# Preparing jars



## Rob (Mar 29, 2005)

Welcome to the forum deb-bee I'm sure you'll like it here.

What I normally do is pour about an inch of boiling water in each jar and close the lid, then wrap it in a tea towel and give it a good shake. I can't see how any germs could survive that.

P.S. Have a quick search trough the forum and you will find a lot of other opinions on this matter.

http://www.beesource.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004159;p=1#000005
Here's a good place to start.


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## deb_bee (Jul 16, 2005)

Thanks, Rob! I found that AFTER I had submitted this post. Good advice, and I appreciate the reply.

Debbie


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## Rob (Mar 29, 2005)

You're Welcome.

Glad I could help.


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## Lew Best (Jan 8, 2005)

Hey Rob

I read the link; I'm planning to use the plastic honey jars (shipping weight shows to be 3 pd per case IIRC; lots cheaper to get them here than glass). What did you figure out on preparing them for use?

Lew


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## Rooster4473 (May 20, 2004)

I use mason jars, I wash them in real hot water and dry them and fill them. I try to keep everything clean like my uncapping knife and my buckets for straining and jarring, but my buckets and extractor and ect. are not sterelized so I would think, not that it is wrong, but boiling the jars and lids may be overkill. I have also been doing comb honey and all I do is cut it and put it into those disposeable, reuseable, plastic sandwich boxes and I dont boil them either.


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## Rob (Mar 29, 2005)

Lew
The plastic jars(bottles) that I bought are apparently alredy sterilised and ready for use, but to be on the safe side I boiled some water and let it cool down a bit then rinsed out the bottles with it. For the next time I'm toying with the idea of swilling each container with pure alcohol and then letting them stand while the alcohol completly evaporates, not too sure about that though.


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## Lew Best (Jan 8, 2005)

Thanx Rob

Lew


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## BubbaBob (Jan 18, 2005)

Holy Cow!!! Boiling? Alcohol soak? Can we spell WAAAAY overkill?

On new plastic honey containers, new lids for them like the 38mm flip-top lids I use, and on new canning jars like Mason jars, they are clean and ready for use when you buy them.

Remember the anti-germ properties of honey. First, the containers are already clean, then you are bottling something that kills germs if any have gotten in them, unless you just leave the jars open to all sorts of contamination until use.

BubbaBob


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

THANKS Bubbabob

I needed that


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## Big Ed (Jul 1, 2005)

I don't do anything to my plastic containers for the same reasons BubbaBob mentioned, however I do run all my glass through the dishwasher at a high heat/sterilization setting. This is due to advice I received from a beekeeper who worked many years in a glass container factory. She said you must do this to wash out the miniscule dust particles from the packing plant to lower the risk of early crystalization. Whether this is true or not, I don't know. However, It takes no time at all and gives me a little peace of mind. 
I am sure that literally millions of glass containers have been filled straight out of the carton with no ill effects, but to each their own.
I personally would never expose any plastic to hot water in any way, unless you like deformed bears with drooping features.


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## ChellesBees (Apr 1, 2003)

I run all my plastic bottles, as well as my glass, through a hot wash cycle on my dishwasher. Then I leave them in there until I am ready to bottle. That way I am sure about all dust, mold release, etc. The clear bears from Mann Lake come out just fine, as do the yard rent jugs. I don't however, do the plastic lids, because they have that little paper thing in them. I do wash the metal canning jar lids in hot water though. I wouldn't use alcohol, that is just inviting problems. So is boiling water-it works for glass, but not plastic. Some of my stuff, even though it is new, sits for a year or so before I use it, so I feel better knowing I washed it, so it is clean and dust free.


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## John Russell (Aug 8, 2003)

Most jars are washed at the factory, ( for appearance, not sanitation..) but dust can be a factor. Just rinsing them is fine. I run everything through a commercial high temp dishwasher just because clean and sparkling jars sell better.
Bubbabobs right though. The anitbacterial properties of honey give you lots of breathing room, health wise.


J.R.


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## izduz (Apr 28, 2005)

Somethng to consider about your containers, especially new ones. In transportation, containers, glass or plastic, are not considered a foodstuff, and may be shipped with poisons of all sorts. Some poisons, no matter how well packaged do effectively "dust" the things around them. They do not accumulate to amounts that are visible, but still have always caused me concern. Maybe I'm a nervous nellie, but I wash everything, including new clothes. 25 years ago, the company I was then employed by sent an entire van (27 foot trailer) of contaminated denim clothing to a hazardous materials landfill.


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