When it comes to sustainable kitchen organization and storage, Mason jars are king.
Dry goods like flour, rice, and pasta can be safely shelved in these non-porous glass jars, as can produce for short-term use.
Liquids like coffee, water, or salad dressing can also find a temporary home in a Mason jar. Drinking from these recycled cups on the go, however, cannot always be done with ease, and pouring dressing from them can leave a sticky residue.
While Mason jar lids with spouts or straw holes are available for sale, one home chef who shares her cooking hacks on TikTok posted a cheaper, more sustainable way to add a spout to Mason jars.
The scoop
Linda Lundström (@lifehackslinda) uses her TikTok platform to share cooking hacks, sewing hacks, household hacks, and more. Excitedly, she posted a video explaining how to reuse cardboard liquid containers with spouts in combination with Mason jars.
@lifehackslinda If you know who came up with this, tag them! #handmade #recycling #sustainableliving #kitchenhacks #diy ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
Her tutorial begins with an acknowledgment that Linda herself did not come up with this hack but learned it from another TikToker whose name she could not recall. While the name has escaped her, the hack has not.
She said, "I use this all the time."
To add a spout to a Mason jar without spending extra money, start with an empty milk, cream, or juice carton. Measure the part with the spout at the top and cut it to fit inside the Mason jar lid. There is no need for adhesives, as the lid's two-piece design allows for a new insert. Meanwhile, the carton's coating makes the homemade insert durable.
"I even put them in the dishwasher," Linda said in the comments.
How it's helping
The reuse of food containers from finished grocery items is a cheap, easy alternative to a new purchase.
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Reducing my food waste 🗑️ An eight-pack of Mason jar lids with spouts, for example, costs around $14. Homemade spout lids made from recycled materials are essentially free.
Additionally, the production process to make store-bought plastic Mason jar lids contributes significantly to air pollution and is a drain on resources. Reusing materials can offset plastic production and keep excess trash out of landfills.
What everyone's saying
Commenters on Linda's TikTok loved the hack, with many exclaiming their affinity toward product reuse and homemade projects over new purchases.
"The most useful hack!" one person said.
Another got straight to work repurposing their milk cartons: "Brilliant. I'm grabbing mine out of my trash to make one."
On the other hand, some commenters did not see the appeal to the hack, bringing up those factory-made Mason jar lids available in the stores.
In response to this notion and as encouragement to Linda, a commenter said, "Why pay for something when you already have a solution? This is brilliant. Thank you for sharing."
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