Keep Glass Jars Safer In Your Freezer With A Little-Known Sock Hack

There are few mishaps as frustrating as spilling food in your freezer. It's tedious and painfully cold to clean out. To avoid this irritating situation, ensure freezer items are safely packed before tossing them inside and slamming the door shut. Organize your freezer the right way and use a common household item to keep glass jars from shattering.

Slip mason jars into spare socks before tucking them into your freezer. Socks work as plush safety pockets, cushioning their impact with other items. This hack is doable with any old pair of garments. However, those made of denser materials, such as winter socks made of merino wool, terry cloth, or thick polyester blends, provide more protection. Another benefit of surrounding fragile containers with plush fabric is that if they do break, the material soaks up a significant amount of the spill, easing cleanup later on. If all glass jars are safely wrapped and you have leftover pairs, there are also genius ways to use old socks for a cleaner home.

Understand how this hack works by first understanding the qualities of a glass jar. Glass is often categorized as one of two types: tempered or non-tempered. Tempered glass is built to withstand extreme temperature changes without cracking. Therefore, this material is better suited for freezer storage. Some jars are also made of thinner materials that make them more vulnerable to cracking and shattering. Regardless of what kind of glass it is, liquids can potentially expand and break glass from the inside out.

The socks aren't a guaranteed solution to stop non-tempered glass from breaking in freezing conditions, but they can help. They pad the delicate material, preventing it from banging too hard against other objects when in a vulnerable state. The fabric adds insulation to the jar, slowing the cooling process. It keeps the glass from directly touching the freezer interior, preventing direct cold exposure.

In addition to this hack, take other steps to protect glass in the freezer. Use fancy-pants food storage options built for withstanding cold temperatures. Don't fill the containers to the brim, and leave room for liquids to expand inside. Make sure they aren't directly touching the freezer, and some form of fabric is between them and any other hard surface.