17 Genius Ways To Repurpose Pickle Jars In Your Home And Garden

You don't have to be an activist to want to repurpose materials you generally throw away or recycle. Anything glass feels especially strange to toss in the garbage bin when there's so many ways to reuse it. There are quite a few food items you buy from the store that come in glass jars like jelly, spaghetti sauce, and pickles. Pickle jars can be especially useful, as they're often quite large. If you have a collection of them, why not put them to use? Whether you repurpose pickle jars to combat kitchen counter clutter or create holiday gifts for friends, when you tap into your creative side, you can turn anything into something unique.

If you don't have pickle jars hanging around waiting for a purpose but want to give these ideas a try, you can ask friends and family if they have any or check local Facebook groups and marketplace. You'll probably need lids too, depending on how you repurpose the pickle jars. Make sure your jars and lids are in good condition and that there are no chips or cracks. Once you get them home, give them a good scrub to remove any residue, especially if you're going to put food in them. Common items around your house like baking soda and vinegar can also help to get rid of the odor old pickle jars often leave behind. Once the jars are clean and fresh, try repurposing them in one of the following 17 ways around your home or garden.

Whether you're in need of a gift for a friend or just want to put add some fresh flowers to your space, a pickle jar can make for a perfect vase. The best part of this DIY is that any size, shape, and style of jar will work. Start by washing the jars and removing any labels. You can create a stunning flower vase that's personalized to your interior design style by painting the inside or outside of the jar, letting it dry, and filling it with water and flower stems.

Large pillar candles can create a wonderful ambiance in any space, but you might want to place them inside something instead of just leaving them out in the open. If so, a decorated pickle jar might be a great option for a decorative lantern. Take your clean jar and decorate it however you desire with paint or jute rope. Then, place a candle inside and light it. For a nautical look and to keep the candle stable, add some sand to the bottom first. You can also tie some rope around the top and make a handle so it's easy to carry.

If you're looking for a simple and easy way to access your utensils, try repurposing a pickle jar to hold them. Whether you want a gorgeous cookout utensil caddy or are just looking for a way to save space in your drawers, a pickle jar will do the job. It will save you a bit of money and, with the right style and design, blend seamlessly with the rest of your kitchen. Use smaller jars to hold utensils like forks and butter knives. Quart or gallon size jars work will for bigger utensils like spatulas and serving spoons. 

If you like flavorful food, it's good to have some fresh garden herbs growing nearby. To create a mini herb garden either inside or outside your home, give your pickle jars purpose by using them as pots. Quart jars are a good size to use so that the roots have plenty of room to grow. The key when growing herbs inside is to ensure that they get plenty of light, or at least six hours per day. If you repurpose your pickle jars as planters, you'll have access to fresh herbs year-round and they'll bring life into your home, even during a dreary and cold winter.

A clever way to upcycle a pickle jar is to turn it into a treat container for your dog or cat. These jars are so cute and customizable, you could even create an individual one for each of your pets. Any size jar will do, although big ones are better for larger treats so that they can easily be removed from the wide opening. Sometimes, the bag the treats come in doesn't seal or the resealable bag rips or breaks. Keeping your pet's treats in an air-tight jar will preserve their freshness while also ensuring that your space is organized.

If your packaged dry goods are throwing your pantry into disarray, you may want to use pickle jars to organize your ingredients. You can use the same size pickle jar for most of the different foods and label them with an oil-based paint marker for a more uniform pantry. In addition, you can also use the marker to write cooking instructions and an expiration date on the back of the jar. You can consistently wash and reuse the jars once the ingredient runs out, allowing you to use them for either the same or different ingredients.

Similarly, you can also use pickle jars to store your herbs and spices. For herbs and spices to retain their flavor, make sure the pickle jars you're repurposing have tight, rubber-sealed lids and are kept in a dark place. Spices don't usually "go bad" per se, but they can lose their flavor over time. Dried leafy herbs can last one to three years, while ground spices last two to three years before their flavor tapers off. If stored in an airtight pickle jar, you'll ensure the flavor of your spices lasts. You can also buy herb shaker lids for the seasonings you regularly use.

