How To Wash Mason Jar Lids in Dishwasher
In all of the excitement of canning, we tend to overlook how easy it is to clean those mason jar lids. The lids are not something we see every day, but they are used every day. If you’ve ever put a mason jar lid in the dishwasher and then found it coated with brownish gunk after you pull it out, you know that your average dishwasher probably doesn’t cut it for cleaning them.
Fortunately, they are also pretty easy to clean manually once you know how. The instructions below will teach you how to clean your mason jar lids in a standard dishwasher so that they don’t get stained or corroded after their first use.
How to Easily Clean Your Mason Jar Lids in a Dishwasher
Change the wash setting to Heavy Soil
The most important thing to remember when cleaning your mason jar lids in a dishwasher is to use the heavy soil setting. This setting uses more water to rinse your dishes, which means it has the potential to remove any rust or corrosion that might have developed on your jar lids while they were in the canning process. This setting will also allow you to use a lower temperature wash, which will keep your jar lids from getting stained. Most dishwashers come with a heavy soil setting that you can use for this purpose.
Use a small amount of dish soap
You don’t want to use too much dish soap when cleaning your mason jar lids in a dishwasher because it could get into your jars. This will not only cause your jars to taste weird, but it will also prevent you from being able to seal them properly. When cleaning your mason jar lids in a dishwasher, you should use a very small amount of dish soap so that it doesn’t get into your jars. Just a couple of drops should be enough to get the job done.
Rinse with hot water
The best way to clean your mason jar lids in a dishwasher is by rinsing them with hot water. Hot water is more effective at removing stains from your lids than cold water, so it’s important to use hot water when cleaning them in the dishwasher. If you don’t like the idea of rinsing your mason jar lids with hot water, you can always use cold water instead. Just make sure that you do this before you put your lids in the drying cycle, as the lids are likely to rust if they are exposed to water while they are still wet.
Dry immediately with a towel
You shouldn’t just let your mason jar lids sit in a dishwasher. Instead, you should remove them as soon as the dishwasher stops. You can do this by setting a timer, or by opening the dishwasher when you notice the lid open light is off. This is important because your mason jar lids need to be completely dry before you use them again. If they aren’t, they will rust and stain while they are in your jars and on your counters. They will also be harder to clean the next time around. Drying your mason jar lids as soon as you take them out of the dishwasher will help keep them clean and stain-free for as long as possible.
Conclusion
The best way to clean your mason jar lids in a dishwasher is by using a heavy soil setting and a small amount of dish soap. You should rinse them with hot water, and then dry them as soon as they are removed from the dishwasher. While this is the best method for cleaning your mason jar lids in a dishwasher, there are other ways to clean them manually. You can boil them to remove stains, or you can soak them in a baking soda solution to remove odors. Still, cleaning your mason jar lids in a dishwasher will keep them looking and tasting fresh for longer, so that is the best method for cleaning them.
