How To Sterilise Glass Jars & Bottles Properly

how to sterilise glass jars

How can you make sure that your glass jars and bottles are properly sterilised and safe to fill with your food, drink or cosmetic products? You’d never want to place your product into an unclean container, as you do not want any tiny particles that have gathered dust on your jars and bottles during transit and storage to mingle with your product (especially edible ones)! We’re here to give you the lowdown on how to sterilise glass jars and bottles properly, so that you can be sure that you can get the maximum preservation period for your products and be confident that your product will not be exposed to contaminants from your packaging.

Wash

This is a pretty obvious step. In order to get the main bulk of the jar clean, you will need a tub of hot, soapy water and a good sponge. If you’re not up for manual labour, then a hot cycle spin in your dishwasher ought to do the trick as well.

Bake

After your containers have had a good scrub, then you’ll need to dry them in a way that doesn’t expose them to more airborne contaminants. By ‘baking‘ your jars and bottles in the oven for around 10-15 minutes at 120°C, you will be killing off any remaining bacteria or germs that are still lingering whilst also drying the containers.

Fill…

Once your glass jars have dried, you will need to leave them to cool down slightly before you fill them with your product, as some products can be sensitive to the heat and split or spoil easily. The general rule is to not fill hot jars with cold products and don’t fill cold jars with extra hot products!

… But Don’t Forget About Your Lids!

If you have any lids that have rubber seals, then you will need to boil them in order to sterilise them and then leave them to dry naturally, as putting them in the oven will cause them to shrink and lose shape. If you’re using metal twist lids then these can be treated in the same way as your glass containers, but if your lids have any plastic components then please do not put them in the oven as they will melt!

Fantastic Jars & Bottles At Fab Prices!

Fancy trying your hand at homemade jams or chutneys? Are you launching a new brand and need high quality glass packaging? Then you’ve come to the right place, as here at Ideon, we’ve got a great selection of glass jars and bottles which you can buy with no minimum order quantity!

One of our favourite cosmetic glass jars is the 30ml Clear Glass Ointment Jar, which is compatible with our 38mm Black Urea and Aluminium Twist Lids. It’s ideal for packaging medical ointments, cosmetic creams and lip balms, or even hair serum or conditioning treatments. From just 40p each!

Milkshakes and hand pressed juices would look absolutely divine when bottled in our 250ml Swing Top Bottles, which feature an attractive multi-faceted body and a ceramic stopper cap that is attached with a metal clasp. They’d look great on the stall of farmers markets or on the shelves of local shops. From just £2.51 each. Another rustic packaging item is our 500ml Le Parfait Jar. It also has a lid attached that features a distinctive orange rubber seal, as well as an embossed ‘Le Parfait’ logo on the body of the jar. From £4.75 each!

Finally, our large 2lb Traditional Glass Jar is suitable for a wide range of food items, including jams, chutneys, pickles and other preserves. From just 76p each.

All of our items are available with further discounts on the unit price, when you buy in bulk quantities!

Liked our guide on how to sterilise glass packaging? Then we think that you’d also like our Healthy Mason Jar Meal Ideas!