A really fun way to upcycle a gallon pickle jar is to turn it into a home decor piece. TikToker our_upcycled_life shows you how to add a lot of character to a jar with paint, a decorative napkin, Mod Podge, and lettering. Adding a drawer knob to the top of the lid takes your jar to a whole new level. The decorative pickle jar can become an amazing focal point in a vignette, and you can style it for any season. Use it to decorate any room in your house, including the living room, kitchen, or bathroom, for an eye-catching piece. 

Pickle jars will tidy up your bathroom counters and drawers when you use them to organize your toiletries. Depending on the theme of your space, you can customize the jars to your liking. Paint the lids to match your shower curtain or go with white or black for an easy design that tends to go with any style. Use drawer knobs on the top of the lids to match your vanity for a uniform look. Items like cotton balls, hair ties, bobby pins, cotton swabs, and floss picks can all have their place in their own pickle jars.

Get inspired for Halloween by repurposing pickle jars into fun decor items. Paint a Jack-O-Lantern face onto the jar and add a candle to bring your party to life. If you want a different style than the Jack-O-Lantern, you can decorate the jars to look like mummies, witches, or spiders instead. Alternatively, if you don't want to create a lantern, you can skip adding the candle and use the jars to hold straws or utensils. You could also decorate spooky pickle jars to hold your Halloween candy, too.

Want to ditch the labeled soap dispensers and go for a cleaner, more uniform look? Use a pickle jar as a soap dispenser. Once you have freed the jar from its pickle smell and scrubbed off the sticker, use your favorite soap to fill up the jar. When it comes to the soap dispensing top, you can buy this online to fit your specific jar size. They come in all different styles and colors, so you can choose the best one that matches the sink it's next to. Finally, if desired, label the front of the jar with a permanent marker.

Breathe life into an old pickle jar by turning it into a tissue holder. This can be a very quick project if you don't want to decorate your jar. On the other hand, you can follow this DIY by TikToker handmadehappyhour to make lovely, holiday-themed tissue dispensing jars. You'll cover the jars in fabric with Mod Podge and add on any other embellishments you desire. If you don't want a holiday theme, choose a fabric for any style you want. You can get the round tissue boxes from a nearby or online retailer to easily put the tissues in the jar. 

It's easy for any crafting room at home to get messy. If you're looking to make your space more organized and put-together, try using pickle jars to store your paint brushes or other utensils and supplies. You can decorate the jars anyway you'd like, or you can leave them plain and clear. This works great for organizing all of your supplies while also keeping them accessible. Besides brushes, you could store pencils, markers, crayons, pens, beads, ribbons, or any other supplies in the jars, then place them on your desk or a shelf.

Gnats and fruit flies are such a bummer to have flying around your house or outside on your porch. The good news is that you can use a pickle jar with an eco-friendly concoction to reduce their numbers. Fill the jar with a sugar, vinegar, dish soap, and hot water mix. Then, poke a few holes in the lid and wait for them to enter but never escape. To prevent these pesky invaders from entering your home in the future, try storing your fruit in the fridge or containers and keeping surfaces clean.

There are many benefits to using pickle jars as cloches — in fact, they could just be the hero of your garden when you use them like this. Placing pickle jars over plants can help protect them from cold weather while keeping them moist, which may be especially beneficial if you want to get a headstart on your garden in the early spring. They can also keep slugs and snails from damaging your plants, as these pests won't have access to the leaves. However, remove the jars in extremely hot weather to avoid burning your plants.

Upgrade your plant collection at home by creating a terrarium out of an upcycled pickle jar. Terrariums are enclosed gardens with their own ecosystem that can sustain themselves right in your home. Because they retain moisture, terrariums can usually take care of themselves. You can create native terrariums in a pickle jar by using plants, bugs, soil, and rocks that you find in your surrounding area. Or, you can curate one with plants and dirt you buy from the store. There are various types of terrarium plants anyone can take care of that you could include inside your pickle jar.

Store your cleaning supplies in pickle jars for an organized appearance in the laundry room or under the kitchen sink. Most cleaning supplies come in bulky containers that take up extra space, so this could free up your storage. Storing your cleaning supplies in clear jars can also help you keep tabs on when you're running low on a specific item. Simply clean the jars and then fill them with things like dishwasher pods, steel scrubbers, and washing soda. You can either buy decorative lids that fit your jars or just use the jars your pickle containers came with.