the full tutorial at DIY Hand Soap Dispenser

Which one of these is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below. In addition to hand sanitizer and soap, you could use body wash, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, whatever you’d like.

glass jars used for bathroom storage on a tierd tray

Bathroom Organization Ideas

Now we’re going to take this little jar and some q tips, and I’m going to place the q tips into the little jar, and there you have a little dispenser.
Another option is is to grab a little bit bigger mason jar, and then I’m going to add a bunch of cotton balls to that mason jar. Now, if you like your mason jars to not be open, you can use a little bit taller one and then place a lid on top.
Another option is to use a small mason jar and store your jewelry in it.
Now this jar, I found it at a thrift store for just a dollar. And I’m going to place a bunch of scrunchies in this one. And you could use any hair accessories that you’d like.

And just like that, I placed them all on a two tiered tray that I got from Dollar Tree for some bathroom organization. Another idea?

I'll be using mine in my bathroom. I added make up brushes, the soap dispenser, a vase, toothbrush holder, and cotton ball holder. I'm thrilled with how use these farmhouse painted and distressed mason jars will be, and at a fraction of the cost of buying them.

Here you can see I used my glass jars to hold makeup brushes, toothbrushes, herbs, soap dispenser, cottonballs, etc. If you want to decorate your glass jar like I did, you can find the full tutorial on my blog post Painting Mason Jars and Distress Them Easily with Video

I just grabbed this from Dollar Tree and I’m filling it with some Epsom salt and using it by my bathtub.

You can also make your own hand and body scrub with just a few ingredients. You’ll need a half a cup of salt, one quarter cup of avocado oil, one tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix it together and store it in a jar of your choice. I’m using a mason jar. You can find this tutorial at Easy and Remarkable Homemade Hand Scrub with Video

Kitchen Storage and Organization Ideas

And let’s talk about how to use jars in our kitchens.

Dish Soap Dispesner

I pour Dawn dish soap into a large mason jar and I add one of those soap dispenser lids. This makes it easy to do the wash.

Dish Detergent Holder

The lid to my dishwashing tablets broke. So I grabbed a jar and I placed all of the tablets into the jar.

using a jar for detergent tablet sotrage

Now it’s easy to just grab one and place it into my dishwasher.

Seasoning and Spice Storage

I like to buy my seasonings in bulk, so I took a mason jar and I labeled it, this one’s pepper. I pour the pepper into it and then I bought one of these special ball jar lids that screws on and now I could dispense the pepper easy. I do this with a lot of my seasonings. In fact, I make my own season salt.

Get the supplies on Amazon:

Bulk Storage

Another idea is to grab a jar of your choice, this one I found at a thrift store, and fill it with different treats. I’m filling this with peppermints and adding it to my kitchen table.

Creative Table Settings

Place a bunch of your silverware into a mason jar and place it in the center of the table. Now people can grab it easily when it’s dinnertime. You can also place a napkin as well as silverware into the mason jar for a place setting at a table. You can use the mason jar as a glass.

Kitchen Utensil Organization

Grab a jar of your choice, and you can place your utensils in it, making it easy to grab them when cooking.

Pantry Organization

Grab a jar, and fill it with things like oranges, garlic, anything you’d like. You can use it as a centerpiece, but it’s also a way to grab those things easily when you’re ready for them. Jars are also great to set up a snack station. Grab some granola bars, some fruits, some nuts, anything you’d like, and set it up for easy grabbing snacks.

Take an old Parmesan shaker lid and put it on a glass jar. This one actually contains the Parmesan, but you could use this lid and put your seasonings in it, glitter for crafts … the possibilities!

Creative Kitchen Storage and Organization

Did you know that you can take Parmesan lids and place them onto reusable jars and mason jars?

Did you know that you can bring mason jars to grocery stores? You could fill it with the bulk nuts, oats, honey, dry goods, different things like that. They’ll subtract the weight of the jar and then you’re being eco friendly.

Use your jars for food storage things like salad dressings, pasta sauces, grains like rice, etc.

In addition to that, you can put your leftovers in your refrigerator. Then you can take them off. Cover the top with a paper plate or something else like a paper towel. Put it in your microwave, heat it up and you’re being eco friendly as well. Plus the glass is safe in microwave so you can wash it in your dishwasher too.

Now this is an extra large jar and I’m going to add some ice and it can cool any beverage that you’d like.

Now this jar used to be a planter’s peanuts jar But I’m gonna use it for something else now I’m gonna take those little coffee pods and fill it up so that the next time I need to make a cup of coffee It’s really easy to grab.

Now This mason jar is filled with baking soda and I can place a lid on it again One of the sprinkling ball lids.

I can use this to deodorize any garbage can I can also use it to clean out my sink I can also leave it open and hide it behind a toilet to help absorb odors. It’s a great odor eater.

Using Glass Jars For Office Storage

And how do you use jars in our office? You can place office supplies in jars. You can place pens, pencils, markers, anything you want in jars to help keep your office organized. You can even use jars for collections. I have little tokens that I’ve collected as well as press pennies.

Transform Glass Jars into Beautiful Lighting

For this project, I started with a very large mason jar. I purchased a light bulb kit that came with a cord and then I attached it to the mason jar lid. Then I placed the mason jar lid back on top of the mason jar.

I placed a lampshade on top and then I screwed the light bulb into place. I love that I could put things inside the Mason jar. What would you put in the Mason jar? Let me know in the comments below.

Now, this is just another jar that I found at a thrift store, and I’m going to open it up and I’m going to use one of these pop lights that I found at Dollar Tree.

I place the pop light in the bottom of the jar, and I have a super easy lamp that turns on and off with the remote, or I could leave it on for just 30 minutes.

