The Clever Way To Reuse Coffee Jars To Keep Your Spice Cabinet Organized

An organized spice cabinet is a sight to behold, but it's not always cheap or easy to achieve. While internet influencers may have you convinced that you need to purchase a matching set of spice jars from their Amazon storefront, this is not at all the case. One clever hack utilizes a common container that you probably had earmarked for recycling: Nescafé coffee jars. These humble little containers that are often found in office buildings or home pantries are perfectly versatile for use in your spice cabinet. 

Nescafé's iconic instant coffee jars feature a clear glass body with a simple lid (often black) that screws on securely to keep the contents inside. The jars come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 6 to 10.5 ounces — as well as a few other sizes in between — so you can easily store your favorite bulk-quantity spices, as well as more obscure spices that you have smaller amounts of.

There is very little work involved with getting these coffee jars ready to use in your spice cabinet. To begin, you'll want the jar to be empty; this can be done a number of ways, you can either put the instant coffee into a baggie or another container or wait until you've enjoyed all of the coffee. Once the contents are emptied out, remove any foil that remains around the lip of the jar and peel off the label that is on the front of the jar. Soaking the jar in soapy water should do the trick, but if it doesn't you can always fall back on this genius tip for using WD-40 to remove any sticky residue.

After the label is removed, you should thoroughly wash and dry the jar before filling it with your spices. When it comes to putting spices into the jars, using a funnel will reduce or eliminate any incidental spillage. Screw the lid on and, voila! You have an aesthetically pleasing and budget-friendly spice storage solution.

While you can leave the jars fairly plain, you will absolutely need to label what the contents are (otherwise, you'll have to rely on your olfactory senses every time you're making a recipe). There are, fortunately, a number of options for marking your spice jars. If you are going for a functional solution, using a Dymo label maker is a fine choice; it won't necessarily look pretty, but it will get the job done and prevent any spice confusion in the future. If you want to get a little fancier, you can purchase these adorable spice jar labels from Amazon ($12.97) or check out more personalized options from various Etsy shops.

For a little extra design flair, you can also opt to paint the lids of your new spice jars. Spray paint of any color will work wonderfully for this DIY project, and you get to determine what shade suits your space best. Remember to remove the lids from the jars and take them outside where it is well ventilated. Place the lids on a cut-up paper grocery bag or something similar and spray paint the outside of the lids until they have an even hue. For the best coverage, try this spray paint trick. Remember to wait until the lids have fully dried and cured (read the spray paint's instructions for this information) before replacing them on your one-of-a-kind spice jars.