15 Ways To Make Your Mason Jars Even More Useful

It’s no secret that I’m a BIG fan of mason jars. I’ve featured dozens of projects over the years that utilize mason jars for different purposes, but I’ve never dedicated an entire post to them. Until today, that is! :-) It’s time to throw out those canning rings, and learn about the many different, ingenious ways to use and transform these iconic glass jars!

I’m sure you all know by now that I love a good DIY project, so I’ve included lots of links to DIY projects about transforming mason jars. But I’m also a big fan of online shopping, and when I find a good mason jar accessory online, I can rarely resist snapping it up! So I hope there’s something for everyone in this post, whether you’re a Do-It-Yourselfer, or more of a Buy-It-Yourselfer. ;-)

15 Ways to Transform a Mason Jar

1. Juicer

This juicer attachment fits right on top of wide-mouth mason jars, so you can juice your favorite citrus fruits right into the jar. Juice several fruits at a time to store for later use, or juice a couple of lemons into the jar to make your own fresh lemonade (just add water and sugar to taste!)

2. Water Bottle/Beverage Cup

Turn a mason jar into a water bottle with a lid and a silicone sleeve. Using a glass container as a water bottle not only ensures that your water won’t absorb any metallic or plastic taste, but it also enables you to add a drop or two of essential oil to flavor your water. (I love adding a drop of lemon oil!)

If you’re not worried about spilling, there’s an easy DIY to turn a mason jar into a water cup. Just use a hole punch to make a hole in the center of a mason jar lid, then seal up the jar and place a straw through the hole. Simple!

3. Salads & Snacks

Mason jar salads are very popular right now, because it’s an easy way to take a salad to work without it getting soggy or wilted before you get a chance to eat it. This special cup sits inside a wide-mouth jar, suspending your dressing or dip above the rest of the food to keep them separate.

You could DIY this by just placing your dressing or condiments inside a plastic condiment cup and putting it on top of the food, but you would probably want a cup that had a lid, to avoid any spillage.

4. Piggy Bank

Save your coins in style with this adorable piggy bank mason jar attachment! It fits regular-mouth pint jars, and has a slot for slipping your coins inside.

Of course, you could very easily just store your coins in a standard jar with a standard lid, but where’s the fun in that? ;-)

5. Salt & Pepper Shaker

This product is too clever! Not only does it turn a standard mason jar into a combination salt and pepper shaker, but it also has a special dispenser that allows you to pour out both at once!

6. Bean Sprouter

This sieve-type lid is designed to help you sprout and drain seeds and beans, like alfalfa, mung beans, or broccoli. You can also use it to sift flour or soak and drain nuts!

I’m sure you could pretty easily DIY this lid. Maybe you could place a small piece of mesh over the top of the jar and secure it with the jar ring!

7. Lights

Light up your backyard or campsite with this fun LED light mason jar lid. When you turn it on in the dark, it looks kind of like a jar full of fireflies!

I did feature a DIY project a few years back about making your own solar lights using mason jars, but it ended up being trickier than I anticipated.

8. Sippy Cup

Mason jars aren’t just for adults! Turn any size of jar you happen to have on hand into a kid-friendly sippy cup with this silicone sippy lid. These lids fit very snugly and are easy to clean.

9. Fresh Herb Keeper

You can keep fresh herbs for weeks with this simple herb-saving attachment for wide mouth jars. The base holds water, while the jar acts as the lid to keep the moisture contained.

10. Honey Pot

Turn a jar into a honey pot with this clever honey dipper lid. The dipper sit snugly in the lid, so you can always have honey ready at hand, without worrying about the dipper falling in.

11. All-Purpose Dispenser

One of my favorite ways to use mason jars around the house is as a dispenser. I keep baking soda, baking powder, flour, and lots of other things that I tend to buy in bulk in mason jars, with these clever flip top dispenser lids that makes them easy to use. You can also make your own dispenser lid using an empty juice carton!

12. All-Purpose Sprayer

If you make a lot of your own cleaning products, chances are you never have enough sprayer bottles around the house. You can easily turn any regular-mouth jar into a spray bottle with this great sprayer cap!

13. Soap Dispenser

Turn any regular-mouth mason jar into a soap dispenser with this pump adapter. If you have an extra soap pump on hand, it’s not too hard to make your own mason jar soap dispenser!

14. Nail Polish Remover

Removing nail polish can be smelly and messy! Keep the smell and mess contained by turning a small mason jar into a nail polish removal aid. Just cut a sponge in half the long way and curl the two halves into a small mason jar. Saturate the sponge with nail polish remover, then just put your finger in the jar and twist it around to remove your polish!