They click on and off, and then they also come with a remote where you can turn it on and off, you can change the dimness, and you can set a timer for 30 minutes. I place the pop light in the bottom of the jar, and I have a super easy lamp that turns on and off with the remote, or I could leave it on for just 30 minutes.

The other option would be to place the light in the lid so that the light shines down.

Which way do you like better the light shining up or down? Let me know in the comments below.

I bought some candle holders from a thrift store, blue mason jars from a garage sale, and put them together with some solar lights to create a beautiful light up sidewalk for my home.

For this project I took two solar lights. I pulled the base off and the tab out. Then I used Fix All Super Glue to attach the solar lights to some candle holders that I found at the thrift store. I taped them into place and I let them dry completely. I took blue mason jars that I had on hand and I placed them upside down over the solar lights onto the candle holders. I lined them up with the walkway to the front of our house. They look pretty by day and they glow at night. You can find the full tutorial at Mason Jar Solar Light Sidewalk

Dollar Tree outdoor solar light by the patio

I grabbed some tuna cans and I spray painted them white and let them dry. I pulled the broom off of the handle and then I used a rubber mallet to hammer it into the ground. I hot glued the tuna can to the top of the broom handle. I placed a mason jar into the tuna can, it fit perfectly, and then I added some solar fairy lights to the top. Here’s a little look at our back patio with the lights staked in, and they add a little ambience and glow in the evenings. You can find this tutorial at Super Easy Dollar Tree Candle Holders DIY To Light Up Your Life

Using Glass Jars as Home Decor

Here is the other set, and I love how the fairy lights remind me of fireflies.

And how about jars for decor? For this project, I found some candle holders at a thrift store and I painted them. I used E6000 and I glued some mason jars to the top. I did the same thing to a taller candle holder, painting it with a different color, and then gluing the mason jar to the top. I added some solar fairy lights to the top, and then set it on my mantel. You can find this tutorial at Mason Jar DIY Lights Easy and Beautiful

I had two other candle holders, and I added mason jars to the top of both of those as well. Here are some additional options. I grabbed a battery powered fairy light, and then I placed it with a velcro strip to the top of a mason jar lid. And then I placed it inside one of the candle holders. That’s option number one. Option number two is to grab a battery operated tea light and place it into the mason jar. For the third option, I’m just grabbing a window cling and placing it onto the mason jar, giving it a seasonal look.

Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments. Another mason jar option?

This is my daughter’s terrarium. It has a cactus and it self waters itself. It just needs to sit in the sun.

Using Jars for Collections and Keepsakes

glass jar holding pressed pennies and keepsakes

I place them into the jar and I buy one of the lids so this could also be a piggy bank as well. Place it on the jar and now I have a place for some of my keepsakes.

This display is in a blue ball jar that was my grandma's for canning. I have filled it with our shell necklaces from our Honeymoon in Hawaii. It also has a keychain of my other grandma's connected to fishing lure that was my grandpa's.

I’ve also placed sand, shells, other collections into mason jars as keepsakes as well.

Seasonal Decor and Crafts

Now let’s dive into a little seasonal decor.

Are you looking for an enchanting and sustainable way to light up your yard? Look no further than these charming DIY Solar Mason Jar Lights.

Seasonal Solar lights

So I’m going to start by placing a little sand in the bottom, and then I’m going to add some lights as well as some sea glass to this jar, placing the solar lid on top. That was for summer.
For spring, I’m going to place a bunch of flowers in with the solar lights.
For fall, I’m going to place lights in with a bunch of pine cones and those helicopter seeds that I loved when I was a kid.
For winter, I’m going to place some pledge floor cleaner in, swirl it around, and then dump it back out. Then I’m going to place some glitter in and swirl that around and dump it out. Then I’m going to take a marker and draw a snowman face on the outside. Then I’ll add the solar lid to the top.

I could make as many of these as I wanted to for the season and place them up my walkway. They’ll be pretty by day, but then they’ll glow at night. You can find the full tutorial at DIY Solar Mason Jar Lights: Illuminate Your Yard with Creative Ambiance

Seasonal Candle Holder

I grabbed one of these inserts. Dollar Tree sells a variety of them to make bouquets, potpourri burners and more. I placed it in a jar and then I added a window cling to it.

Then I added a battery operated tea light and now I have a fun seasonal candle holder.

Are you looking for a mummy craft? Here are several that you can choose from and they're easy to make especially when you're on a budget.

How to make a mummy from a jar

I grabbed a reusable jar and some gauze. I placed two eyeballs onto the jar, hot glued that gauze on and wrapped it around to create a mummy. I added a solar light on top so that it will glow in the evenings. You can find the tutorial at Mummy Craft

When everyone is ready, open the jar and read what everyone has written. It'll create great conversation. I love that we'll be able to use this every year and we could even leave it out all year.

Grateful Jar for the Holidays

I grabbed a jar and I placed some stickers on it. I placed the piggy bank lid on as well. Now we can all take pieces of paper and write things that we’re grateful for, for any holiday or any time of year. Then, as a group, we can take them out and read them together. You can find the full tutorial at A Thankful Jar For the Holidays

Jars For Outdoor and Garden Projects

Chicken and Bird Feeder

I took a mason jar and screwed it onto a chicken feeder, and then I E6000’d on a dish that I found to make it so it would have a cover. I filled it with bird seed, and now I have a bird feeder. You can find the tutorial at Easy Thrift Store Makeovers

Solar Chandelier

Tore apart a chandelier, I hot glued in some solar lights, and then I covered them with mason jars to protect them. Now I have a solar chandelier for my outdoors to create some ambiance.