One Genius Hack Helps You Label And Open Jars At The Same Time

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Listen, if you've ever reached for sugar only to dump a pile of salt into your morning coffee, then you already know the importance of having a solid labeling system. And for anyone with a busy pantry and no patience for peeling off old labels to reapply, there's an even cheaper (and dare we say more clever) fix already sitting in a drawer: rubber bands.

All you need to do is wrap a thicker band around the body of your jar, and voilà, you have yourself some instant labeling — simply use a permanent marker to jot down the contents of the jar right on the rubber band. If you're the type who switches up their pantry staples often, you could even swap in a chalk marker instead so you can wipe and reuse your rubber band again and again. Goodbye label makers and goodbye chalkboard stickers. This method is way easier, and it looks pretty darn cute too.

But the fun doesn't stop there because, in addition to being a great little trick for labeling, those same rubber bands make lids much easier to take off. The extra grip from the band gives your hand something to grip whilst you twist, which in turn gives you extra twisting strength. It's another helpful hack to open jars like a wizard without even breaking a sweat.

So this trick is going to work best with a wider and thicker band, we don't want a thin one that could snap or won't have enough space for your writing. You can also invest in some reusable silicone bands from Amazon such as this 20-piece set from uxcell for just $6.49, as silicone bands last longer and don't get brittle like rubber does. Although this is a bit more of an investment price-wise, it will also make your jar collection look way more aesthetic.

We have a couple more tips to make this work. If you have jars that are constantly moving in and out of the fridge, you should write on both sides of the band to make sure that you can always see what's inside of them no matter how they're placed. And if you've got chicken scratch handwriting, you can even stick a small printable label on the band which will be a lot easier to remove than a label on glass.

If the rubber hand grip trick didn't work for you, don't worry — we have another 10 surefire ways to open a stuck jar that don't require superhuman strength or specialized equipment. And don't forget to keep any empty jars you've no plans to refill as there are tons of other uses for empty jars, from storing leftovers to shaking up salad dressings — you can even use them to keep tiny screws and batteries all in one place. You could say we have practical down to an art form.