The Genius Mason Jar Cleaning Hack You'll Wish You Used In Your Kitchen Sooner

As far as cleaning supplies go, a soap-dispensing dish scrubber is a wonderful invention. The tool features a sponge attached to a soap dispenser, which also doubles as a handle. It's excellent for minimizing clutter by the kitchen sink, as it allows you to eliminate sponge holders and bulky soap bottles. Luckily, soap-dispensing dish scrubbers are easy to find in drugstores and supermarkets. But if you'd like to cut costs on your cleaning supplies, try this hack that turns a small jar into a dish scrubber. 

You'll need a 4-ounce mason jar, sponge, nail, hammer, scissors, marker, and a hot glue gun. Most mason jars have a classic two-part lid (i.e., a flat circular piece and a metal ring), but you can also use a lid that has a straw hole in the center. This version is used to turn jars into reusable drinking vessels, but as you'll soon discover, it's great for making dish scrubbers too. Alternatively, if you don't have a mason jar, you can repurpose a small clean glass jar. An empty baby food jar would work well for the job.

If your mason jar lid doesn't already have a hole, you'll need to make a few with the nail and hammer. To do this, secure the lid on the jar. Place the nail vertically on the lid, so the point is against the metal. Using the hammer, carefully hit the nail so it punctures a hole. Repeat to create multiple holes, making sure to space them out evenly. Next, turn over the jar, place the lid on the sponge, then trace the lid and cut the sponge. Add hot glue to the perimeter of the lid and attach the sponge. (Just make sure that the hot glue you're using is considered food-safe.)  From there, you can fill up the jar with your favorite store-bought dish soap (or make a DIY dish soap that actually works). When it's time to wash the dishes, simply hold the jar upside down and scrub with the sponge. Pretty cool, right?

The only drawback is that you can't squeeze the jar or press a button to dispense the soap. Instead, you'll need to rely on gravity. This isn't a deal breaker, but it's worth noting if you like using handheld soap dispensers for their release mechanism. Also, make sure the jar is small enough to fit comfortably in your hand. Larger jars might be awkward to hold while washing dishes. And while there are a couple of drawbacks, you're not only making a solution, but upcycling something that would otherwise be thrown in the trash.