Trying to open a jar? We’ve all been there… The jar is sitting on the counter and you try to unscrew it. “Hmm. That thing is on there tight,” you think to yourself. So you take the jar and hold it against your stomach, you’re slightly hunched over the jar, and your muscles are straining to open the jar. Your face gets all scrunched up and you grit your teeth. Dang now your hands are burning from the attempt. But you try to unscrew it again because you’re stubborn. But it’s no use because that lid Just. Won’t. Budge. You hate the jar. Now what? Give up? Ask the husband? Both are not acceptable options.

Yep. We’ve all been there. But I stand with you in solidarity and encouragingly proclaim that you don’t have to give up hope. Because I’ve got 4 surefire ways to help you overcome this obstacle and get that stupid jar open.

4 Tricks to Open a Jar Lid

Open a Jar with a Knife

Grab an ordinary dinner knife and try to stick it up inside the lid. (A lot of jars have grooves around the jar lid with little gaps.) Then use the jar as leverage to pry the lid away from the jar with your knife. I have yet to bend a knife doing this, and it usually works like a charm. You will hear a pop or air rush into the jar and you’ll know this hack to open a jar has worked. Now unscrewing it should be easy peasy.

Open a Jar with Hot Water

Sometimes before doing the knife trick I will also do this trick. Run your kitchen sink water until it gets hot. Then hold the jar lid under the hot water for about 10 seconds. I don’t know the science behind it, but this probably works because when hot the metal lid expands faster than the glass expands? Honestly I don’t really care why it works I just care that it does.

Open a Jar by Whacking It

In full disclosure, I’ve never used this trick because I’m too scared to, but I saw my father-in-law do it right before my very eyes. So if all else fails give this jar opening hack a whirl. All he does is turn the jar upside down, smack the lid top against the ground, and then he can easily unscrew it. He did it on his tile floor, but personally I’d probably try it on carpet first (or at least on a kitchen cloth).

Open a Jar with a Jar Opener

If you are a gadget girl or if you just want a product that will do the trick and you don’t mind spending $15 or so to make it happen, then something like this jar opener is a good bet. With 5 stars and over 2,000 reviews, it looks like a good option. (This page contains affiliate links that we may be compensated for. Your clicks and purchases help support The DIY Lighthouse at no extra charge to you. We only put links to products we love and would recommend anyway.)

Do you have any other hacks you use to open a jar? If so please share in the comments section below!

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